Career Opportunities
Current Openings
Don’t see what you’re looking for? Check back soon for current openings or email a cover letter and resume to [email protected]
- • Represent EI externally to individuals, corporations, schools, and other external partners
- • Manage up to the President and Board of Directors, advising them on actions they need to take in the short-term and long-term to successfully meet annual fundraising goals
- • Work collaboratively and provide internal direction and support to EI staff (Communications, Finance, and Operations) when their work intersects with Development (e.g., external marketing materials, donor events)
- • Alongside the President, serve as one of EI’s lead fundraisers; stewarding existing and identifying new individuals, corporations, and local and national philanthropies to help meet annual and long-term fundraising goals
- • Develop and execute strategy to achieve 100% of EI’s funding goals annually; partner with the President to develop a comprehensive long-term vision for EI’s development work
- • Identify, cultivate, and solicit new major gifts, including tax credit scholarship gifts; build and strengthen relationships with existing donors
- • Hire, support, coach, and retain high performing Development Team staff
- • Work closely with the Board of Directors’ Development Committee to identify and solicit new donors, provide updates on progress to goal, and offer direction on how they can support the organization’s fundraising efforts
- • Provide support and guidance to a network of Illinois private school supporters who are actively raising funds for EI schools
- • Manage CRM system (Salesforce) and ensure that it remains a good keeper of institutional knowledge and helps drive actions that allow EI to meet its fundraising goals
- • Create and manage the systems and structures necessary to run a $50M+ development operation, including the oversight of annual grants calendar
- • Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred
- • 5-10 years of experience, with at least 3 years in a management role; previous nonprofit experience preferred
- • Excellent creative problem-solving skills and high attention to detail
- • Innovative thinker that can translate strategic thinking into action plans and output
- • Experience in building, mentoring, and coaching a team
- • Experience using CRMs to manage donors and donation portfolios; Salesforce experience preferred
- • Knowledge of grant writing and proven success in securing grants
- • Proven history of meeting organizational fundraising goals
THE ORGANIZATION
Empower Illinois is a 501c3 non-profit that serves as a statewide scholarship granting organization (SGO). Empower Illinois was built to support the state’s private schools and up to 15,000 low-income children as a result of the $100,000,000 annual scholarship tax credit law Empower Illinois advocated into law.
In addition to the SGO aspects of its work, Empower Illinois advocates for policy that leads to a high-quality, student-centered education system for children from low-income and working-class families—both inside and outside of the traditional public education system. Empower Illinois focuses on a broad range of research based and innovative policies–the core of which are focused on equitable funding, developing pathways to unlock the unique student potential within a diverse range of learner types, and building education to career pathways. Empower Illinois’ policy is sequenced as part of a larger long-term strategy to build a base on which further innovations—empowering educators, equal access to gifted education, career technical education, course equity, and better meeting the needs of children with unique abilities—can better prepare students for success beyond the K-12 environment.
THE SEARCH
The Empower Illinois Development Director is an integral leader of the Empower Illinois (EI) Team, responsible for helping build the relationships and secure the funding necessary to allow EI to fulfill its mission of expanding educational opportunities for low-income and working-class families throughout the state. In the short-term, the Development Director will set and drive strategy and to achieve our 18+ month goals. In the long-term, the Development Director will have the opportunity to build out the Development Team needed to reach the organization’s annual fundraising and long-term development goals.
The Development Director reports directly to the President.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
Leadership
Fundraising and External Relations
Management
Volunteer and Board Committee Support
Development Operations
EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS
COMPENSATION
Competitive and commensurate with experience. Empower Illinois provides medical and dental coverage and offers generous retirement benefits.
COMMITMENT TO INCLUSIVITY
Empower Illinois does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations. These activities include, but are not limited to, hiring and firing of staff and contractors, selection of volunteers and vendors, and provision of services.
TO APPLY
The review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. For best consideration, applications should be submitted electronically as soon as possible. Applications should include a letter of interest and a current resume. Please email [email protected]