Deputy Chief of Advancement
About KIPP TEAM and Family
KIPP TEAM & Family is our network office that includes support teams - such as Leadership Development, Recruitment, Advocacy, Facilities, Finance, HR and more - dedicated to empowering our schools and ensuring the success of KIPP students throughout New Jersey and Miami. Our schools are part of the nationally recognized "Knowledge Is Power Program" network of free, open-enrollment, college-preparatory public schools dedicated to preparing students for success in college and in life. The first KIPP New Jersey school opened in Newark in 2002 and since then our school network has expanded to educate 8,684 students in grades K-12. By 2027, KIPP New Jersey will provide a world-class education to over 10,300 students across Newark and Camden.
In 2018, we grew our KIPP community in response to a need for high-quality school options for students in Greater Miami's Urban Core communities. That led to the creation of KIPP Miami, which currently educates more than 1,200 students in 2 schools, with plans to reach 5,800 students by 2026. By offering highly effective educators with strong bonds to families, more time in school learning, services that support a variety of student needs, and a culture focused on achievement, our students in New Jersey and Miami are on the path to and through college, career, and choice-filled lives.
Job Description
About This Role
KIPP Team & Family is at an inflection point in our fundraising work. We have ambitious goals, a committed team, and strong mission alignmentbut we want to significantly level up our fundraising infrastructure, systems, and practice to raise $10M+ annually across both states.
We're looking for an experienced fundraising leader who can be both strategist and builder : someone who will roll up their sleeves to strengthen our operations, develop our team's capabilities, and model excellent major gifts practiceall while helping us grow revenue and build a sustainable, professionalized fundraising operation across New Jersey and Florida.
This is a "build the plane while flying it" opportunity for someone who gets energized by developing people, fixing systems, and creating something stronger than what exists today.
Who You'll Work With
You'll report to the Chief Growth & Advancement Officer, who oversees Development, Advocacy, and Growth across both states. You'll directly manage our Director of Institutional Giving and Manager of Development Operations, and provide coaching and professional development support to our state-based advancement directors.
Our team is hardworking, mission-driven, and knows our work deeply, but have varying levels of experience in their fundraising careers. You and the CGAO will be the most senior fundraising practitioners on the team, and people will look to you both to raise the bar on what excellent fundraising looks like.
What Success Looks Like
In Year One, you will :
- Stabilize and strengthen our core fundraising systems (Raiser's Edge, reporting, donor tracking, finance coordination) working closely with our operations manager
- Establish baseline metrics and accountability rhythms that drive consistent activity and results
- Assess the team's capabilities and design a professional development roadmap that addresses our highest-leverage gaps
- Build and manage your own portfolio of major donor relationships (25-40 donors), modeling best-in-class cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship
- Create annual and multi-year fundraising plans that are ambitious, realistic, and aligned with current philanthropy trends
- Establish yourself as a trusted partner to our finance team and internal stakeholders
In Year Two and beyond, you will :
Deepen training and coaching as systems stabilize and the operations function maturesScale effective practices across both statesExpand portfolio strategies and increase the team's major gifts capacityPosition the organization to meet and exceed increasingly ambitious revenue goalsWhat You'll Do
Build Fundraising Excellence and Capacity
Provide hands-on coaching, training, and professional development to fundraising staff across multiple disciplines : major gifts, institutional giving, events, stewardship, cultivation, and donor relationsModel best practices through your own portfolio workdemonstrating what excellent donor engagement looks like in real timeEvaluate and upgrade our full stack of fundraising materials, event plans, cultivation strategies, and donor communications to meet industry standardsWork alongside the CGAO to ensure our strategies are ambitious, evidence-based, and calibrated to efficiently meet / exceed goalsStrengthen Systems and Operations
Partner closely with the Manager of Development Operations to troubleshoot, build, and implement fundraising systems and tools that drive week-to-week productivityHelp develop the operations manager's skills and capabilities so they can increasingly own day-to-day systems managementDesign and implement frontline fundraiser metrics that create accountability, track progress, and foster a collegial, results-oriented cultureEnsure our systems for internal collaborationespecially with financeare accurate, timely, and sufficiently detailedManage Revenue and Relationships
Build and manage a portfolio of 25-40 major donor relationships, generating significant revenue while demonstrating cultivation and solicitation best practices for the teamPartner with state directors on their most complex donor relationships and opportunitiesDirectly manage the Director of Institutional Giving and Manager of Development OperationsServe as a proxy for the CGAO on decision-making when neededDrive Planning and Collaboration
Lead annual and multi-year planning for Development, incorporating input from the CGAO and state directorsServe as the primary liaison between Development and Finance, ensuring we provide timely, accurate data and maintain strong cross-functional relationshipsIdentify and sequence capacity-building priorities, making strategic choices about where to invest time and resources for maximum impactQualifications
Who You Are
Required Experience and Qualifications
10+ years of progressive fundraising experience in nonprofit organizations, with significant time in multi-site or complex organizational environmentsProven track record of personally raising major gifts ($1M+) and meeting / exceeding ambitious revenue goalsDemonstrated experience building fundraising infrastructureyou've strengthened systems, established metrics, and created processes that didn't exist or weren't working beforeTrack record of developing fundraising talent, particularly with staff who are earlier in their careers or transitioning into fundraising rolesStrong technical skills with donor databases (Raiser's Edge experience strongly preferred), CRM systems, wealth screening tools, and data reportingHands-on experience with budget development, financial reporting, and cross-functional collaboration with finance teamsComfort with ambiguity and ability to prioritize and sequence work in a resource-constrained environmentThe Right Fit Will Have
A builder mentality : You're energized by creating something better than what exists today, not just maintaining what's already workingGenuine talent for teaching : You can break down complex fundraising concepts, model skills effectively, and give feedback that helps people growPatience and persistence : You understand that capacity-building takes time and you're willing to be hands-on when neededStrong donor instincts : You know how to read people, build authentic relationships, and create compelling cases for supportSystems thinking : You can see how pieces connect, identify bottlenecks, and design solutions that address root causesFlexibility : You can shift between strategic thinking and tactical execution, between coaching a team member and cultivating a major donorComfort with being the expert in the room : You're the most experienced fundraiser on the team, and you're comfortable with that responsibilityPreferred Experience