UP Education Network

About UP Education Network

UP Education Network manages and operates three schools in Boston, MA. We serve over 1,400 elementary and middle school students in grades PK-8. UP is invited by local school districts to transform district schools into exceptional learning environments. Each UP Academy shares the same mission: to ensure that students acquire the knowledge, skills, and strength of character necessary to succeed on the path to college and to achieve their full potential.

Role

The Senior Development and Communications Manager is a key driver of UP Education Network’s philanthropic strategy. The Senior Development and Communications Manager will report directly to the Chief Development Officer and be a key player in achieving UP’s fundraising goals for FY 2023 and beyond. This role leads an array of development, communication and marketing work streams which ultimately ensure an exceptional donor/funder experience that deepens relationships and expands UP’s base of support. The Senior Development and Communications Manager will execute UP’s external marketing and communications campaigns which include communicating the story of who UP is, our vision for the future, our model & approach, and sharing results to key stakeholders. The Senior Development and Communications Manager will be responsible for running UP’s supporter-level donor and annual fund efforts, including managing UP’s Young Professionals Advisory, executing UP’s direct marketing campaigns and crowdfunding/digital fundraising programs. They will work closely with the CDO on executing a foundation & corporate relations strategy, including generating grant applications, grant reports, and prospect research. They will also be responsible for partnering with the CDO and CEO in cultivating relationships with major donors, corporate partners and foundations including, but not limited to planning events, giving tours, and supporting donor communication, cultivation and stewardship. They will manage UP’s gift acknowledgement process and CRM database. This position provides the unique opportunity to meet and learn from a wide variety of executives, including UP leaders, board members, and donors across the education industry and beyond.

Primary Responsibilities

• Board Management: Work closely with UP’s advisory board, a group of dedicated young professionals, to help UP build and expand a pipeline of champions, strengthen donor relationships, manage volunteer opportunities and raise important financial resources
• Annual Fund & Donor Communications: Responsible for expanding UP’s base of supporter- level annual donors. Lead all aspects of UP’s annual fundraising communications, including our annual ReadUP campaign, annual appeals and direct, custom appeals to individual donors through email campaigns, social media posts, and print materials
• Maintain UP’s online presence leveraging best practices and tools to delight, cultivate and engage donors and funders
• Lead the creation of videos as needed to effectively communicate key messaging and storytelling
• Manage all aspects of UP’s website, including generating new content and updating the website when needed using the WordPress platform
• Manage UP’s presence on social media, developing and posting campaigns and materials to help ensure UP has a positive presence on social media
• Foundation and Corporate Relations: Build relationships with prospective corporate and foundation funders. Manage the grant process, including;
• Oversee and meet all grant deadlines, including ongoing applications for sustaining funders and reporting for previously awarded grants
• Independently research, write, and prepare foundation proposals
• Manage and execute the grant calendar taking note of key deadlines and new opportunities

Other Responsibilities

• Maintain accurate records for all donor and funder opportunities leveraging Salesforce and achieve monthly targets on donor cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship activities
• Serve as a influential UP representative at local corporate and community functions
• Develop written, digital and printed marketing materials to communicate UP’s mission and results to various external audiences, including UP’s impact report, various materials to use in meetings with potential funders, and materials needed to brief the UP CEO and Board of Directors
• Support planning of events to engage individual, foundation, and corporate donors, including school site tours and breakfasts, volunteer events and opportunities, and other events as needed
• Manage UP’s donor database, Salesforce, and update contact information regularly
• Independently own gift processing and gift acknowledgements
• As a member of the network team, supporting with events and administrative needs as needed to support overall network operations

Qualifications

• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, including both oral and written communication skills
• Experience in proposal/grant writing and developing non-profit fundraising materials, including campaign materials and annual reports, in a way that is visually and emotionally compelling and that ensures materials are aligned to their audience
• Experience in website and/or social media management preferred
• Experience building corporate relationships and partnerships a plus
• Passion and commitment to education reform and to creating high-quality educational opportunities for all students
• Bachelor’s degree required
• Experience using PowerPoint required; experience using MailChimp, Salesforce, Classy, video editor programs, Canva, Adobe Illustrator and InDesign a plus
• Current authorization to work in the United States – A candidate must have such authorization by his or her first day of employment

Compensation and Benefits

This position falls into UP Education Network’s Manager salary band. Additionally, UP offers medical insurance coverage and subsidizes the majority of the employee, spouse/domestic partner, and child premiums. Other benefits include dental and vision plans, disability, life insurance, parenting benefits, flexible spending account options, generous vacation time, commuter benefits, professional development, and a 403(b) plan.

We encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply for any open position for which they are qualified. Our students must be exposed on a daily basis to a diverse group of powerful role models. Therefore, we have a responsibility to recruit, retain, develop, and reward a diverse and talented staff from a wide range of backgrounds to join our creative, mission-driven team.

UP Education Network