Senior Director of Advancement

Senior Director of Advancement, Brilla NY
Bronx, NY

Seton Education Partners seeks a mission-driven, results-oriented leader to be our Sr. Director of Advancement (SDA). This (SDA) will help position Seton to embark on a pivotal period of growth. He/she will report to Brilla Public Charter School’s Chief Mission & Advancement Officer and work closely with Brilla NY Senior Leadership.

About Seton Education Partners

Co-founded in 2009 by KIPP pioneer Scott W. Hamilton and Teach for America alumna Stephanie Saroki de García, Seton Education Partners is a response to the dramatic decline of urban Catholic schools which have historically been the greatest equalizing factor for economically underserved children, families and communities in America for decades. 

Specifically, Seton expands opportunities for parents in underserved communities to choose an academically excellent, character rich, and—for those who seek it—vibrantly Catholic education for their children. As a national non-profit, Seton partners with (arch)dioceses and others across the country to implement innovative and sustainable new models that bridge the best of Catholic education's rich tradition with new possibilities. Seton was born of the belief that a tremendous opportunity exists to revitalize urban Catholic schools in America and strengthen the education they provide. The challenges are significant, to be sure, but with an entrepreneurial and innovative spirit, much can and should be done, not only to preserve this national treasure but also to build on its foundation for the benefit of thousands of children in America’s most underserved neighborhoods.

Seton has pioneered multiple innovative and high-impact solutions to the shuttering of Catholic schools in underserved communities. Seton is working to take these remarkable achievements to scale by managing a network of schools and programs that ensure that thousands of underserved children whose Catholic schools close—and other local children—have access to an academically excellent, character-building, and, for those who choose it, faith-nurturing education. Seton provides a national model for how other cities facing the shuttering of Catholic schools can continue to serve children and families with limited educational options. For more information on Seton Education Partners, please visit www.SetonPartners.org.

About the Brilla Schools Network

Brilla Public Charter Schools is a network of K-8th grade schools that currently serves nearly 1,600 students from Mott Haven, University Heights and other neighborhoods in the Bronx. The network plans to grow from a current four elementary and one middle school to five elementary and five middle schools educating some 4,000 students in the Bronx and Paterson, NJ. Core to our mission is that our students become young men and women of good character and spirit and be prepared for excellence in high school, college, and beyond. Brilla combines a classical approach to education -- an emphasis on virtue formation, Truth, Beauty, and Goodness, and direct instruction of a content-rich curriculum that has stood the test of time -- with co-teaching practices and individualized online learning.* We approach the formation of our students holistically and also set high academic expectations. Ours is a joyful community that honors the dignity of each student, family member and staff. 

About El Camino Network

El Camino, which means “The Way” in Spanish, is an optional, privately-funded Catholic after-school faith formation program that is closely partnered with Brilla charter schools. El Camino helps children, their families and their catechists to know, love and serve Christ and His Church; develop the habits, dispositions and beliefs that are indispensable to human flourishing and happiness; and live as disciples in this world and saints in the next. El Camino honors the teaching authority of the Catholic Church. In the last 10 years, over 230 children have been baptized through our program. 

El Camino currently serves approximately 40% of Brilla’s students for 90 minutes a day, Monday through Thursday. Children receive homework help from experienced teachers, a nutritious snack, and 30 minutes each of catechism and physical fitness. Additionally, children and families have opportunities for shared and personal prayer and character formation. This video provides a snapshot of El Camino. El Camino will grow to serve children through 8th grade, growing a grade level at a time each year.

About the position

The SDA will contribute to the design and will operationalize the vision for Brilla NY’s fundraising and development strategy. The person in this role will manage and deliver on short- and long-term advancement initiatives across our organization. Reporting to Brilla Public Charter School’s Chief Mission & Advancement Officer, the SDA will lead development across the network. The SDA will collaborate with organizational leaders to monitor fundraising needs and spending. The SDA will also manage donor relations and cultivate and ensure donor intent.

Main Responsibilities

• Annual strategic advancement plan
  • Consult with the Chief Mission & Advancement Officer to inform and execute a dynamic strategic advancement plan
  • Liaison with Brilla team members to understand, plan, and coordinate organizational advancement needs
  • Work with the Chief Mission & Advancement Officer to construct strategies and execute plans that will markedly establish support of an annual fund, including: major giving, legacy gifts, corporate and foundation support, fundraising events, grants, and digital giving programs.
• Grant proposal and report writing and management
  • Manage and develop grant program and approach
  • Create a monthly and yearly grants management calendar
  • Working with input from the Executive Director and C-suite team, ensure completion of all grant proposals and reports, and manage all grant writing consultants
  • Submit all grant proposals and reports
  • Create and provide quarterly updates on all grants
• Donor relations and cultivation
  • Manage a portfolio of select major donors
  • Inform and manage individual strategic donor plans that incorporate executive leadership as needed
  • Create compelling presentations for use in donor and foundation meetings
  • Attend prospective and major donor and foundation meetings
  • Identify and communicate to leadership about ongoing opportunities for cultivation of current and prospective donors and foundations
  • Compile research on existing Brilla NY investors and identify new prospects
  • Input new data and manage existing data in Brilla’s donor management tool, Airtable
  • Optimize database, and when necessary, manage vendors to accomplish advancement goals
  • Create and provide quarterly updates on donor cultivation
• Events & Resource Development
  • Liaison with the Executive Director and C-Suite team members to understand, plan, and coordinate organizational advancement events
  • Work with the Executive Director and Chief Mission & Advancement Officer to host receptions and events annually to engage current donors and offer entry points for new donors
  • Develop and execute a short- and long-term approach to secure and manage in-kind services or in-kind donations
• Collateral
  • Working in collaboration with the Seton marketing team, develop and manage the creation or revision of collateral pieces used to effectively communicate Brilla’s mission and impact, including an Annual Report
  • Advise and collect the kind of data donors are looking for to make first-time or major gifts
• Management
  • Work with senior leaders in establishing both short- and long-term advancement  needs
  • Collaborate with C-Suite to monitor initiative and program budgets
  • Lead research and financial management for advancement efforts

Qualifications and Desired Characteristics

Candidates for the position must possess the following personal characteristics:

• Unquestioned integrity and commitment to Seton’s mission and values
• Personal responsibility with humility
• A relentless drive for excellence
• A strong belief that all children can achieve both moral and academic excellence
• An unwavering determination to be better today than you were yesterday

The ideal candidate will bring experience, skills, and beliefs in the following areas:

• At least seven years of professional donor relations, grant writing, or fundraising experience with demonstrated success soliciting multiple six- and seven-figure gifts
• Outstanding interpersonal skills and ability to form strong relationships with existing and potential donors
• Impeccable communication skills, both written and verbal
• Ability to stay organized, track progress, and meet goals, with a keen attention to detail
• Ability to manage multiple priorities with decorum
• The successful candidate must be a strategic thinker and politically savvy, ensure the utmost discretion in all matters, as well as possess the ability to work well with all levels of management, both internally and externally
• The candidate must be flexible in nature with a collaborative style that fosters teamwork and cooperation beyond the immediate team to a broader organization
• Project management expertise and the ability to drive efficiency and excellence in all aspects of work 
• Optimistic self-starter who will take the initiative for their own success
• Self-aware learner who receives constructive feedback with enthusiasm, personal responsibility, and a desire to grow
• Willingness to travel 20-30% of the time
• Experience (1) teaching in underserved communities, (2) leading in entrepreneurial Catholic organizations, and (3) participating in Catholic evangelization a plus

Diversity & Inclusivity

We are building an organization in which talented individuals from all walks of life and past work experiences can join our team and make significant contributions. We are particularly committed to attracting and developing individuals who share the life experiences or backgrounds of the students we will serve.

*At Brilla, education in the classical tradition is understood to require the education of the whole person - mind, body, and spirit - in the service of human flourishing. Cognitive development and character formation are interdependent: People flourish by living out the virtues. A time-proven way of learning how to live out the virtues is to learn about, contemplate, and discuss how these virtues have been expressed in literature and history and represented in time-tested works. 

Secondarily, a classical education is pedagogically consistent with modern cognitive science. Many current pedagogies are not fully consistent with what we know today about brain development. In contrast, classical pedagogy  (referred to as the Trivium) perfectly corresponds to how the brain develops. It emphasizes patterns, routines, and facts that young brains crave (Grammar stage); it leverages the brain’s orientation to asking “why” in the middle years (Logic stage); and it focuses on communication and persuasion in the high school years (Rhetoric stage).

To Apply

Initial application materials include a cover letter, contact information for three references, and a resume that includes information on your background and leadership experience.

Resumes without cover letters will not be reviewed.

Seton Education Partners provides equal employment opportunities for all applicants and employees.

The base salary range for this position is $110,000 to $125,000 per year, along with a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, financial, and other benefits. New hires will typically start at the lower end of this range, depending on their relevant experience, job-related knowledge, skills, and internal equity considerations. Compensation is determined based on our salary scales.

Last updated on Jul 11, 2024