Manager of Individual Giving

Position and Organization Description

Accelerate Institute is seeking a talented Manager of Individual Giving who is passionate about pursuing educational equity in public schools. This is a new position at Accelerate Institute reporting to the VP of Partnerships (Erin Brooks); the ideal candidate will be based in the greater Chicago area. This person will join our Manager of Foundation and Corporate Relations as we continue to build a strong development team focused on expanding Accelerate Institute’s footprint, building greater brand awareness, and increasing funding opportunities in order to support Accelerate Institute’s mission. This role will assume responsibilities related to cultivating existing donor relationships, identifying and building new donor prospects, management of the donor tracking database, and special events for Accelerate Institute and Alain Locke Charter School.

The Manager of Individual Giving will work closely with both the VP of Partnerships and the CEO to plan, manage, and implement Accelerate Institute’s individual giving strategy. This position will ensure the effective delivery of Accelerate Institute’s vision, mission, and brand through its fundraising programs.

The Manager of Individual Giving will coordinate with various teams and stakeholders connected to Accelerate Institute and Alain Locke Charter School. The successful candidate will have prior experience and success in building and executing individual giving campaigns through each stage of the process from prospecting to cultivation, securing a gift, and effectively stewarding individual donors. The person selected for this position must be self-motivated, creative, results-oriented, entrepreneurial, and highly energetic with exceptional interpersonal, organizational, and communication skills.

In the first six months, the Manager of Individual Giving will focus on building their knowledge of Accelerate Institute and Alain Locke Charter School in order to best communicate with prospects and current donors. They will attend/observe donor meetings, Accelerate Institute programming such as Forums and the Annual Strategic Planning Retreat (June 2023), and the all-staff retreat (June 2023) to gain firsthand knowledge of our work, team, and participants. The Manager of Individual Giving will also help us close out our FY23 organizational fundraising goal of approximately $3M; our fiscal year runs July 1-June 30.

About Accelerate Institute

Founded in 1991, Accelerate Institute’s mission is to enable every child, regardless of their zip code, to reach their full potential.

We partner to create high-performing schools, by dramatically accelerating student achievement. Through the Growth Accelerator, Principal Fellowship, and Leadership Academy programs, we draw on the leadership model used to achieve success at our nationally recognized school, Alain Locke Charter School. Accelerate Institute has trained more than 500 school leaders who are currently working in more than 25 cities across the United States. Our work is grounded in Accelerate Institute’s core values:

Students First: We make decisions in which student achievement and well-being are prioritized while honoring individual student experiences.

Absolute Excellence: We bring our best work, are productive, are present, and get accelerated results.

Synergy: Our interactions and cooperation produce a combined effect greater than the sum of the separate effects.

Equity and Inclusion: We value all dimensions of diversity and seek to model the fairness and justice that we want to see in the world.

Gratitude: The work is hard. In that we find joy and are thankful to each other and show appreciation for all stakeholders.

Accelerate Institute is located in Chicago, Illinois.

Position Responsibilities

Top priorities for the Development Manager are:

Execute Individual Giving Fundraising Strategy: Actively work with Vice President of Partnerships and CEO to develop and implement a comprehensive individual giving strategy for Accelerate Institute and Alain Locke Charter School with the goal of growing our donor base and expanding existing funding; there will be a significant focus on prospecting and identifying new individual donors

Donor Cultivation and Communication: Execute the day-to-day management of existing and new individual donors; work closely with the marketing team and CEO to produce fundraising campaigns, newsletters, and other materials.

Alain Locke Charter School Fundraising and Board Support: Actively work with the Board Chair to develop innovative strategies to identify, cultivate, and engage individual donors to support the school; act as Board Secretary

Managing Logistics for Annual Impact Dinner: Support the CEO and Founder by coordinating operational logistics, marketing, and donor tracking/support for our annual fundraiser dinner

Required Qualifications and Skills

Minimum of 3-5 years of comprehensive development experience in similar roles in the nonprofit sector

Unwavering commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and Accelerate Institute’s mission of educational equity

Demonstrated ability to support the execution of a development strategy that met or exceeded its objectives for an organization of comparable size

Experience supporting organizational leaders to successfully engage and solicit high wealth individuals

Exceptional written and verbal communication skills for multiple target audiences

Excellent interpersonal and relationship building skills with the ability to communicate with a wide range of audiences

Proven ability to work unsupervised and solve problems independently, effectively, and creatively

Ability to lead multiple long- and short-term projects simultaneously, meeting all related deadlines with the ability to plan,

prioritize, coordinate, and manage own work

Advanced knowledge of MS Office and experience working with donor tracking databases (Salesforce preferred)

Compensation

Salary range: $60,000 – $75,000

Accelerate Institute offers a full benefits package which includes: health and dental insurance; 10 days of vacation; 9 paid holidays with paid days off between the Christmas and New Year’s holidays; a paid floating holiday; paid sick and personal leave; retirement plan options; long-term disability coverage; and basic life and personal accident insurance.

To Apply

The application can be found here: https://www.tfaforms.com/5034459

For more information on Accelerate Institute, go to accelerateinstitute.org