Valor Collegiate Academies Careers

Description

Location: Nashville, TN

Employment Type: Full-time, in-person, 12-month position

Salary: Range is between $81,840-$94,160 and placement is based on years of comparable professional experience.

Funder Management, Communication, and Board Engagement:

• Support Valor’s Innovation Team through strategic and intentional meeting prep, including crafting meeting agendas, details and pointed talking points, and suggesting targeted follow ups and next steps 
• Maintain detailed record of funding meetings to ensure overall engagement strategy is efficient, aligned to funder interests, and moves the relationship forward 
• Develop and cultivate relationships with both individual and institutional donors 
• Support Valor’s Innovation Team to develop, cultivate, and steward relationships with high leverage donors
• Proactively engage current and potential donors in Valor’s work through regular check-ins, site visits, events, etc. 
• Manage and support the Innovation Team's funder relationships, draft notes, send reminders, and keep track of follow ups and tasks related to funding opportunities
• Develop a communications strategy that engages funders on a regular cadence, sharing updates from the work, stories from students, learnings and insights, and more 
• Proactively and regularly engage Valor’s Board of Directors in fundraising efforts by helping them mine their network, identify potential connections, and cultivate and steward donors

 Prospect Research:

• Conduct targeted research to identify new potential funders that align to Valor’s overall mission (organization wide and impact team missions) 
• Find network connections to prospective funders, leveraging Valor’s staff and board relationships to ensure warm outreach as much as possible
• Draft outreach communication for leaders to share with prospects
• Create a simple contact relationship manager (CRM) system 
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date CRM that the broader team can access and interact with

Grant Writing & Report Management:

• Research potential grant opportunities, such as RFPs and open applications
• Develop and submit proposals for funding aligned with Valor’s strategic priorities 
• Keep accurate and up-to-date records of all grant proposals submitted and received
• Project manage all reporting requirements to ensure accurately and timely submission of reports 

Revenue Strategy Integration:

• Coordinate and collaborate with Valor staff as part of annual strategic planning process to ensure and align philanthropic goals with overall organizational revenue strategy

Team Leadership & Development:

• Lead, manage, and support the core members of the team that support development (CEO, Managing Directors, members of the Board)
• Foster a collaborative and goal-oriented team environment

Critical Experiences and Qualifications:

Experiences:

• Must have Bachelor’s degree 
• Demonstrated success in developing and implementing effective strategies that consistently meet or exceed fundraising goals of $1M+ annually
• Skilled in building and sustaining long-term relationships with foundations and individual donors, including major gift solicitation and multi-year engagement
• Deep understanding of fundraising practices and strategic specific to education organizations
• Experience in writing, securing, and managing grants aligned with organizational goals.
• Proficient in using CRM systems to track donor engagement, manage deadlines, and drive strategy through data insights.
• Expertise in planning and executing fundraising initiatives with strong budgeting and financial oversight.
• Builds high-performing teams and collaborates effectively with board members to expand networks and resources.
• Confident communicator who inspires audiences and donors through persuasive, mission-driven messaging.
• A creative, visionary leader with a proven track record of growing revenue and championing organizational impact.

Knowledge:

• In-depth knowledge of the local education philanthropic landscape, including key donors at the local, regional, and statewide levels.  
• Skilled in identifying and leveraging fundraising opportunities to align with organizational goals.  
• Proficient in understanding donor interests and creating impactful, tailored stories to inspire support.  
• Keen awareness of evolving philanthropic trends, emerging funders, and changes shaping the field of giving.  
• Ability to effectively use or develop a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system to organize donor and funder relationships.  

Mindsets:

• You find excitement and joy in cultivating funder relationships and identifying funding to support Valor’s mission 
• You know development inside and out, and are deeply excited about the role philanthropy plays in transforming communities
• You are autonomous and a self-starter 
• You are a visionary and results-driven professional who combines strategic insight with operational excellence

Interview Process:         

1. Resume Review 
2. Phone Interview 
3. Performance Task 
4. Leadership Interview 
5. Reference Checks 
6. Offer Extension