Posted on September 8, 2012

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Managing Director

A Better Chicago (http://www.abetterchicago.org) is a new venture philanthropy fund for the Chicago metropolitan area. With a focus on early childhood development, K-12 education and workforce development, A Better Chicago aspires to dramatically advance opportunities for low-income children, adults and families. A Better Chicago uses sound investment principles to identify and support high-performing nonprofits that are achieving extraordinary outcomes for low-income populations. Through a combination of funding and management support, A Better Chicago helps its grantees to increase their reach, strengthen their outcomes and magnify their impact.

Key elements of A Better Chicago’s model include:

• Rigorous due diligence: A Better Chicago carefully screens organizations and only funds those that have a compelling program model, strong leadership, sound finances and operations, and is well-positioned to scale.
• Add value: It takes more than just money. A Better Chicago provides management support in areas like strategic planning, board development and communications—all of which are critical to building strong organizations and achieving meaningful outcomes.
• 100% impact: A Better Chicago’s Board of Directors covers all overhead, so 100% of donations are invested in high-performing organizations.
• Engagement: A Better Chicago provides its donors with a clear understanding of how their funds are being used, and what impact they are having. Further, A Better Chicago provides donors with opportunities to get personally engaged beyond just a financial investment, such as volunteering or joining the board of a grantee.

Position:

The Managing Director will be a key organizational leader, overseeing the development and execution of a strategy for A Better Chicago to build successful relationships with partners and donors. Reporting directly to the Founder and CEO and working closely with all functional areas, the Managing Director will serve as a strategic thought partner to all members of the organization, developing and managing the systems, processes and, eventually, staff required for A Better Chicago to achieve its mission and consistently perform at a high level.

Responsibilities:

• Serve on A Better Chicago’s management team and provide thought leadership on key organizational decisions
• Lead the design, implementation and evaluation of a strategic donor engagement plan to further the reach of A Better Chicago and ensure the organization reaches its aggressive growth goals
• Support the research, outreach and cultivation of high-level donors and partners
• Work directly with the CEO/Founder and Board to leverage their networks, experience and roles in the community to support the implementation of the strategic fundraising plan
• In partnership with outsourced vendors, Board members and volunteers, oversee the planning and execution of an annual benefit and other small/medium events
• Ensure high levels of donor/partner satisfaction through timely communication, pro-active engagement and clear illustration of results/impact
• Build and maintain infrastructure for communications and stewardship including customizing template materials for a variety of external constituent groups
• Manage and further customize CRM database
• Hire and manage staff, interns and volunteers

Qualifications:

• Significant professional experience raising capital for non-profit or for-profit organizations, including demonstrated understanding of how to cultivate individual donors and investors and leverage organizational leadership to maximize contributions; experience creating and overseeing the implementation of strategic plans is strongly preferred
• Functional expertise and leadership role in one or more of the following areas: fundraising, strategic planning, management, consulting, business development or partnership development
• Entrepreneurial experience – a leadership role in a fast-paced, dynamic environment with little or no administrative support
• Exceptional interpersonal communication skills; ability to write and present material to a diverse group of stakeholders with maturity and poise in a way that instills confidence and generates enthusiasm from their audience
• Embodiment of A Better Chicago core organizational values including team work, integrity and a sense of possibility
• Strong understanding of the nonprofit and philanthropic landscape; experience in one of our interest areas (K-12 education, early childhood development, workforce development) a plus
• Bachelor’s degree required; graduate degree in business, public administration, education or a related field a plusSignificant professional experience raising capital for non-profit or for-profit organizations, including demonstrated understanding of how to cultivate individual donors and investors and leverage organizational leadership to maximize contributions; experience creating and overseeing the implementation of strategic plans is strongly preferred
• Functional expertise and leadership role in one or more of the following areas: fundraising, strategic planning, management, consulting, business development or partnership development
• Entrepreneurial experience – a leadership role in a fast-paced, dynamic environment with little or no administrative support
• Exceptional interpersonal communication skills; ability to write and present material to a diverse group of stakeholders with maturity and poise in a way that instills confidence and generates enthusiasm from their audience
• Embodiment of A Better Chicago core organizational values including team work, integrity and a sense of possibility
• Strong understanding of the nonprofit and philanthropic landscape; experience in one of our interest areas (K-12 education, early childhood development, workforce development) a plus
• Bachelor’s degree required; graduate degree in business, public administration, education or a related field a plus

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