Ashley Ellington
Development Manager, Grants and Partnerships
Position Grade: Manager 1
Position Location: Flexible Location
About Leadership for Educational Equity
Leadership for Educational Equity is a nonprofit leadership development organization inspiring and supporting a network of civic leaders to eradicate the injustice of educational inequity.
Through one-on-one coaching, fellowships, workshops, and resources, LEE works to develop and inspire its members individually and collectively, across all disciplines – as policy makers, advocates, elected leaders and community organizers. LEE membership is free and currently open to all TFA corps members and alumni. LEE believes that when a diverse group of leaders, grounded in their classroom experience, are in leadership roles, they will serve as a transformative force for and with students, communities and the broader movement for educational equity.
LEE is a diverse team of passionate and talented individuals committed to making a difference. We are a high-growth, results-oriented organization that operates in an entrepreneurial environment deeply invested in continuous improvement. LEE is honored to have been selected as a LATINA Style 50 Award recipient and a When Work Works award recipient. We are also an Employer of National Service. If you would like to become part of our team and join the fight for educational equity, or if you would simply like to learn more, please visit educationalequity.org.
Position Summary:
The Development team (referred to as Supporter Relations / SR) fuels LEE’s growth and success by ensuring that the organization has the resources and network of supporters it needs to achieve its ambitious goals. The Development Manager, Grants & Partnerships must have excellent writing skills and be comfortable working against tight deadlines to develop grant proposals, reports, and create donor collateral. They should bring experience working successfully in cross-functional teams, and a fluency in funding proposals in ambiguity.
The Development Manager reports to the Vice President, Supporter Relations and is an integral part of a 5-person team supporting the organization’s fundraising operations. The Manager will have the opportunity to be part of a new department charged with expanding funding and partnerships for the organization. Candidates should be comfortable working in ambiguity and eager to innovate and create out-of-the-box strategies that support continued growth.
Position Location: Flexible Location (New York, Chicago, Bay Area, or Washington DC preferred)
Travel Requirements: 10% for departmental meetings
Responsibilities:
Grant Writing (40%)
- Oversight and execution of all grant proposals including compelling proposals as well as interim, updates, and final reports for funders
- Create departmental language for new initiatives and expansion partnerships
- Support the creation of organizational thought leadership partnering with Communications
- Maintain a calendar of grant deadlines and manage Supporter Relations and other department staff to meet reporting deadlines
Collateral and Resource Development (25%)
- Create pitch decks for funder meetings
- Create conference presentation decks
- Create new initiative one-pagers as needed for senior Supporter Relations team
- Put together reports for Board of Director meetings including candidate profiles
Cross-functional Team Partnership (20%)
- Create, maintain, and oversee proactive and strong relationships between the Supporter Relations team and key partner departments
- Create systems that will facilitate ongoing effective cross-team initiatives including intra-departmental meetings and goals
- Ensure team execution of responsibilities for intra-departmental projects
Expansion Partnerships (15%)
- Support Relations contact for new partners and development staff creating and maintaining collaborative relationships between Leadership for Educational Equity and new partners
- Creation and execution of joint fundraising proposals for expansion partners
- Prospecting for expansion partners funder outreach
Minimum Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree
- Three years of full-time work experience, or two years post-graduate work experience
- Stellar writing abilities with an ability to produce creative, standard, and reporting pieces
- Ability to manage, organize, plan and follow through on projects independently
- Attention to detail and a strong skill in proofreading as well as a high-level of accuracy in work is mandatory
- Effective interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to work with diverse internal and external constituencies
- Demonstrated ability to work with sensitive and confidential information with discretion and in a professional manner
- Comfortable with ambiguity and able to provide logical, next steps towards action items
- Deep passion for educational equity and belief in LEE’s theory of change
Preferred Qualifications:
- Five years full-time work experience in nonprofit donor relations and development role, or at a grant awarding foundation
- Nonprofit grant writing experience ideally with a background in creating new language as part of proposal
- Demonstrated ability in Salesforce CRM or equivalent development database and the use of databases to generate reports
- Graphic design knowledge and experience
- Ability to scale or make bodies of work more efficient through technology
- Knowledge of the education landscape and the issues associated with educational inequity
- Strong, demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity & inclusion
- Ability to communicate and collaborate within a geographically dispersed team
Benefits and Salary
Salary for this position is competitive and depends on prior experience. In addition, a comprehensive benefits package is included. LEE offers a comprehensive benefits plan that includes health, dental and vision coverage for spouses, families and domestic partners; life insurance; a retirement package with employer match; family and parent benefits; generous paid time off and an organization-wide winter break between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.
An Equal-Opportunity Employer with a Commitment to Diversity
Leadership for Educational Equity is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, and as an organization committed to diversity and the perspective of all voices, we consider applicants equally of race, gender, color, sexual orientation, religion, marital status, disability, political affiliation and national origin. We reasonably accommodate staff members and/or applicants with disabilities, provided they are otherwise able to perform the essential functions of the job.
An affirmative action-equal opportunity employer.
The statements in this description represent typical elements, criteria, and general work performed. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required for the job.