Chief Development Officer (Propel Education)

JOB TITLE: Chief Development Officer

DEPARTMENT: Shared Services

REPORTS TO: CEO, Propel Education

STATUS: Full-time

LOCATION: Hybrid, Atlanta, GA

PROPEL EDUCATION OVERVIEW

Propel Education was launched in February 2020 in Birmingham. AL to create a suite of signature programs designed to engage students, educators and adult learners in innovative digital skills experiences that better prepare them for the 21st century workforce. In February 2021, Propel Education, in partnership with Apple and Southern Company, announced plans to launch the Propel Center, a physical and virtual hub based in Atlanta, GA that will partner with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to provide powerful learning experiences for HBCU students and staff, and increase the pool of HBCU graduates entering and leading the innovation economy.

JOB PURPOSE:

Reporting to the CEO of Propel Education, the Chief Development Officer is a key executive leadership position for Propel Education, the Propel Center, and Ed Farm Operations. The Chief Development Officer will be responsible for leading and implementing the organization's fundraising strategy, building and managing the development team across all three entities, and driving advocacy and awareness of the Organization's mission, need, and deliverables to expand mission impact and organizational growth. Working closely with the CEO and the Propel Education Board, the CDO will build a comprehensive fundraising and advancement program that helps ensure the long-term sustainability of the organization.

EXPECTATIONS:

The day-to-day job responsibilities will fluctuate depending upon business needs. Below is a list of the job responsibilities overall:

Creates and Implements a Comprehensive Fundraising and Marketing Strategy

• Develops and executes a comprehensive fundraising strategy that includes identifying and cultivating individual, corporate, and foundation donors and prospects.
• Leads and manages all aspects of the fundraising strategy, including major gifts, planned giving, strategic partnerships, special events, and grant writing.
• Develops and implements a marketing strategy to support fundraising efforts, including creating collateral materials, social media content, and other communications to promote the organization's mission, programs, and services.
• Works closely with the CEO and Board of Directors to develop and maintain relationships with key stakeholders, including donors, volunteers, and corporate and community leaders.
• Builds and manages a portfolio of donors and funders.

Directly supervises and supports the Development Team across the enterprise to ensure the optimization of each team member.

• Develops and maintains effective systems and processes to support fundraising and development operations, including gift processing, database management, and reporting.
• Develops and implements a fundraising plan that includes clear goals, metrics, and timelines for achieving fundraising targets.
• Builds and manages a budget for the development team that is aligned with the organization's strategic priorities and goals.
• Identifies and implements technology solutions to support fundraising and development operations and to enhance donor engagement and stewardship.
• Educates and empowers staff to enhance their effectiveness in development activities.
• Participates in supervisory group meetings, providing support and input on supervisory issues and upcoming training topics.
• Builds the infrastructure and team to carry out a well-crafted, donor-centered Development Plan

Board Relations

• Participates in the orientation of new board members annually.
• Shares the development plan with the Board including specifics on Board Members' individual responsibilities and involvement.
• Works with and support the Board Development Committee.

Executive Leadership Team Leadership, Planning and Strategy:

• Serves as a key member of the executive leadership team, working collaboratively with the CEO and other senior leaders to develop and implement the organization's strategic plan and vision.
• Provides leadership and direction to the development team and other departments as needed to ensure alignment with the organization's goals and objectives.
• Leads the annual planning and budgeting process for the development department, ensuring that goals are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART).
• Provides regular updates to the CEO and Board of Directors on fundraising progress and challenges and make recommendations for course correction as needed.
• Supervises external affairs for the organization in public forums and develops and maintains relationships with external stakeholders, including donors, community leaders, and peer organizations, to advance the organization's mission and goals.

Financial

• Develops and manages the annual budget for the Development department throughout the year.
• In collaboration with other Development staff, leads development activities to ensure the organization has sufficient funds to carry out its mission.

GOALS/OUTCOMES:

Measurable Goals/Outcomes: Effectiveness

Tasks or Duties to Accomplish Outcomes:

1. Donor Retention Rate: measurement of the percentage donors who continue to give to the organization annually.
2. Fundraising ROI: measures how successfully fundraising initiatives have been over time.
3. Focus on donor segments that are more likely to contribute to specific campaigns.
4. Donor Conversion Rate: Evaluates donor engagement.
5. Tracks how prospects interact with fundraising and marketing channels.

Frequency: Monthly

Measurable Goals/Outcomes: Cross-Functional Collaboration

1. Collaborate across departments to ensure alignment and support for business development initiatives.
2. Work cross-functionally to leverage resources and optimize the overall business development process.

Frequency: Ongoing

Measurable Goals/Outcomes: Growth

1. Year-over-year change in organzation's donation revenue.
2. Demonstrate how much fundraising progress the organization is making.

Frequency: Quarterly

Measurable Goals/Outcomes: Strategic Planning

1. Identify key areas for growth, devise strategies to penetrate new markets, and explore partnerships and collaborations to expand the company's reach.
2. Enhance fundraising analytics: Use data analysis tools to interpret donor data and apply insights to improve fundraising strategies.
3. Define a Vision: Create a vision statement that acts as an anchor for your organization and outlines the direction you're going in.

Frequency: Ongoing

Measurable Goals/Outcomes: Lead & Revenue Generation

1. Drive engagement and generate leads that result in revenue generating relationships
2. Demonstrate increased partnership awareness with revenue generating relationships.

Frequency: Quarterly

REQUIRED SKILLS, BEHAVIOR, OR KNOWLEDGE

1. Bachelor's degree, with a preference for a Master's degree, and 8+ years of successful development/marketing or related professional fundraising experience including individual donors capable of gifts of $1 million or more, and demonstrated success in cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding major individual gifts.
2. Experience building and growing a high functioning team in a non-profit environment.
3. Experience in planning, leading, and managing development projects, including coordinating with peers to achieve desired outcomes, and tracking and reporting on progress to senior managers/board of directors.
4. Demonstrated track record of building a strategic development function including, but not limited to, annual fund, major gifts, corporations and foundations, planned giving, donor cultivation and stewardship, and event management.
5. Strong interpersonal and communication skill set and demonstrated ability to work effectively with and gain the respect and support of varied and changing constituencies, including staff, board members, potential donors, volunteers and the like.
6. Demonstrated ability to plan and operate strategically, to build public support, to strengthen infrastructure, to inspire staff and the board of directors, and to develop effective programs
7. Advanced abilities to effectively communicate with, and act as the organization representative in contacts with governmental agencies, community groups and various business, HBCU community, and legislative organizations.
8. Analytical problem-solving skills with an impeccable attention to detail.