THIS POSITION IS HYBRID. THE SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATE WILL NEED TO RESIDE IN THE BAY AREA AND WORK ONSITE FOUR DAYS PER WEEK.
ABOUT SPARK SF PUBLIC SCHOOLS (SPARK)
Spark SF Public Schools is the San Francisco Unified School District’s (SFUSD) non-profit arm. It is an independently incorporated 501(c)(3), which was established to build the private philanthropic partnerships necessary to pilot new programs, understand and develop PreK-12 educational best practices, and scale them district-wide to transform public education at SFUSD. SFUSD is the seventh largest school district in California, serving almost 49,500 students annually, who speak more than 44 documented languages across 132 schools in the city of San Francisco. SPARK aims for every student who attends SFUSD schools to discover his or her spark, along with a strong sense of self and purpose, and that all students graduate from high school ready for college and career, and equipped with the skills, capacities and dispositions outlined in SFUSD’s Graduate Profile. In their quest to achieve this mission, SPARK provides each and every student, each and every day, with the quality instruction and equitable support required to thrive in the 21st century.
Learn more about SPARK’s impact here.
OPPORTUNITY HIGHLIGHTS
Salary Range is $100,000 - $135,000
Benefits include:
Health Insurance including HMO and PPO options
Vision and dental plans
Vacation
Sick leave
Flexible spending account options for healthcare and dependent care
401(k) retirement plan
Hybrid Work: Four days in the office and one day working remotely
Impactful Role: An inclusive and equity-centered environment where staff are encouraged to bring their whole selves to work.
YOU ARE
Passionate about PreK-12 public education.
A self-driven and experienced fundraiser.
A strong collaborator, skilled communicator, and problem solver.
Skilled in understanding donors' motivations and interests.
POSITION OVERVIEW
The Individual and Planned Giving Officer will develop and build Spark’s major gifts and planned giving programs and help SPARK achieve its ambitious five-year student outcome goals.
As part of the SPARK Development team, the Individual and Planned Giving Officer will be an innovative development professional responsible for cultivating, soliciting, and securing leadership gifts, major gifts, and planned gifts for SPARK SFUSD. These efforts will build a system for the organization to be able to leverage these channels, as the organization’s impact continues to grow. The Individual and Planned Giving Officer works closely with the President and Director of Development, and works collaboratively and strategically with and in support of the San Francisco Unified School District to develop and implement strategies for individual gifts, and planned gifts to meet the short and long-term fundraising goals of SPARK.
SPARK seeks talented candidates from diverse backgrounds and experiences, who are committed to and will champion their Core Values, are inspired by the mission steeped in equity, and are motivated to unleash our children’s potential.
SPARK SF Public Schools is guided by SFUSD’s Core Values:
Student-centered: We put students’ needs first
Fearless: We persist through challenges
United: We celebrate and build on each other’s strengths
Social Justice: We stand with those most vulnerable in our community
Diversity-driven: We respect and seek to understand each person
For more information, please visit https://www.sparksfpublicschools.org/.
REPORTING RELATIONSHIPS
The Individual and Planned Giving Officer reports directly to the Development Director, Colm Hegarty.
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES
Research and qualify a pipeline of major gift prospects and current donors.
Manage a portfolio of 75-125 prospects, guiding potential donors through the stages of discovery, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
Identify, cultivate, and solicit major gifts, securing donations in the 5-7 figure range.
Develop a pipeline of mid-level donors.
Develop and implement short-, intermediate-, and long-term solicitation strategies for individual prospects, including alumni, parents, trustees, friends of SFUSD, board members, faculty, and staff.
Plan and execute events and activities, such as volunteer experiences, tours, receptions, and friend-raisers, to engage and cultivate major gift donors.
Work closely with the development team to create major gift materials, including research, briefing memos, proposals, and stewardship materials.
Planned Giving
Research and qualify a pipeline of planned gift prospects.
Cultivate and expand planned giving opportunities with new and existing donors.
Introduce blended gifts by integrating planned giving objectives into major donor requests in collaboration with the development team.
Collaboration & Relationship Management
Collaborate with SPARK Board members, SFUSD leadership, and volunteers to identify and engage new prospects.
Develop and maintain strong working relationships with Development team members, communications staff, and other organizational teams.
Participate in regular meetings to ensure alignment with organizational goals and strategies.
Performance Tracking & Reporting
Monitor and report on weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual activities to meet individual performance goals, including meetings, proposals, and major gift revenue.
Track and report relationship management activity using Salesforce.
Ethics & Professionalism
Adhere to the CASE Code of Ethics for Fundraisers.
COMPETENCIES
Required
Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university is required.
5-7 years of proven success in major or planned gift fundraising, preferably in higher education, or significant experience in comparable fields such as sales, marketing, or client management.
Demonstrated ability to achieve financial goals, including a strong track record of cultivating and securing 5 to 7 figure gifts and above.
Experience in cold calling, with the ability to develop and execute effective cultivation and solicitation strategies.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to convey information clearly and effectively to diverse audiences, ranging from large groups and staff meetings to executive briefings and public board meetings.
Experience in crafting clear, concise, and compelling funding proposals.
Strong strategic and creative thinking abilities, with a demonstrated capacity to develop and implement effective fundraising strategies.
Excellent interpersonal skills, with a proven ability to build and maintain relationships with donors, colleagues, and stakeholders.
Strong project management skills, with the ability to prioritize tasks, meet deadlines, and handle multiple assignments simultaneously with minimal supervision.
High attention to detail and a professional attitude and appearance.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, with intermediate to advanced skills.
Familiarity with fundraising software and CRM systems, preferably Salesforce.
Availability to work evenings and weekends as needed.
Preferred Qualifications
Passion for PreK-12 public education.
Experience with planned giving programs.
Understanding of donor-advised funds (DAFs).
Understanding of endowment fundraising.
CFRE or fundraising certification.
Experience fundraising for educational institutions or programs.
Experience using digital software tools and databases for prospecting, moves management and planned gift models.
Knowledge of urban public school landscapes including policies, politics, education practices and funding.
Strong analytic and systems thinking necessary to interpret data to inform goals and strategy, as well as build infrastructure where none exists.
Ability to build relationships across all organizational levels and functions.
Ability to manage ambiguity, risk, and changing direction of projects and strategies.
Ability to work effectively in high-pressure situations that require sound decision making.
NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY
SPARK SF Public Schools programs, activities, and practices shall be free from unlawful discrimination, harassment, intimidation, and bullying based on actual or perceived race, color, ancestry, national origin, ethnic group identification, age, religion, marital or parental status, physical or mental disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or gender expression; or on the basis of a person’s association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics.
TO APPLY
For more information, or to apply for the Individual and Planned Giving Officer position, please upload your resume and cover letter below.
VERIFICATION
Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. If education verification is required, information on how to verify education requirements, including verifying foreign education credits or degree equivalency, can be found at http://sfdhr.org/how-verify-education-requirements.
All applications will be kept confidential, and every applicant will receive a response.
SPARK is an Equal Opportunity Employer.