Spearhead fundraising efforts to bolster the organization’s visibility, resources, and impact, ensuring the implementation of strategic fundraising plans aligned with the organization’s mission and goals to develop and sustain Black male teachers.

HOW TO JOIN OUR TEAM
If you are interested in learning more about how your passion and experience can help He is Me meet its mission and grow its impact, please submit your resume or share your LinkedIn profile as well as a thoughtful and targeted cover letter outlining how your skills and experience meet the qualifications of the position and stating how you heard about this opportunity. Applications can be submitted to Robert Hendricks, Founder & Chief Executive Officer at jobs@heisme.org.

Learn more and apply.

Start Date: September 1, 2024 (flexible)

Location: Hybrid (meetings or in-person duties in Greater Boston 2-3 days a week)

Salary Range: $115,000 – $125,000

In a Sentence: Spearhead fundraising efforts to bolster the organization’s visibility, resources, and impact, ensuring the implementation of strategic fundraising plans aligned with the organization’s mission and goals to develop and sustain Black male teachers.

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ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW

About Us and Our Philosophy:

He is Me Institute (HIM) is dedicated to advancing education equity by fostering lifelong pathways to recruit, retain, and retire more Black male teachers. Collaborating with partners, we provide resources and guidance to Black males from preschool through their professional careers. Our program model is rooted in research and experiences, to which our “4E’s” are aligned:

• Black males must benefit from the EXPERIENCE of Black male teachers
• Black males must have early EXPOSURE to the profession
• Black males must be supported to EXPAND their teaching skills
• Black males must have the opportunity to EXPLORE their identities throughout their lives

Since launching in 2020, HIM has forged partnerships with institutions such as the University of Massachusetts Lowell, Boston Public Schools, and Breakthrough Collaborative to implement programs to inspire, develop, and support Black male teachers. Our partnerships align research with local needs to maximize impact.

To-date, our programs have yielded remarkable outcomes:

• 83% of college students reported enhanced effectiveness as teachers
• 80% of college students pursued teaching careers upon graduation
• 93% of teachers felt a greater connection with other Black male educators
• 93% of teachers felt ready to implement new teaching strategies

Committed to our mission of development, HIM is in a constant state of continuous improvement. Our data-driven team analyzes how we can enhance our work to improve impact for our communities. We believe that when we operate in the spirit of growth, we will be better equipped to advance the education field as a whole.

He is Me Institute encourages individuals of all backgrounds to apply for this position, and we do not discriminate on any basis prohibited by applicable law. We celebrate the diversity of our world and our community, and we seek to build a team that reflects that diversity in every way. We welcome and encourage all qualified applicants who share that same vision, as we wish to engage all those who can contribute to our work and this mission.

THE OPPORTUNITY

He is Me Institute is currently seeking its first-ever Director of Development (DoD) to diversify and deepen funding relationships. The DoD will play an exciting role in systematically strengthening the organization’s overall fundraising capacity, long-term sustainability, and our ability to grow our impact. The DoD will be a key member of HIM’s leadership team, responsible for setting the strategic direction of our growing organization. Serving as a trusted advisor to the Chief Executive Officer, the right candidate will bring an entrepreneurial, outcomes-driven approach, deploying excellent relationship management skills that seamlessly translate across all of He is Me’s stakeholders.

POSITION OUTCOMES

A successful Director of Development will:

• Forge new relationships to build HIM’s visibility, impact, and resources.
• Establish and implement systems and processes to meet and grow the organization’s revenue budget, current goal is $1 million.
• Lead strategic cultivation and stewardship of relationships in support of HIM’s continued growth.

YOUR CONTRIBUTION

In this exciting role, you will lead the development function in support of HIM’s long-term goals, as well as participate in the leadership of the entire organization. Specifically, you will:

Organizational Leadership

• Contribute to the execution of HIM’s organizational strategy as an integral member of HIM’s leadership team, strategically leveraging the time of the Chief Executive Officer to advance development efforts.
• Partner effectively with HIM’s Board of Directors, empowering all Board members with a clear understanding of the organization’s development strategy, sustainability, and support, as well as developing the capacity of the Board to achieve fundraising targets.
• Direct strategic communications and marketing efforts with external consultants to increase HIM’s visibility, supporting content development and identifying new media opportunities, while ensuring that external materials enhance HIM’s presence and identity.

Development Leadership

• Act as chief fundraiser, developing and executing detailed fundraising plans that increase year-over-year revenue from individual donors, corporate partners, foundations, and other sources.
• Build and maintain strong, positive relationships with existing and prospective investors, deploying robust prospect research, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship action steps to expand the funding base.
• Ensure the preparation of high-quality grant proposals and reports, serve as lead author on larger grants
• Guide the organization and its board in launching friendraising and stewardship events.
• Build annual and multi-year development plans aligned with HIM’s strategic goals, including effective communication of the budget to team members.
• Build development models, tools, and trainings that allow for long-term scenario planning and short-term, real-time decision-making to maximize HIM’s impact.
• Develop and implement comprehensive development strategies aligned with HIM’s strategic objectives, including budget communication and the creation of tools for both long-term planning and real-time decision-making to optimize impact.
• Oversee systems of financial reporting for the Board, funders, government agencies, internal decision-makers, and for grants management processes, while ensuring the integrity, accuracy, and relevance of all development reports.

YOUR BACKGROUND AND QUALIFICATIONS

As the first-ever Director of Development, you will possess a reasonable combination of the following characteristics and qualifications:

• Passion for the mission of HIM, closing opportunity gaps, and supporting the professional growth of Black male teachers; prior experience with HIM or professional experience in educational settings is a plus.
• Six or more years of experience developing and implementing strategic fundraising plans across a variety of revenue streams including high net worth individuals, foundations, and corporations.
• Experience growing the donor base of an organization; successful track record of raising at least $1,000,000 annually.
• Proven ability to form deep, lasting partnerships and a creative, nuanced approach to relationship management.
• Ability to build brand awareness and visibility for an organization through strategic marketing and communications activities.
• Deep respect for and experience collaborating with program staff members and board members on fundraising activities.
• Ability to create and deliver compelling written and oral communications for fundraising and marketing purposes; ability to convey complex ideas through concise materials

• Exceptional written and verbal communication abilities, capable of effectively engaging diverse audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects, adapt to changing priorities, meet deadlines, and navigate high-pressure situations with sound judgment.
• Prior experience advocating for Black male teachers and collaborating across organizations in education; familiarity with potential funders and donors is advantageous.
• Flexibility that allows for periodic work on Saturdays and evenings
• Candidates with aligned identities of our participants are strongly encouraged to apply
• Bachelor’s degree

COMPENSATION

He is Me Institute offers a competitive compensation package including flexible working hours, 12 paid holidays, and other fringe benefits. He is Me Institute makes an offer based on demonstrated impact and relevant experience.

HOW TO JOIN OUR TEAM

If you are interested in learning more about how your passion and experience can help He is Me meet its mission and grow its impact, please submit your resume or share your LinkedIn profile as well as a thoughtful and targeted cover letter outlining how your skills and experience meet the qualifications of the position and stating how you heard about this opportunity. Applications can be submitted to Robert Hendricks, Founder & Chief Executive Officer at jobs@heisme.org. 

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Learn more about He is Me Institute at www.heisme.org.