Director of Fund Development

Position Overview

The Director of Fund Development will serve as QCACS's first dedicated fundraising leader, reporting to founding CEO Danielle West-Augustin. This is a hands-on, builder role.

Key Responsibilities

• Development Infrastructure and Strategy (25%)

  • Build and maintain the school's donor database, gift processing, and donor acknowledgment systems from the ground up.
  • Serve as the founding member of the development function, with the opportunity to grow a team of development professionals as fundraising capacity and results scale.
  • Evaluate and strengthen current fundraising operations, including donor data management and stewardship practices, to match the organization's growth stage.
  • Work in tandem with school leadership to develop a comprehensive annual Development Plan to ensure a balanced budget.

• Foundation and Corporate Partnerships (25%)

  • Cultivate relationships with foundation and corporate funders across New Jersey and the tri-state area aligned with QCACS's early college dual enrollment model, STEM pipeline, and expansion plans.
  • Conducting research and identifying grant opportunities while preparing and submitting LOI’s, proposals and reports on time.
  • Represent QCACS at relevant funder convenings and community events.
  • Work with school staff to confirm proposal/program compliance and finance on project-specific budgets and grant revenue reconciliation.

• Individual and Major Gifts (25%)

  • Build and manage a portfolio of individual donors and prospects, including current parents, alumni families, and board connected relationships.
  • Steward the Board of Trustees and the Friends of Foundation board, activating their networks for cultivation and solicitation.
  • Develop and track a prospect pipeline informed by wealth screening and relationship mapping.

• Events and Donor Stewardship (15%)

  • Own the post-gala stewardship and follow-up plan following the Friends of Foundation's inaugural gala, including donor acknowledgment cadence and re-engagement of new contacts.
  • Convert gala attendees, sponsors, and vendors into sustained annual or recurring supporters.
  • Build differentiated stewardship strategies for board connected donors, corporate sponsors, vendors, and community supporters.

• Board and Foundation Partnership (10%)

  • Serve as the staff liaison to the Friends of Foundation board on fundraising matters.
  • Prepare fundraising updates and materials for board and Friends of Foundation board meetings.

Qualifications

• Proven track record of writing highly competitive proposals and securing funding from the foundation community and family foundations
• Demonstrated ability to conduct research and analyze complex information and manage multiple assignments on deadline
• Excellent communication skills with strong written and oral presentation abilities (writing samples will be required)
• Must be able to work both independently and as a team player with motivation to develop relationships and work collaboratively
• Strong time-management skills and ability to uphold deadlines
• Knowledge of fundraising best practices, standards and ethics
• Commitment to QCACS mission and goals

Who Should Apply?

• Those Who Are...
• Passionate about education
• Strategic thinkers
• Familiar with or willing to learn about charter school systems
• Team players
• Detail-oriented
• Great writers
• Clear communicators
• Creative problem solvers
• Researchers
• Project Managers
• Driven by excellence
• High work ethic
• Empathetic
• Motivated
• Continuous learners
• Highly organized
• Reliable and responsible
• Collaborators
• Respectful, kind and compassionate
• Committed to ending racism and white supremacy

Compensation & Benefits

Salary range: $100,000–$135,000, commensurate with experience and qualifications. We also offer a competitive benefits package including participation in the Public Employee State Pension System, generous paid time off including year-end holiday break, AFLAC Life Insurance, 100% paid health insurance for employees, professional development and more.

We are Proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer

We strongly encourage women, Black, Indigenous and People of Color, LGBTQ+ individuals, people with disabilities, members of ethnic minorities, foreign-born residents, and veterans to apply.