Manager of Fundraising

Job Summary

The Philanthropic Investment (PI) Team plays an integral role in supporting the mission, vision, and impact of the Commit Partnership by cultivating, securing, and stewarding investors in the organization's work. We work collaboratively across the organization and with external partners to secure an annual budget of at least $40M.

The Fundraising Manager will focus on securing a minimum of $8 million annually from local and national institutional funders, with a specific emphasis on one of the organization's key programmatic areas : Early Childhood through Grade 12 (EC-12), Postsecondary Readiness, or Statewide Initiatives including Policy, Advocacy, and Policy Implementation. This role emphasizes lead generation, prospecting, and networking to cultivate relationships with new and existing investors.

The Portfolio Manager will work directly with programmatic teams to develop innovative strategies to connect with local and national funders, write compelling proposals, and serve as a key connector and content expert for their programmatic area. They will also ensure thoughtful co-created stewardship plans to foster deeper engagement and maximize contributions year over year.

Reporting to the Senior Director of Institutional Investments, this external-facing role plays a pivotal part in driving the sustainability and growth of their assigned programmatic area's impact through collaboration, innovation, and relationship-building.

The salary range for this role is $78,000 - $94,000. Essential Duties & Responsibilities :

• Fundraising and Investor Engagement
• Identify and generate leads for potential local funders through research, networking, and relationship-building efforts.
• Cultivate and manage relationships with institutional funders to secure at least $8 million annually in philanthropic investments.
• Develop and execute customized strategies to identify, solicit, and secure funding opportunities from local investors.
• Write compelling and tailored proposals that align investor priorities with organizational goals and programmatic needs.
• Act as a connector by leveraging personal and organizational networks to expand the organization's reach and donor base.
• Stewardship and Portfolio Management
• Design and implement comprehensive stewardship plans for all investors within the assigned portfolio to ensure consistent engagement and relationship-building.
• Ensure funders are kept informed of the impact of their investments through high-quality reports, personalized updates, and strategic touchpoints.
• Proactively identify opportunities for funders to renew and increase their contributions year over year.
• Organizational Systems and Processes
• Utilize Salesforce for accurate data entry, dashboard insights, and reporting to track and analyze fundraising activities and outcomes.
• Leverage Teamwork (project management software) to manage tasks, timelines, and cross-departmental collaboration.
• Maintain efficient systems and processes to ensure seamless communication and transparency in fundraising operations.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration and Content Expertise
• Serve as a content expert for the assigned programmatic area (EC-12, Postsecondary, or Statewide Initiatives) to effectively communicate its goals and impact to funders.
• Partner with internal teams, including program, data, and communications teams, to align funding opportunities with organizational priorities and create funder-facing materials.
• Act as a liaison between funders and program leads to facilitate effective communication and alignment.
• Support cross-departmental efforts to meet organizational fundraising goals and objectives.
• Strategy, Innovation, and Networking
• Contribute to the development and execution of innovative fundraising strategies tailored to local funders.
• Stay informed on trends in local philanthropy to inform creative approaches and best practices.
• Represent the organization at external events and networking opportunities to expand visibility and donor engagement.

Education and / or Experience Required (Minimum) :

Preferred :

Qualifications and Skills Required (Minimum) :

Philanthropic Investment Team Standards :

To be successful in this role, the ideal candidate should embody the following qualities :

Language Skills :

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (additional KSAs that apply to the position) :

Work Environment :

This is a Dallas-based position with a minimum requirement to be in person at the Commit Partnership offices on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 9 : 00 am - 5 : 00 pm and remote on Tuesdays and Fridays which requires a reliable internet connection.

Benefits :

Job Requirements : To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed must be representative of the knowledge, skills, minimum education, training, licensure, experience, and / or ability required. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The Commit Partnership is an Equal Opportunity Employer that seeks to hire individuals with backgrounds similar to that of the stakeholders they serve. As an organization that embraces equity and inclusion, all employment decisions are based on business needs, job requirements, and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion or belief, national, social or ethnic origin, gender, age, sexual orientation, gender identity and / or expression, marital, civil union or domestic partnership status, or any other status protected by federal, state, or local laws.

Commit does not sponsor visas of any kind.

About The Commit Partnership :

Our Mission

We believe that through our actions, Dallas County - which educates 10% of Texas and 1% of the nation- can be an inclusive and prosperous region where economic opportunity is shared equitably. That's why our true north goal is that by 2040 at least half of all 25-34-year-old residents of Dallas County, irrespective of race, will be provided the opportunity to earn a living wage.

To increase living wage attainment, we must equitably increase educational success aligned with high-demand jobs, maximizing the cumulative impact from early education all the way to college, career, and / or military readiness and accessing and completing a strong postsecondary education. Our staff aligns community stakeholders around this shared future roadmap - analyzing data to lift up strategic initiatives that improve policies, practices, and funding that grow our community's capacity to serve every student more effectively.

Our Story

Founded in 2012, this partnership is the nation's largest educational collective impact organization, composed of backbone staff and over 200 partners across Dallas County and the state of Texas working collaboratively to solve systemic education challenges. Our staff aligns community stakeholders around a shared future roadmap - analyzing data to lift up strategic initiatives that improve policies, practices, and funding that grow our community's capacity to serve every student more effectively.

Together, we work to advocate for excellent and equitable public education that ensures all students - regardless of race, place, or socio-economic status - have the power to determine their future and earn a living wage. We do this work through several ventures including Early Matters Dallas, North Texas Tutoring Corps, Dallas County Promise, Texas College Bridge, Dallas Thrives, Commit's Policy Team, the Texas Impact Network, and several coalitions.

True North Traits

Our True North Traits creates a mission-driven environment and champions us to do our best work each day.

Systemic Impact : You understand the barriers and lived experiences that our students face and are skilled at delivering systemic solutions at scale that address these needs. You achieve significant, sustainable results that increase equitable outcomes through your work (including the reallocation or improvement in public funding), and you recognize the difference between activity and impact.

Judgment : You exhibit a relentless "students first" focus by thinking strategically about what data must be collected, analyzed, visualized, and activated (and what steps must be taken, in what order) to cause resources to be reallocated and actions to be taken to systemically overcome the root causes hindering achievement of the Partnership's mission.

Communication : By listening to understand before seeking to be understood, you're able to build trust and facilitate collaboration across lines of difference, recognizing that both are essential to our success. You are also able to find common ground with diverse stakeholders and can tailor the organization's message to different audiences as needed to influence meaningful change.

Innovation : You can create or meaningfully contribute to the design and execution of a systemic and transformational strategic plan to solve complex problems, often at scale, that improves organizational effectiveness and / or closes equity gaps for our students and families.

Equity and Inclusion : You intentionally create spaces where relevant stakeholders have a seat or voice at the table, ensuring that each person at the table's thoughts and perspectives are shared, valued by all others at the table, and reflected in our work. You're excited to help build and / or contribute to teams where everyone feels welcomed, respected, valued, and highly supported.

Joy : You recognize that people are central to our work, striking a balance between people and process, and you inspire others with your optimism and thirst for substantive change in service to the mission.

Integrity : You admit mistakes openly, share learnings widely, and elevate bad news quickly, also capable of making difficult decisions in all situations to ensure the success of the organization.

The Commit Partnership is an Equal Opportunity Employer that seeks to hire individuals with backgrounds similar to that of the stakeholders they serve. As an organization that embraces equity and inclusion, all employment decisions are based on business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion or belief, national, social or ethnic origin, gender, age, sexual orientation, gender identity and / or expression, marital, civil union or domestic partnership status, or any other status protected by federal, state, or local laws.

Commit does not sponsor visas of any kind.