The Role
At Teach For America-St. Louis, our mission depends on our ability to produce culturally responsive teachers and leaders who consistently work alongside our students and communities to prove what is possible. Our product must be corps members, alumni, and partners who hold personal clarity and conviction about their role in the work for educational equity in our city and our nation.
To this end, Teach For America St. Louis is seeking a Director, Development (D, D) who will support execution of vision and strategy for our campaign to raise $3M next fiscal year. The D, D will work closely with the Executive Director to build an engaged, informed, sustainable base of regional donors and champions to impact our region for years to come. This position will also learn from and invest individuals, foundations, and corporations in the narratives of our students and the work for equity in our city. The D,D will be interested in not only continuing the practices that have thus far garnered consistent support from our current base of supporters, but also in creatively diversifying our donor base and sharing the experiences of our students through entrepreneurial, game-changing strategies. The D,D will work in close collaboration with other members of the St. Louis regional team. The D,D will report to the Executive Director.
The Team
St. Louis is home to some of the country’s best free, public institutions including the world-renowned St. Louis Art Museum, a nationally-recognized science center, the Missouri History Museum, one of the country’s best known zoos, and Forest Park—modeled after New York's Central Park. While natives and transplants alike take great pride in these attractions, one of St. Louis' biggest and most important free institutions is never ranked among the country's best—our public school system.
Since legalized segregation in the 1860s to a belated and reluctant enforcement of desegregation in the 1980s, divisions by race and class in St. Louis have led to intergenerational poverty, the decline of our historic communities, and a vast disparity in educational outcomes between students growing up in different zip codes. Today, the average ACT score at Sumner High School—the oldest historically black high school west of the Mississippi—is a 14. Just 10 miles away in the wealthier district of Clayton, the average score at the public high school is 26. Currently, the St. Louis region must continue to answer the unique call to develop and learn alongside high-quality, culturally responsive teachers and alums working collectively toward educational equity in our broader educational ecosystem. This work is essential to Teach For America – St. Louis’ success in the years to come.
At Teach For America-St. Louis, our mission depends on our ability to produce culturally responsive teachers and leaders who consistently work alongside our students and communities to prove what is possible. Our product must be corps members, alumni, and partners who hold personal clarity and conviction about their role in the work for educational equity in our city and our nation.
To this end, Teach For America St. Louis is seeking a Director, Development (D, D) who will support execution of vision and strategy for our campaign to raise $3M next fiscal year. The D, D will work closely with the Executive Director to build an engaged, informed, sustainable base of regional donors and champions to impact our region for years to come. This position will also learn from and invest individuals, foundations, and corporations in the narratives of our students and the work for equity in our city. The D,D will be interested in not only continuing the practices that have thus far garnered consistent support from our current base of supporters, but also in creatively diversifying our donor base and sharing the experiences of our students through entrepreneurial, game-changing strategies. The D,D will work in close collaboration with other members of the St. Louis regional team. The D,D will report to the Executive Director.
The Team
St. Louis is home to some of the country’s best free, public institutions including the world-renowned St. Louis Art Museum, a nationally-recognized science center, the Missouri History Museum, one of the country’s best known zoos, and Forest Park—modeled after New York's Central Park. While natives and transplants alike take great pride in these attractions, one of St. Louis' biggest and most important free institutions is never ranked among the country's best—our public school system.
Since legalized segregation in the 1860s to a belated and reluctant enforcement of desegregation in the 1980s, divisions by race and class in St. Louis have led to intergenerational poverty, the decline of our historic communities, and a vast disparity in educational outcomes between students growing up in different zip codes. Today, the average ACT score at Sumner High School—the oldest historically black high school west of the Mississippi—is a 14. Just 10 miles away in the wealthier district of Clayton, the average score at the public high school is 26. Currently, the St. Louis region must continue to answer the unique call to develop and learn alongside high-quality, culturally responsive teachers and alums working collectively toward educational equity in our broader educational ecosystem. This work is essential to Teach For America – St. Louis’ success in the years to come.
Skills/Experience:
Primary Responsibilities
Development Execution [30%]
Skills
Apply Now
To be considered for this role, you must submit an online application. Please scroll down to the bottom of the page to find the link to the online application. For more information, please contact [email protected] or visit www.teachforamerica.org/about-us/careers.
About the Organization
There are more than 16 million children growing up in poverty in the U.S., and less than 10 percent of them will graduate from college. These statistics are not a reflection of our children’s potential; we know that children growing up in poverty can and do achieve at the highest levels. Rather, these statistics reflect the systemic lack of access and opportunity for children in low-income communities.
Teach For America (TFA) finds, develops, and supports an ever-expanding network of outstanding and diverse leaders committed to expanding opportunity for children in schools, school systems, and in every sector and field that shapes the context in which schools operate. Representing the diversity of America and sharing the experience of having taught successfully in our most challenging public schools, TFA corps members and alumni form a network of change agents inside and outside of education who are grounded in the tremendous potential of our most underserved children and connected to families and communities impacted by educational inequity.
Founded by Wendy Kopp in 1989, Teach For America has since expanded to 36 states and 53 regions, reaching more than 10 million students. Now 53,000 strong and growing each year, the TFA community is leading across all sectors, including as teachers, school and school system leaders, elected officials, policy and advocacy organizers, social entrepreneurs, and business and civic leaders. We support the individual and collective leadership of this network as they work hand-in-hand with students, families, and allies in the effort to realize educational equity and excellence for children across the nation.
Our Core Values and Diversity, Equity & Inclusiveness Statement
Learn more about our Core Values and our commitment to Diversity, Equity & Inclusiveness.
Benefits and Salary
Salary for this position is competitive and depends on prior experience. In addition, a comprehensive benefits package is included. Learn more at ww.teachforamerica.org/about-us/careers/employee-benefits.
Commitment to Diversity and Equal Opportunity Employment Policy
Teach For America encourages individuals of all ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic backgrounds to apply for this position. We are committed to maximizing the diversity of our organization, as we want to engage all those who can contribute to this effort. Learn more about our diversity on staff: www.teachforamerica.org/about-us/careers/life-at-tfa/workforce-diversity-and-inclusiveness.
Teach For America is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all qualified individuals and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, marital status, veteran status, pregnancy, parental status, genetic information or characteristics (or those of a family member) or any other basis prohibited by applicable law.
This job description reflects Teach For America's assignment of essential functions and qualifications of the role. Nothing in this herein restricts management's right to assign, reassign or eliminate duties and responsibilities to this role at any time.
Development Execution [30%]
- Develop benchmarks to achieve both immediate (current fiscal year) and long-term (next 3-5 years) development goals
- Execute core strategies that will propel the Development team forward in achieving long-term vision and shorter-term benchmark
- Work with the Executive Director to strategically broaden and diversify our fundraising base
- Lead our development efforts with Corporations and Foundations
- Directly manage one full-time staff member (Manager, Development)) and support his/her professional development and growth as a culturally responsive leader through providing regular feedback, meeting weekly to track progress-to-goal, and serving as a thought-partner and coach
- Work with team to develop a process/system for intra-team as well as inter-team communication and tracking donor/prospect engagements via Salesforce
- Cultivate, solicit, and steward a portfolio of donors through meetings, events, and correspondence
- Execute stewardship strategy to maintain our strong connections and ongoing communication with existing donors and consistently engage new prospects
- Acting as a gatekeeper of vision, alignment and action. Vetting all decisions and strategies through the lens of equity and inclusiveness. Insuring actions are toward equity and as the team leader demonstrating a cycle of continuously building skill and taking aligned action.
- Building strong, authentic external relationships with partners, including, school districts, nonprofit organizations, political training programs, local organizations, and community leaders
- Listening exceptionally well and demonstrating the ability to understand the needs and motivations of others, find common ground and build trust with internal and external stakeholders
- Synthesizing a wide range of information into compelling narratives
- Managing a high-performing team to achieve ambitious development goals
- Developing a strong, outcomes-focused, culturally responsive, culture within the team
- Fostering the leadership of the team in order to ensure strong contributions to all regional priorities
- Leading the team to integrate regional priorities and core values in all of their work
- Design and provide professional development opportunities to grow skill and knowledge in culturally responsive leadership and role-specific needs
- Serve on the regional Leadership Team with Executive Director and other functional lead
- Continued work, via weekly check-ins, personal reflection, and other structures as needed, rooted in the performance management system to focus on: culturally responsive leadership development, setting vision and direction, managing team execution, influencing others to achieve outcomes, synthesizing integrating and developing strategies
- Attend all Development Team meetings, All Staff meetings, All-Staff Retreats, and step backs
- Participate in selection and/or selection check
- Attend national conferences and trainings
- Manage a portfolio of St. Louis alums to complete the Alumni Survey
- Support in regional recruitment activity
- Support in regional matriculation and onboarding of incoming CMs.
- Collaborate with other team members to plan and execute large-scale regional events (ex: Alumni Summit, Holiday Party, Alumni Induction)
Skills
- Visionary Leadership: Ability to compel others to follow and embodies domains of culturally responsive leadership to catalyze our impact, both individual and collective, in the St. Louis Region. Desire to continually grow and learn as a leader.
- Team Management: Ability to build and manage a team toward excellence and execution; ability to build authentic relationships, motivate, and also offer direct, critical feedback when necessary.
- Demonstration of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusiveness: Demonstrates an orientation to placing individual’s identity at the center of all work and a commitment to individual and collective growth in Racial Identity Development and Sociopolitical Cultural Consciousness. Evidence of Culturally Responsive Leadership in previous work.
- Building Relationships and Influencing Others: Strong interpersonal and talent identification skills, as well as a proven ability to develop and leverage relationships toward achievement of concrete goals. Demonstrated success aligning diverse stakeholders around a common vision or objective.
- Organization and Communication: Excellent organizational and management skills and Microsoft Office skills. Comfort with financial budgets and spreadsheets. Excellent writing and communications skills.
- Strategic Thinking and Strategic Action: Ability to analyze data to draw accurate conclusions that inform management strategy and take action toward them.
- Mission/Metrics Balance: ability to balance/manage toward the many numerical goals we have while keeping front-and-center the spirit by which they are designed.
- Conducting Analysis: Analyzing data to draw accurate conclusions that inform management strategy in a way that is equitable and engages marginalized voices and perspectives.
- St. Louis Context: Demonstrate active engagement in the community we serve and actively seeking out perspectives of marginalized groups within the St. Louis community. Innovation: Ability to think outside of the box to capitalize on new opportunities.
- Positive Attitude and Adaptability: Approaches challenges with a positive attitude and a sense of possibility.
- 7-8 Years of Professional Experience
- Prior experience and/or proficiency with SalesForce preferred
- Experience in the K-12 sector or a desire to quickly become knowledgeable about the key issues and players in education reform preferred
- Knowledge of the education and philanthropic landscapes in St. Louis preferred
- Bachelor’s Degree Required
- Master’s Degree Preferred
Apply Now
To be considered for this role, you must submit an online application. Please scroll down to the bottom of the page to find the link to the online application. For more information, please contact [email protected] or visit www.teachforamerica.org/about-us/careers.
About the Organization
There are more than 16 million children growing up in poverty in the U.S., and less than 10 percent of them will graduate from college. These statistics are not a reflection of our children’s potential; we know that children growing up in poverty can and do achieve at the highest levels. Rather, these statistics reflect the systemic lack of access and opportunity for children in low-income communities.
Teach For America (TFA) finds, develops, and supports an ever-expanding network of outstanding and diverse leaders committed to expanding opportunity for children in schools, school systems, and in every sector and field that shapes the context in which schools operate. Representing the diversity of America and sharing the experience of having taught successfully in our most challenging public schools, TFA corps members and alumni form a network of change agents inside and outside of education who are grounded in the tremendous potential of our most underserved children and connected to families and communities impacted by educational inequity.
Founded by Wendy Kopp in 1989, Teach For America has since expanded to 36 states and 53 regions, reaching more than 10 million students. Now 53,000 strong and growing each year, the TFA community is leading across all sectors, including as teachers, school and school system leaders, elected officials, policy and advocacy organizers, social entrepreneurs, and business and civic leaders. We support the individual and collective leadership of this network as they work hand-in-hand with students, families, and allies in the effort to realize educational equity and excellence for children across the nation.
Our Core Values and Diversity, Equity & Inclusiveness Statement
Learn more about our Core Values and our commitment to Diversity, Equity & Inclusiveness.
Benefits and Salary
Salary for this position is competitive and depends on prior experience. In addition, a comprehensive benefits package is included. Learn more at ww.teachforamerica.org/about-us/careers/employee-benefits.
Commitment to Diversity and Equal Opportunity Employment Policy
Teach For America encourages individuals of all ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic backgrounds to apply for this position. We are committed to maximizing the diversity of our organization, as we want to engage all those who can contribute to this effort. Learn more about our diversity on staff: www.teachforamerica.org/about-us/careers/life-at-tfa/workforce-diversity-and-inclusiveness.
Teach For America is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all qualified individuals and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, marital status, veteran status, pregnancy, parental status, genetic information or characteristics (or those of a family member) or any other basis prohibited by applicable law.
This job description reflects Teach For America's assignment of essential functions and qualifications of the role. Nothing in this herein restricts management's right to assign, reassign or eliminate duties and responsibilities to this role at any time.
Job Function:
Organization Info
Listing Stats
Post Date:
Nov 13 2017
Active Until:
Dec 10 2017
Hiring Organization:
Teach For America
industry:
Nonprofit