ABOUT COMMUNITIES IN SCHOOLS
Communities In Schools of Tennessee (CISTN) is a nonprofit that partners with K-12 public schools to surround students with a community of support empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. With a budget of $12M, we support 85+ employees in 60+ schools that serve almost 30,000 students and families across Tennessee.
As part of the CIS national network, CISTN achieves this mission by placing program managers in schools across the state to provide school-wide interventions and case managed services for students in need.
To best support the students, families, schools, community partners, and our staff members involved in this work, CISTN staff and board members center all decisions, actions, and services on the following core values:
- Integrity – We openly share how our work is done, and we hold ourselves accountable to the commitments we make.
- Empathy – We intentionally build relationships so we can learn about people’s stories, validate their experiences, and deepen our understanding of situations different from our own.
- Equal Opportunity — We identify and work towards removing barriers, so everyone has the opportunity to achieve.
- Authenticity – We create space for the people we work with, and for, to be their truthful, complete selves without judgement.
- Collaboration – We bring people together to plan and take action in our work, understanding we make lasting change in partnership with one another.
JOB RESPONSIBILITIES
Modeling best practices in revenue development and service excellence, the Chief Development Officer (CDO) is responsible for planning, organizing and directing all of Communities In Schools of Tennessee’s (CISTN) fundraising. This includes corporate and foundation giving, individual giving, and special events. The CDO manages a portfolio of corporate, foundation, and individual donors in collaboration with a growing and statewide team. CISTN’s CDO works under the supervision of the Chief Executive Officer and in partnership with the Board of Directors and other staff to set the strategy and ensure the organization meets and/or exceeds contributed revenue goals. The CDO supervises a growing team consisting of a Grants Director, Development Manager, Communications Manager, and consultants.
The primary responsibilities of the CDO include but are not limited to:
- Fundraising Strategy and Revenue Growth
- Design and direct the implementation of statewide, multi-year fundraising program that builds and maintains a robust revenue development program to meet demands for growth and sustainability. This encompasses major gifts, corporate giving, special events, church giving, annual giving, grant funding, monthly giving, donor recognition and retention, cross-sector partnerships, volunteers, and brand strategy.
- Establish and maintain an active portfolio of current and prospective corporate and individual supporters.
- Coordinate donor and donor prospect relationships with CEO, board, and others as needed.
- Develop and achieve annual and multi-year fundraising goals of more than $3M annually.
- Strengthen and manage a strong individual giving program, including monthly donors, major gifts, and planned giving, including donor cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
- Oversee a growing statewide and distributed Development Team in planning, implementing, and executing comprehensive fundraising programs and events with multimillion-dollar annual development targets, aligning department goals and efforts with the organization’s broader strategic efforts.
- Develop strategies and lead prospecting for six-to-seven figure federal and state grants that support both CISTN ongoing work and ways the organization plans to grow, in partnership with Grants Director, Chief Program Officer, External Affairs, Chief Operations Officer, and CEO.
- Stay current on fundraising trends and best practices, adapting strategies as meet organizational goals.
- Lead the creation of donor reports including impact reports and annual reports, in collaboration with external affairs, communications, program and executive leadership.
- Strategic Leadership
- Serve on various staff teams with organizational leaders, making recommendations and providing insight into the operations and strategic direction of the organization.
- Provide leadership and direct supervision to development staff, including interviewing, hiring, and training; planning, assigning and directing work; appraising performance; addressing and resolving challenges; and ensuring a positive culture in alignment with organizational culture.
- Guide and support team for growth, including monitoring individual development plan and mentorship, through regular supervision and collaboration.
- Advance our values in all aspects of the work, specifically with vendor selection, donors, engaging audiences, and how we communicate the work that we do.
- Cultivate a dynamic relationship with the Board and all relevant committees as directed by the CEO, serving as the liaison to the Advancement Committee and the Board’s fundraising initiatives.
- Serves as the primary liaison to CIS National development team.
- Partner with senior leaders and other staff as needed when revenue, programming, external affairs, and/or operations overlap.
- Lead the development of effective dashboards and reports for internal tracking and reporting to staff, board members, and other stakeholders.
- Administrative Functions
- Participate in hiring processes as needed.
- Participate in monthly expense reporting processes.
- Develop and monitor development budgets, ensuring fiscal responsibility and alignment with strategic goals.
- Ensure robust and accurate constituent relationship management, with the appropriate systems and reporting to support organizational needs.
- Ensure grant compliance.
Other duties as assigned.
Currently, the CDO is based in Nashville. Candidates residing in another CISTN’s service area (all TN counties except for Memphis/Shelby County and the 10 northeasternmost counties in TN) may be considered without requiring relocation, but some statewide travel will be required. The CEO and the CDO will work together to determine the work arrangements for both in-person and remote work, considering the season of work and organizational needs.
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
The statements contained herein describe the scope of the responsibility and essential functions of this position but should not be considered to be an all-inclusive listing of work requirements. Individuals may perform other duties as assigned including work in other areas to cover absences or relief to equalize peak work periods or otherwise balance the workload. Other duties may be assigned by the CEO as required.
CORE COMPETENCIES
The core competencies for the Chief Advancement Officer includes, but are not limited to:
- Organizational Leadership: Provides visionary leadership to guide the organization towards its mission and strategic objectives. Demonstrates integrity, transparency, and accountability in decision-making and fosters a culture of innovation and adaptability within the organization.
- Partnership Development: Cultivates and sustains strong working relationships with various stakeholders, including individual donors, corporate philanthropy, private foundations, school district leaders, principals, and external organizations. Provides excellent customer service and upholds the organization’s core values in all interactions.
- Fundraising Expertise: Demonstrates knowledge and experience in development and fundraising best practices, including major gifts development, grant writing and management, and cultivation of individual donors. Exhibits excellent communication skills (both written and verbal) and serves as an effective spokesperson and advocate for the organization’s mission.
- Cultural Competency: Demonstrates a clear understanding of racial and other forms of discrimination, including but not limited to historical discrimination, that may impact students and families and applies that understanding to work in schools and across the organization.
- Relationship Building: Develops and maintains positive relationships with internal and external stakeholders. Utilizes effective communication strategies to engage stakeholders and advance the organization’s mission.
- Decision Making and Problem Solving: Analyzes complex problems, identifies underlying causes, and consults appropriate resources to make informed decisions in a timely manner. Takes accountability for decisions and ensures proposed solutions are thoughtful, inclusive of varied perspectives, and responsive to the needs of different stakeholders.
- Research, Measurement & Analysis: Utilizes evidence and best practices to measure progress towards strategic priorities. Makes data-driven decisions and continuously improves strategies based on research and analysis findings.