Sr. Program Manager, Individual Giving

Arlington, VA • External Engagement • Posted 05/18/2023

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WHO WE ARE

Rooted in community for more than 40 years, Communities In Schools (CIS) strives to bring community resources inside public schools, where they are accessible, coordinated, and accountable. Founder Bill Milliken said, “It’s relationships, not programs, that change children. A great program simply creates the environment for healthy relationships to form between adults and children. Young people thrive when adults care about them on a one-to-one level, and when they also have a sense of belonging to a caring community.” 

CIS programs are conducted annually throughout the United States, serving 3,270 schools; 1.8M students with over 15,000 community volunteers and 114 CIS affiliate organizations across the country. Their programs for students include providing needs assessments, support teams with corresponding plans to address academic and non-academic needs, delivery of multiple tiers of support for both students and families, progress monitoring and evaluation and assessment with parents and student support systems.

MISSION AND VALUES

Communities In Schools (CIS) is “all-in” for kids. It is our passion—it is our mission. At the National Office, CIS collaborates with local affiliate organizations to provide resources and create communities of caring adults who work hand-in-hand with educators to make sure young people have the tools they need to stay in school and achieve in life. We are the nation’s largest dropout prevention organization, and we achieve our mission by hiring bright, creative, and innovative team members who demonstrate a passion for what they do. 

CIS also holds the following talent beliefs: 

• Every staff member is passionate and committed to the mission.
• As a National Office, CIS employees have a responsibility to live our values and integrate principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion across the organization and lead by example.
• In turn, CIS is committed to continuously improving decision making, incentivizing creativity, and building engagement. We do this by building a diverse workforce, fostering a climate of inclusion, and shaping business practices and policies that promote equity.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Sr. Program Manager, Individual Giving, will manage and steward relationships with existing donors giving less than $10K annually, cultivating a pipeline of prospects, creating compelling proposals, and identifying new prospects. An ability to empathize with donors, interact confidently with diverse and influential people, build trust, and clearly communicate Communities In Schools’ mission is vital. 

The Sr. Program Manager, Individual Giving, is a self-directed and goal-driven individual who will serve as a core member of the Advancement Department. The ideal candidate will have significant experience with frontline fundraising, moves management, and donor operations and will support all individual giving fundraising efforts at Communities In Schools. With supervisory guidance and input from the Director of Individual Giving, this person will operationalize a year-long cultivation and communication plan for individual donors, helping to professionalize our systems and grow our pipeline of individual donors.

PRIMARY DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Implement a strategy to support the growth of CIS’ mid-level giving program through lead generation and frontline fundraising. Communicate directly with donors to steward, cultivate, and solicit donations (meetings, calls, email).
• Develop and grow the pipeline of prospective donors by executing annual fundraising plans that acquire, reinstate, retain, and cultivate donors through effective moves management.
• Research and recommend new fundraising technologies and techniques to increase giving; and develop mutual value proposals that help donors and CIS achieve the most significant impact through philanthropy.

ABOUT YOU

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills and ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Required skills & qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree and 6-8 years of professional experience or the equivalent education and professional experience in a non-profit setting in fundraising. 
• Demonstrated ability to communicate with diverse and influential audiences effectively.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills (both verbal and written).
• Ability to build relationships at all levels of an organization and work successfully with them.
• Thorough knowledge of fundraising best practices and understanding of the philanthropic landscape. Experience with mid-level giving and membership programs preferred.
• Understanding of, or demonstrated ability to learn quickly, trends in the education sector and the Communities In Schools model of integrated student supports.
• Knowledge of constituent engagement database systems is highly desirable. Prior experience with Salesforce is preferable.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to prioritize work based on goals.
• Proficiency in MS Office suite required.

TRAVEL

10 - 25%

ABOUT US

CIS staff continue to work in a virtual environment; however, the national office is open and available for staff to use as appropriate. 

To ensure the health and safety of staff and job applicants, all interviews will be conducted by phone and/or video conference.

BENEFITS & PERKS

Work that makes a difference—the opportunity to contribute to an important mission!

Competitive and comprehensive compensation and benefits package, including:

• Five weeks of Paid Time Off
• Generous 403b Retirement Savings Plan contribution
• 9 Paid Holidays
• 90% of employee health care premiums paid by the organization
• Summer Work Schedule and Winter Break
• Employer-paid short-term and long-term income replacement programs, and much, much more!

Communities In Schools is committed to a workforce that is representative of the varied communities we are privileged to serve. We provide a work environment that does not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, gender, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, mental or physical disability, genetic information or any other basis protected by applicable law. CIS prohibits harassment of applicants or employees based on any of these protected categories. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

For more information on Communities In Schools please visit our website.