Associate Vice President of Development

OUR STORY

redefinED atlanta is a public education nonprofit that engages with communities, advocates for equity in education, and funds critical work to drive systemic level improvement in K-12 public education for students and families. Our vision is for Atlanta to be a place where every student in every community receives a great public education.

Since our founding in 2016, redefinED atlanta has invested in schools and systems, community and policy, and school-level talent pipelines through grantmaking, innovative programmatic work and leveraging the organization’s increased influence to advance policy, outcomes, and accountability for public school families. The associated impact and positive momentum are fueling ongoing opportunities to address the challenges facing Atlanta Public Schools and the surrounding communities. Going forward, an increasing number of the bright and deserving students who attend public K-12 schools in the Atlanta metropolitan area will experience improved academic and life outcomes.

Atlanta is the cradle of the civil rights movement and the economic engine of the Southeast. Yet, for generations, students from disinvested neighborhoods, particularly Black and Latinx students, have been denied access to a public education that is of equally high quality as that available to the city’s more affluent children. We honor the commitments we have made to racial equity and inclusion and center these core values:

equity – We strive to serve as an example of what philanthropy can be when it partners with the community. We provide support to meet students’ and families’ different needs and remove barriers by concentrating resources to address inequities.

integrity – We seek truth, use data to inform decision making, and operate with honesty. We commit to identifying how we can improve and to making active changes ourselves, before seeking changes in others.

excellence – We recognize the inequities inherent in our current educational system and we actively work toward defining a high bar of excellence, disrupting the status quo and holding ourselves and our partners accountable for outcomes.

sustainability – We work to make enduring positive change. We resist silver bullet thinking and simultaneously engage in replicating success and promoting innovation. We balance patience with a sense of urgency and our immediate actions and quick wins are aligned to our long-term strategy.

community – We serve communities. Families’ visions and aspirations for their children’s education guide us. We engage in asset-based thinking, leverage existing strengths and act with compassion. We work with under-resourced communities to achieve great k12 public schools for all Atlanta students.

Furthermore, as an organization, redefinED atlanta commits to:

• • attracting and retaining staff with diverse identities, backgrounds, and lived experience in public schools and the public school system;
  • further diversifying our board to include deeper lived experience and perspective from public school parents and historically marginalized communities, and
  • creating an inclusive working culture that celebrates difference, promotes universal belonging, and fosters ongoing learning and personal growth.

OPPORTUNITY & ORGANIZATIONAL FIT

The Associate Vice President of Development (AVPD) position is an exciting opportunity to join a mission-driven, high-functioning, entrepreneurial team whose energy and creativity are elevated when we work shoulder-to-shoulder together. Together with our extended community of dedicated stakeholders, including an aligned and deeply engaged board, we act with urgency and humanity to realize equity and excellence in education.

JOB SUMMARY

Reporting to the Vice President of Advancement, the AVPD will design and drive the strategy for the major giving program for redefinED atlanta. As a frontline fundraiser, and in collaboration with our Executive Director, Vice President of Advancement and Board of Directors, you will directly solicit, cultivate, and steward the interests and motivations of prospective corporate and individual donors; leverage our leadership network and other champions, and execute the strategy you develop to build a balanced major gifts portfolio.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES CRITICAL TO ROLE:

The AVPD will develop a diversified portfolio of primarily individual donors and corporate giving partners. In addition to setting strategy and driving key activities that support the achievement of annual revenue targets, the AVPD will play a leadership role in advocacy, partnership development and other non-revenue-based ecosystem work. Core responsibilities also include:

• • partnering with the Vice President of Advancement to align on a holistic vision and strategy for development and donor engagement;
  • developing new fundraising strategies and approaches appropriate for target revenue streams;
  • leading the individual and corporate fundraising strategies by designing, implementing and monitoring the pipeline for a strategic major gifts-based individual and corporate giving plan designed to secure gifts in the $10k – $100k range; this work will include actively engaging with prospective donors, and making and closing on asks;
  • leading efforts to identify and engage advocates, allies, and board candidates from donor prospects;
  • collaborating with the Associate Director of Advancement in designing and executing highly customized stewardship and renewal plans to grow the engagement and investment of existing donors;
  • co-managing donor relationships when necessary, ensuring that executive relationship managers (board members and other senior leaders) have high-quality research, materials and tools to support productive donor meetings and solicitations; and
  • writing and/or overseeing proposal writing and reporting for donors in your portfolio and supporting the Vice President of Advancement with large institutional partnerships.

SKILLS, ABILITIES AND COMPETENCIES:

The AVPD is a genuine relationship builder, skilled at connecting donor motivations and interests to the mission of our organization and deepening donor proximity to and conviction in our vision for access to great public K-12 schools for all Atlanta families. Specifically, the AVPD will be:

• • a practiced development professional who has been accountable for creating and executing the vision and strategy of a development department and whose experience includes building donor or business development pipelines, cultivating prospective donors and stewarding ongoing relationships, soliciting and closing on gifts and increasing engagement over time;
  • experienced leveraging a ladder of engagement to drive systems change work by identifying and creating advocates and allies from donor prospects;
  • confident in your authority to recommend changes that enhance innovation and improve progress toward goals;
  • effective partnering with our board and allies to leverage their existing networks in advancement of redefinED atlanta’s mission;
  • experienced handling diverse workstreams and inclined to lean in in the spirit of cooperation and collaboration to support our team;
  • experienced at accomplishing department objectives by managing and coaching staff and planning and evaluating department activities;
  • connected to K-12 public education in metro Atlanta (preferred but not required).

The Associate Vice President of Development is a key leader at redefinED atlanta, and as such will be called upon to:

• • uphold our mission/vision, sustainability, strategy, topline goals, ethical standards and promote diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging;
  • operate with a ‘move as one’ mindset over an individual mindset for goals, organizational culture, and prioritization of work;
  • set and maintain the bar/standard of excellence for self and contribute to a culture of continuous improvement and innovation;
  • inform critical decisions regarding strategic planning and organizational direction;
  • operate in a fiscally responsible manner and allocate resources prudently;
  • identify and manage risks to the organization and collaborate to minimize/mitigate risks, and
  • model organizational behaviors and competencies for the staff and support the growth and development of all staff members, regardless of reporting lines.

COMPENSATION

The salary range for this position is $120,000-$140,000 and includes full benefits and a flexible work environment.

LOCATION

Our office is located in the Glenwood Park neighborhood of east Atlanta. We value the benefits of in-person collaboration while also recognizing the advantages and flexibility that remote work offers. This role may be eligible for partial or limited remote work options, provided the candidate resides within Metro Atlanta.

TO APPLY

We have engaged Promise54 to support the hiring process. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Follow these instructions to submit a cover letter and resume:

• • Visit the Opportunities section on Promise54’s website and click on the APPLY NOW tab within the redefinED atlanta Associate Vice President of Development position description
  • Answer a brief set of questions about yourself
  • Below the questions, you’ll be able to upload your resume as well as a cover letter
  • Contact: admin@promise54.org if you encounter any technical difficulties

The interview process will include 1-2 virtual meetings with our search consultant in February/March, as well as a series of 2-3 interview engagements with members of the redefinED atlanta team in late-March and April. You may be asked to complete a written exercise, share work samples from your professional archives, and finalists will participate in a simulated work session that will require some advance preparation.  We hope to extend an offer by late April, and welcome our new AVPD soon thereafter.

COMMITMENT TO RACIAL EQUITY AND INCLUSION:

We do not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations. These activities include, but are not limited to, hiring and firing of staff and contractors, selection of volunteers and vendors, and provision of services. We are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all members of our staff, clients, volunteers, subcontractors, and vendors.

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