Senior Associate of Development

achievementfirstnetworksupportcareers; United States; On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Achievement First is seeking a Senior Associate of Development to build and manage a portfolio of foundation partners. You will draft proposals, coordinate with AF's schools, and guide funders through regular updates and reporting.

Reporting to the Director of Development, you will support events, track fundraising activity in Salesforce, and collaborate with finance to ensure accurate grant spending.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in education, non-profit management, business, human resources or related field required.
• Minimum of 3 years experience in grant writing, fundraising, and/or private philanthropy, program coordination, education, non-profit or government work required.
• Experience with CRM database management for nonprofit organizations and/or data tracking required.
• Experience with MS Office or Google Workspace required.
• Ability to analyze budgets and respond to financial questions.
• Previous experience in project management, particularly for projects working with multiple stakeholders/teams required.

Responsibilities

• Draft grant proposals and reports, coordinate across AF's schools and departments to gather information.
• Manage a portfolio of foundation grants, track deadlines and spend-down with the Director.
• Coordinate the DonorsChoose District Partnership and donor communications.
• Serve as a point of contact for donors, foundations, and schools.
• Educate and coach school staff on grant reporting requirements.
• Collaborate with accounting and finance to ensure accurate grant tracking and spending.
• Support donor and organizational events and school visits.
• Leverage Salesforce CRM to track donor activity and fundraising progress.
• Ensure grant-related materials are uploaded to Salesforce and shared drives.

Skills

Grant writing

Fundraising

Project coordination

Relationship management

Budget analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree in education/non-profit management/business/related field

Tools

Salesforce CRM

MS Office

Google Workspace

Job description

About Achievement First

Achievement First (AF) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization supporting 41 public charter schools across New York, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. For more than 25 years, AF has been recognized as one of the top tuition-free public charter school networks in the country. We are committed to creating schools of academic excellence within nurturing environments - schools that prepare students to be college-ready and to pursue and succeed in whatever paths they choose in life.

The majority of AF students are Black and Latinx children from low-income families, many of whom will be the first in their families to graduate from college. Across our network, we employ more than 2,200 staff members - 64% of whom identify as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color - who collectively educate nearly 15,000 students in Brooklyn and Queens, NY; New Haven, Bridgeport, and Hartford, CT; and Providence and Cranston, RI.

Our mission is to prepare every student to excel in college, career, and life; deepen their understanding of self and community; and lead lives of purpose. We believe in the limitless potential within our students and their power to shape a more just society. That belief drives our deep commitment to student achievement: we aim to set a high bar for learning and create warm, demanding classrooms where rigorous instruction is paired with the care, encouragement, and consistency every student deserves.

We are looking for a strategic and dynamic Senior Associate of Development to join our Development team.

Your Impact

The Senior Associate of Development is a relationship-driven role that leverages the craft of philanthropy and supports growing and managing a meaningful portfolio of foundation partners. The qualified candidate will own an established book of 10+ regional foundations representing approximately $1 USD in annual support for Achievement First's mission of educational equity. This position will partner closely with the Director to manage long-standing relationships.

Day to day, this position will draft grant proposals and reports, coordinate across AF's schools and departments to gather accurate information, guide funders through regular communication, and track fundraising activity and deadlines in Salesforce. The qualified candidate will also support the donor and organizational events: school visits; funder breakfasts; signing days - events that bring our community and supporters together.

Reporting directly to the Director of Development you will be responsible for:

• Private Regional Foundation Grants Management
  Partner with the Director to manage the school-based grants process, monitoring grant spend-down and reporting requirements.
• Support and coordinate the DonorsChoose District Partnership.
• Serve as a point of contact for a portfolio of school-based donors, foundations, and schools.
• Communicate regularly with schools to stay apprised of grant application efforts, grant-funded project progress, and spend-down.
• Educate and coach school staff on grant reporting requirements.
• Collaborate with the accounting and finance team to support accurate grant tracking and spending.
• Logistics and Event Support
  Support logistics and event execution for organizational events where donors are invited - School Visitor Days, Funder Breakfasts, School Openings, Senior Signing Days, etc.
• Coordinate foundation school visits within the grant portfolio and provide donor-visit support to the team as needed.
• Knowledge management
  Leverage Salesforce CRM to track all donor, foundation, and grant-related activities. Use CRM data to track activity and progress toward fundraising goals and grant deadlines.
• Ensure grant-related materials are uploaded to Salesforce and the team's shared Google Drive, organized and accessible year over year.

Skills You'll Have

All candidates for this position will support AF core values, lead innovation, and manage projects to ensure our team, like our schools, are setting a high bar in all areas and pursuing it relentlessly.

An ideal candidate will have the following experience and qualification:

• Bachelor's degree in education, non-profit management, business, human resources or related field required.
• Minimum of 3 years experience in grant writing, fundraising, and/or private philanthropy, program coordination, education, non-profit or government work required.
• Experience working with CRM database management for nonprofit organizations and/or data tracking required.
• Experience with MS Office or Google Workspace required.
• Ability to analyze budgets and respond to financial questions.
• Previous experience in project management, particularly for projects working with multiple stakeholders/teams required.

In addition, the following characteristics are required to be successful on this team:

• Results-oriented individual - a determined leader willing to do "whatever it takes."
• Detail-oriented individual - one who sweats the small stuff in planning and