Posted on April 2, 2012

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Chief Development Officer

Success Academy Charter Schools (SACS) is a not-for-profit charter management organization that operates nine public elementary charter schools in primarily economically-disadvantaged communities with high concentrations of minority students in New York City. In August 2006, SACS opened its first elementary school in Harlem, serving 165 kindergarten and first graders. After seeing dramatic gains in student achievement, and in response to high parent demand, SACS opened three more elementary schools in Harlem in August 2008. Encouraged by their continued success and buttressed by groundbreaking research that proves the efficacy of its approach, SACS opened three additional elementary schools (two in the Bronx and one in Harlem). In 2011, SACS added two elementary schools: one in Brooklyn and one on the Upper West Side. All told, SACS currently serves 3,500 scholars, and has an annual operating budget of $60 million. SA plans to continue to expand over the next 10 years with the goal of building a network of 40 public charter elementary and middle schools serving 20,000 students, often in low-income, high-minority communities in New York City that would otherwise be consigned to substandard neighborhood schools.

Reporting to the CEO, the person in the newly created role of Chief Development Officer (CDO) will provide sound leadership, strategy, planning and guidance for SACS’ comprehensive development efforts ensuring that SACS achieves annual and long-term contributed revenue goals. The CDO will provide leadership and day-to-day management for all of SACS’ development-related programs and serve as the driver behind the creation of a highly strategic, forward-thinking, and participatory culture of philanthropy that touches all levels of the organization. S/he will coordinate all fundraising activities, including identification, qualification, and assignment of prospects, as well as cultivation, solicitation, closure, and stewardship. The CDO will be charged with continuing to nurture and grow the strong support the organization receives while also expanding its impressive individual and institutional major gifts programs. The goal is to build a highly strategic and sustainable, long-term leadership gifts program that serves to continue to drive the organization’s mission, schools, teachers and leaders to the forefront of world-class education.

The successful candidate will have leadership experience within a sophisticated fundraising operation preferably within an education-related enterprise, a foundation or organization dedicated to education reform, or innovative mission-based environment, with a broad background in development with at least five years in leadership posts, including work in all core functional areas of fundraising. S/he will have a demonstrated track record of effective solicitation, including a proven record of accomplishment in individual, corporate, foundation and government relations. Planning, implementation, management, and successful conclusion of a major campaign are highly desirable. S/he will have particular strength in the area of developing a strategic and comprehensive fundraising plan and executing against the plan. Additional knowledge/experience with working directly with organizational leaders and a high profile Board of Directors is essential. Direct experience in managing successful major gifts programs (cultivation through solicitation and stewardship), as well as knowledge of and experience in planned giving programs is required. Additionally, the successful candidate will have an ambitious and entrepreneurial orientation, with a history of either creating from scratch and/or professionalizing a development function within a fast-paced, high growth non-profit environment highly preferred.

A Bachelor’s degree is required. A master’s degree in a relevant discipline that will be credible to donors, with strong academic credentials, is preferred.

Inquiries, nominations and applications (current resumes and cover letters) should be directed electronically to:

Gerard F. Cattie, Jr.
Managing Director
Diversified Search
275 Madison Avenue, Suite 1801
New York, NY 10016

Gerard.Cattie@divsearch.com

212-542-2587 (W)

Application Instructions

Email Us Here: Gerard.Cattie@divsearch.com