Regional Director of Advancement (Immediate Opening)

Description

Position overview:

A masterful communicator and relationship builder, the Regional Director of Advancement (RDA)- Tarrant County, is charged with cultivating and stewarding the external relationships critical to the success of IDEA Public Schools in the Dallas/Fort Worth Area.  The RDA- Tarrant County is responsible for serving as the leader of external affairs for IDEA’ work in the region, stewarding key philanthropic relationships, and managing Tarrant County’s Regional Advisory Board.  As a leader who is passionate about educational equity, the ideal candidate will lead strategic conversations with key community members to ensure partnerships in the Dallas/Fort Worth Area will expand and flourish.

The RDA-Tarrant County works well in matrixed organizations and is a strategic planner and executor.  This role will report to the Managing Director of Regional Development and sit on a team of fellow advancement teammates who share best practices, collaborate, and have fun together. The RDA-Tarrant County will partner heavily with IDEA Tarrant County’s Regional Leadership team and Executive Director, the role’s most critical business partner.  This role will be supported by Advancement Operations members of the Information Services Team who are responsible for ensuring the appropriate infrastructure is in place to execute high-caliber philanthropic operations across all IDEA’s regions.

Location: This is a full-time, hybrid position based in Tarrant County (Fort Worth).

Travel Expectation: The ideal candidate is expected to meet with donors, prospects, and community leaders within the Dallas/Fort Worth Area and will travel to in-person meetings at the external stakeholders’ preference.  Approximately, 10% annual travel outside of DFW area is expected.

Compensation & Benefits:

Salaries for people entering this role typically fall between $91,120 and $112,989 commensurate with relevant experience and qualifications and in alignment with internal equity. This role is also eligible for a performance bonus based on team performance and goal attainment. 

Additionally, we offer medical, dental, vision, and supplemental benefits as well as retirement plans and a generous vacation package. You can find more information about our benefits at https://ideapublicschools.org/careers/benefits/.

* IDEA may offer a relocation stipend to defray the cost of moving for this role, if applicable.

In this role you will:

• Implement and monitor a comprehensive fundraising plan to expand philanthropic support of the IDEA Tarrant County and provide input to strategic decisions that affect the Advancement team as a whole
• Build and manage a major gifts portfolio of 75-150 donors and prospects consisting of local individuals and family foundations, assuring that as many as possible make an introductory gift, or are retained and are upgraded in their giving and involvement
• Personally manage high-profile donors and acts as the primary point of contact for all Dallas/Fort Worth philanthropic interests
• Lead stewardship and reporting with IDEA’s largest funders and key philanthropic partners in Tarrant County
• Set strategic goals around the number of new and upgraded donors needed in FY24 and beyond to create a healthy, sustainable donor base long-term 
• Identify and strengthen relationships with community stakeholders through networking at selected community and leadership events
• Synthesize multiple facts, data points, and stories into a compelling narrative explaining IDEA’s educational vision to others
• Effectively explain IDEA’s story, program, vision and accomplishments to a diverse group of constituents, prospects, and funders
• Develop and execute strategy to recruit and onboard qualified advisory board members who reflect the diversity of the regions
• Create and monitor individualized annual service plans for each Tarrant County regional board member, provide support for completing their service plans, and regularly report out on their progress  
• With the support of local staff, manage regional board communication, meeting schedules, agendas and presentations, working with local regional directors to plan a minimum of 3 regional board meetings a year with 90% attendance in Tarrant County
• Work closely with IDEA’s external communications team, serving as a partner to attract attention from potential supporters and raise awareness of IDEA Tarrant County.
• Assist the external communications team in prepping regional leadership and/or donors and supporters for media interviews
• Ensure regional Executive Director and board members are represented at key local education community events
• Develop strong relationships within the community to foster a positive image and connections for IDEA Tarrant County
• Utilize Salesforce to maintain a complete and accurate database record of donors, stewardship and engagement, and planned and received funding
• Serve as the liaison between the region and external communications efforts as needed.

Required experience and skills:

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree preferred
• Knowledge of the Dallas/Fort Worth philanthropic landscape including various philanthropic organizations and business development organizations  
• 6 years of experience in a development, advocacy, fundraising, grant writing, grant management or similar role; CFRE/CFRM preferred
• CRM database experience; Salesforce preferred
• Demonstrated ability to drive results with a proven track record of personally achieving success   
• Belief in IDEA’s mission, an understanding of what it takes to achieve the goal of college for all children
• Superior writing ability and attention to detail

Goals:

As part of the Advancement team supporting the Tarrant County region, you will contribute to reaching the following ambitious goals:

1. Raise $750,000 in philanthropic support for IDEA Tarrant County by June 30, 2024.
2. Identify a regional board chair and partner to recruit additional regional advisory board members, 100% of whom execute their annual service plan, by June 30, 2024.
3. Execute best-in-class stewardship of existing donors to ensure funding commitments that support IDEA Tarrant County are renewed with aligned payment schedules.   
4. Develop and execute a strategic plan for growing the visibility of IDEA’s work and student achievement in Tarrant County.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

At IDEA we recognize that racism, bias, and privilege exist in society. We are committed to an organizational culture that promotes awareness and inclusivity for our students and staff, and supports their path to positively impact our broader society. We are committed to recognizing the impact of racism and privilege, and commit as an organization to have equitable practices, policies, and structures.  Visit https://ideapublicschools.org/dei/ to learn about IDEA’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Anti-Racist and Anti-Bias commitment.

Learn more about IDEA

• https://ideapublicschools.org/our-story/history/
• https://ideapublicschools.org/regions/tarrant-county/
• https://ideapublicschools.org/our-approach/
• https://ideapublicschools.org/our-approach/results/
• https://ideapublicschools.org/our-story/leadership/
• https://ideapublicschools.org/our-story/national-board-of-directors/
• https://ideapublicschools.org/our-story/regional-board-of-directors/
• https://ideapublicschools.org/our-story/impact-magazine/