Development and Institutional Partnerships Director

Purpose of the position

This director leads the board's fundraising and holds its understanding of how school systems buy. An organization that serves families for free must raise what it spends. Institutional services designed without knowledge of district budgets do not sell.

Responsibilities of this position

• Chair the Development Committee.
• Own the annual fundraising plan with the Executive Director.
• Build and maintain the funder pipeline and the grant calendar.
• Open doors to education foundations, school system leaders, and individual donors.
• Advise the board on how school systems budget and procure.
• Lead board participation in fundraising and hold other directors to it.

Responsibilities shared by every director

• Advise on strategy and support the growth of the organization.
• Serve as a subject matter expert in your field and contribute to programming.
• Participate in fundraising. Share our work with your network, make introductions, and help identify potential contributors.
• Present alongside the Executive Director at events and conferences when you are able.
• Complete a conflict of interest disclosure each year and recuse yourself where it applies.
• Keep board deliberations, applicant information, and family information confidential.

Required qualifications

• Experience raising money. This may come from development work, grantmaking, or any role where you made asks and introductions.
• A network you are willing to open on behalf of the organization.

Preferred qualifications

• Experience with education funders.
• Background as a former special education director or district administrator.
• Foundation or grantmaking experience.
• Lived experience as the parent or caregiver of a child with a disability.

Time commitment

• Six board meetings a year. Meetings are virtual and run ninety minutes.
• Service on at least one standing committee. Committees meet monthly during a founding year and quarterly after that.
• Five to eight hours a month during a founding year. Established years require about three hours a month.

This seat carries no role in scoring and no preview of audit findings. The independence of our reviews is what makes them worth buying, and a fundraising relationship must never touch a finding. A director who works for a school system or for a foundation we may approach is not disqualified. We define recusal in writing before that director is seated.

Reports to

The Board of Directors as a whole.

Term

Three years, renewable. The board elects directors and records the election in the minutes.

Scope of the role

Directors do not work with families directly. Directors do not review individual cases, attend IEP meetings, or advise families about their children. One exception applies. A director volunteering at a conference or community event may talk with parents and explain what the organization offers.

Compensation

This is an unpaid volunteer position. We do not require a personal financial contribution. We do not judge any application on whether the applicant can give.

What we provide

• Orientation and an onboarding packet covering the bylaws, the conflict of interest policy, and the board agreement.
• Meeting materials distributed before every meeting.
• A background check. We pay for it, and we complete it before you are seated.

How to apply

One application covers the board and the advisory council. Questions go to info@edquityatthemargins.org.