Director of Advancement

Director of Advancement, Goucher Prison Education Partnership

ABOUT US

Named one of the top 10 most innovative colleges in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, and recognized as one of the forty Colleges that Changes Lives, Goucher College, located in Baltimore, Maryland, is a private, coed, liberal arts college dedicated to teaching students to be complex problem solvers prepared for the jobs of the future. A Goucher education focuses on creating lifelong learners through an interdisciplinary, experiential approach.

The Goucher Prison Education Partnership (GPEP) offers individuals incarcerated in Maryland the opportunity to pursue an outstanding Goucher College education. GPEP offers Goucher College courses onsite at the prisons as well as all resources needed for student success, from college preparatory courses to books and calculators to skilled tutors and in-person office hours with professors and academic advisors. Through this work, GPEP is also part of the public conversation about access to education, poverty, and mass incarceration.

Leverage your experience and skill to support 130 scholars and leaders pursuing their college education while in prison. Join a dynamic, hard-working team to advance a national model for higher education in prisons.

POSITION SUMMARY

GPEP is seeking a Director of Advancement with demonstrated success setting and realizing ambitious fundraising goals. The right candidate brings the necessary experience to sustainably support GPEP students’ educations through a diversified strategy including grants from regional and national foundations, individual giving, events, and relationship development with new and existing partners. 

The Director of Advancement builds on existing successful practices to raise the financial support necessary for the operation of GPEP. This position serves as the primary fundraiser responsible for an approximately $1.4 million annual budget and works in close collaboration with GPEP's Executive Director and Goucher College's Office of Advancement.

LOCATION

This position is based on Goucher’s Towson campus, with occasional responsibilities at Goucher College’s additional locations inside state prisons in Jessup, Maryland as well as offsite responsibilities related to donors and other partners. 

RESPONSIBILITIES

Fundraising & Relationship Building (60%)

Build and nurture meaningful relationships with stakeholders including individual donors, regional and national foundations, corporations, and other funders. This currently includes 3000+ stakeholders including 45+ major donors;

• Engage potential donors and stakeholders with GPEP’s mission and impact; 
• Successfully identify, cultivate and solicit potential and current donors;
• Create a strategy to build awareness and support of GPEP among new audiences locally, regionally, and nationally;
• Communicate with stakeholders including sharing regular updates, one-on-one engagement, formal reporting/communications, and appreciation for support; 
• Research and identify opportunities for and write, revise, and submit grant proposals, reports, and related budgets and all related attachments. (Currently approximately 20 proposals per year plus reporting.); 
• Accurately track timelines and ensure internal and external deadlines are met. Communicate and coordinate successfully with stakeholders internal and external to the college (relationship building, communication, project management, grant and report writing, budgets, etc.); 
• Work closely with the Goucher’s Office of Advancement to ensure excellent donor management and coordination; and
• Engage and manage volunteer and other stakeholder's participation in GPEP fundraising efforts. Continue to widen and deepen relationships with such stakeholders. 

Event Management (20%)

• Plan and manage GPEP's stakeholder and fundraising events including house parties, stakeholder lunches/coffees/breakfasts, informational sessions, presentations, graduation/impact celebrations, etc., participation in larger public-facing events, and targeted diverse stakeholders’ events; 
• In collaboration with the Goucher’s Office of Communications, manage engagement with the media including the coordination with staff, faculty, alumni, prison partners;
• Manage event logistics including arrangements, planning processes, and paperwork for such opportunities;
• Lead, coordinate and manage the success of guest visits to Goucher classes and with Goucher students the prisons (typically 4-6 events per year with up to 150 total external participants), including faculty, administrators, donors, press, and government officials; and
• Serve as representative for GPEP & Goucher College at relevant conferences and other events. 

Marketing & Communication (10%)

• Plan, create, and distribute communications to GPEP contacts, utilizing and building on GPEP’s existing messaging and framing;
• Draft, curate, and update brochure and website content as needed; and
• In consultation with GPEP’s Director and Goucher College’s Office of Communications and the Office of Advancement, create and produce 4-6 annual postal and/or email campaigns to current and prospective donors.

Related Project Management (10%)

• In collaboration with GPEP’s Director, create and monitor the program’s annual operating budget. Create budgets as needed internally for funders;
• Maintain accurate records for grants, donations, and development-related expenses and document them accurately in GPEP records;
• Maintain records of upcoming grants, proposals, deliverables, and shared electronic files including all submitted grants, reports, supporting documents, etc.; and
• Manage the gift acknowledgment process including ensuring Goucher’s Office of Advancement has needed information for processing and providing official acknowledgment for gifts.

The GPEP Director of Advancement position travels regularly to stakeholder meetings, largely in the Baltimore and Washington, D.C. area, and to prison locations as needed. Some evening and occasional weekend hours are required. 

QUALIFICATIONS

• A Bachelor’s degree is required; an advanced degree preferred;
• A minimum of four (4) years of experience with frontline fundraising experience is required;
• Experience building philanthropic partnerships with national foundations are strongly preferred;
• Strong organizational, interpersonal, and written and oral communication skills;
• Demonstrated experience and success with grant writing and reporting, creating content for marketing materials, communication with stakeholders including funders and prospective funders, students, and staff;
• Demonstrated experience creating, managing, and maintaining internal and external budgets including accurately projecting and updating income from funders; and
• Sophisticated project management experience, with demonstrated success accomplishing broad and visionary assignments, as well as complex, detailed projects in fast-paced environments.

If this sounds like a compelling opportunity, and you are innovative, a strong collaborator, with the skill set described above, we would love to hear from you! 

Goucher College is committed to increasing the diversity of our community and seeks applicants dedicated to applying principles of equity and inclusion in all areas of the campus community.

SALARY AND COMPENSATION

The salary for this position is expected to be between $70,000 and $75,000, in addition to a comprehensive benefits package. 

Candidates must be able to provide proof of eligibility to work in the USA. No Visa sponsorship is offered for this position. Employment is contingent on a background check and the ability to maintain the clearance necessary to enter the state prisons where GPEP serves students.

Goucher College is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

This search is being managed by ATS+Partners and all inquiries can be directed to careers@atspartners.org.