Vice President, Development

Green Dot Public Schools is a non-profit network of public charter schools helping to transform the public education system so that ALL students graduate prepared for college, leadership, and life. Our schools are founded on an unwavering belief in the potential of all students, and there are four key elements to our school model that help us unlock the inherent potential in every student we serve: quality teaching and instruction, a college-going culture, a focus on fostering leadership and life skills, and a focus on eliminating barriers to learning. We have 18 schools and 10,000 students across Los Angeles. Our schools are located in some of the most underserved communities that have been denied access to high-quality educational opportunities, and we seek to prove that it is possible to close the access and opportunity gap that exists between low-income students and their more affluent peers.

What differentiates Green Dot California is our intense focus on truly serving ALL students, our collaboration with reform-minded unions, our work focused on large-scale turnarounds of schools formerly run by the districts, and our ability to take on the toughest challenges with the same public funding received by traditional district schools but accomplishing very different results. Green Dot California’s results are undeniable. Nine of our high schools have been ranked among the top schools in the country. We have six California Distinguished schools and 3 California Gold Ribbon schools, and several of our schools have been recipients of the ’ Academic Growth Awards, which honor schools having the greatest impact on student achievement. Additionally, Green Dot’s first turnaround, Alain LeRoy Locke College Preparatory Academy, was named Charter School of the Year by the California Charter Schools Association in 2019.

In June 2024, Green Dot California will bring many resources in-house, including IT, payroll finance, and public affairs. This change is a pivotal moment for Green Dot California to build new capabilities designed to empower and support our schools here in California. As part of this shift, we anticipate hiring over 50 employees to support our schools by July 2024.

OPPORTUNITY

The Vice President of Development will oversee Green Dot California’s Development Team. This Vice President of Development will develop ambitious fundraising plans that help the organization secure the necessary investments to support Green Dot California’s mission of transforming public education. This includes Moves Management of prospect portfolio lists, designing and pursuing growth strategies for existing fundraising channels, identifying new opportunities to expand funding from charitable sources, and designing, planning and leading successful new fundraising channel initiatives based on well crafted strategies. The Vice President of Development will be a skilled leader with the ability to analyze data, develop team members, and communicate effectively on behalf of the organization.

This position is part of the Public Affairs team and reports to the Chief of Staff. The role will manage a Development Engagement Specialist, a Sr. Development Officer, and a Institutional Giving Manager (who in turn will manage a Grants Compliance Associate and a Grant Writer) This is a role serving as part of Green Dot California’s central office team, primarily based in Los Angeles.

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

-Build, Manage, and Develop a High-Performing Team

-Provide leadership to the Development team. Provide direct management to the Senior Development Officer, Institutional Giving Manager and Development Engagement Specialist.

-Build a positive, collaborative environment that fosters personal and professional growth and a high level of performance through individual coaching, team meetings and ongoing professional development.

-Leadership Collaboration: Design and manage meeting structure between Development and leadership (annual planning check-ins, quarterly strategy check-ins, and bi-weekly tactical meetings).

-Moves Management: Promote a strong culture of moves management, with every team member clear on where prospects are in the donor pipeline, how to advance them, and how to identify creative solutions to challenges/roadblocks.

-Systems and Vendors: Ensure the department has the appropriate CRM, systems, and monitoring tools. Select high-quality vendors to support the work as necessary.

-Annual Fundraising Strategic Planning

-Fundraising Strategic Plan: Design, calendar and implement an annual strategic plan for fundraising with a strong focus on diversifying the funding base by strengthening and expanding current strategies and developing strategies for new fundraising channels. Analyze prior results and available opportunities to settle on clear, ambitious, achievable goals with a focus on growth and innovation. Ensure alignment between the Annual Fundraising Strategic Plan and Green --Dot’s Strategic Plan

-Goal Setting: Work closely with team members to analyze the local philanthropic landscape and develop ambitious and measurable fundraising goals.

-Templates: Create templates for different components of the plan, including philanthropic landscape analysis and individual prospects, and ensure templates inform the moves management process and Salesforce CRM.

-Partnerships: Determine when and how to effectively utilize existing partnerships and build new ones ( e.g. Board of Directors, corporate sponsors, social media influencers, third-party evaluators, contracted service providers) to support established goals.

-Progress Monitoring: Provide analysis and reporting on the overall progress towards -Development goals and strategic plan. Direct and lead adaptations to current strategies and practices as needed to meet established goals.

-Individual Giving

-Lead the creation, implementation, management and assessment of a comprehensive donor cultivation and engagement plan. Design growth and retention strategies for existing donors and opportunities to forge new donor relationships.

-Maintain a portfolio of high net worth donors and coach the Senior Development Officer in the successful management of their donor portfolio.

-Foster positive, ongoing relationships with donors, ensuring their concerns and/or requests are addressed in a timely manner, and that they are properly acknowledged, informed and engaged on a regular basis.

-Coach the Development Engagement Specialist in their efforts to create innovative and engaging experiences for current and prospective donors.

-Private and Public Grants

-Coach the Institutional Giving Manager in their team’s efforts to identify, secure and report on private and public grants.

-Act as a resource and guide in researching and assessing new funding opportunities available through local, state and federal government agencies, as well as through private and corporate foundations. Ensure that grant guidelines align with programmatic and/or organizational goals.

-Review and provide input into the development of grant proposals and budgets to ensure alignment with established guidelines and goals.

-Ensure strong collaboration between the institutional giving, program and Finance and Accounting teams in support of timely and effective grant submissions, and progress monitoring and reporting.

QUALIFICATIONS

-A Bachelor's Degree is required; an advanced degree in a related field is a plus.

-A minimum of 10 years of nonprofit fundraising experience in progressively responsible leadership roles, with at least 5 years of experience managing others and overseeing operational and performance outcomes.

-Demonstrated success in directly cultivating, soliciting and stewarding mid to high net worth individuals, foundations and corporations. Experience in securing complex government grants strongly desired.

-Proven track record of meeting or exceeding annual fundraising goals of $8-10 million through varied channels including, but not limited to, individual, corporate and foundation giving, government grants, planned giving, events, and email campaigns.

-Experience in moves management, including familiarity with Salesforce or similar CRM

-Proficiency in utilizing and managing data, and effective use of fundraising technology and data to inform strategic operations and decision making.

-Exceptional leadership and management skills, with a demonstrated ability to motivate, inspire, and develop a diverse, high-performing team.

-Strong interpersonal and communication skills, both written and verbal, to effectively engage and inspire donors, staff, and volunteers.

-Significant knowledge of fundraising best practices, innovative trends, and ethical standards.

-Exceptional strategic thinking, problem-solving, and organizational skills. Flexible and able to provide creative approaches to challenges and opportunities.

-The ability to work collaboratively and build effective relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders.

-Passion for and alignment with Green Dot’s mission and values.

-Pass a TB test and background check at time of offer.