Managing Director of External Affairs, Midwest

Managing Director of External Affairs – Midwest

• Partnering with Regional Executive Director, Midwest to design innovative strategies to influence and motivate new and existing external constituents to invest in our work, at $3,000,000 (philanthropic) in this fiscal year and growing steadily over the next few years, while effectively tracking progress-to-goal.
• Supporting the Regional Executive Director, Midwest to influence and motivate new and existing external constituents to invest in our work.
• Developing and organizing a growth strategy for the Midwest region, focused on sustainability in  Illinois, and expansion in Michigan and Wisconsin (Milwaukee) as priority markets.
• Maintaining and building goals, strategies, and campaigns across foundation, corporate, individual, and public funding streams.
• Partnering closely with the National External Affairs team on national fundraising opportunities and shared funder relationships.
• Using Chicago and broader Midwest landscape data (donor market, postsecondary landscape, education landscape, economic, philanthropic market) to inform vision and direction to meet all development KPIs.

• Developing and executing a strong plan to engage prospects and donors across Chicago and emerging Midwest markets, while amplifying the region’s brand through external events, media, and networking.
• Leading the development team to excel in the execution of the annual external communication plan and regional marketing efforts.
• Serving as an ambassador for OneGoal, when needed, in major gift prospect/donor meetings, conferences, or other public-speaking engagements
• Creating the conditions for the development team to partner effectively with other Midwest regional functions, as well as with the National External Affairs team, to engage all external stakeholders through in-person, virtual, or written formats.

• Managing a portfolio of donors by reviewing and analyzing progress to goal, making strategic decisions to inform actions and campaigns, and executing on cultivation plans to drive toward revenue growth.
• Collaborating with the Regional Executive Director, Midwest to set board vision and engagement strategies, and manage communication including board updates and board meeting materials.
• Building and retaining investor pipeline by managing the team effectively in the sourcing, prospecting, and engagement of donors, including in new Milwaukee and Michigan markets.
• Serving as a key role model for others in your reporting line on best practice actions for portfolio managers, including strong use of Salesforce data and other analytics, expert external communications, and strong pitch language and materials.

• Serving alongside the Regional Executive Director, Midwest and other Midwest Managing Directors as a member of the Midwest Leadership Team (MLT) to inform regional vision, priorities, and expectations for future fiscal years, including the region’s growth into Milwaukee and Michigan.
• Effectively building strong relationships with Midwest team members and modeling for all staff what it means to be a culture leader and embody our core values.
• Modeling practices of strong management, achieving results through supportive accountability, and building the capabilities of direct reports and development team members.
• Collaborating with the MLT, the National External Affairs team, and org-wide colleagues to identify interdependencies and ensure strong execution of cross-team and cross-regional efforts.

• You like to explore and build innovative approaches and have designed new ways of doing things. You make connections, determine fits, and build plans that are responsive to interlocking and evolving challenges and opportunities.
• You enjoy zooming out to see the big picture to craft a data-informed strategy and enjoy zooming in to execute, bringing that strategy to life — including standing up new fundraising efforts in emerging markets.
• Contingency planning and problem-solving excite you, and working to streamline and improve systems gives you energy.

• You connect your success to the success of those you work with, and believe in both shared responsibility and mutual accountability.
• You believe that clear expectations and regular, honest feedback are the cornerstones of growth.
• As a manager, you believe in the inherent potential and capacity of people. You seek to empower your team to become leaders and agents of change, to grow and thrive and ultimately to share in building OneGoal Midwest.
• You are a strong coach and can work with direct reports to build upon their strengths and grow their skills and competencies.

• You’ve developed materials and talking points that have resulted in impact and building champions in your work because you understand others’ perspectives and motivations and adjust your messages, approach, and design based on your audience.
• You get energy from meeting others and they are inspired when they meet you. When you meet someone, you are able to understand what motivates them, communicate why our work matters, and connect their interests to investing in OneGoal.
• Your written and verbal communication shines whether meant for a new intern, a Milwaukee-based prospect, or a founding Board member.

• You cultivate relationships with the understanding that our students are best served when we collaborate to meet all of their needs.
• You are energized by the opportunity to build something new — whether that’s a first donor relationship in an emerging market or a stronger bridge between regional and national fundraising efforts.
• You are driven both by data and experience, recognizing that decision-making and strategy require evidence as well as a drive to dream big.

• You see challenges as opportunities to take your critical thinking skills and impact to the next level. You operate with a strong sense of personal responsibility when it comes to solving challenges.
• You analyze data and marshal resources to ensure our students and school partners have what they need to make postsecondary access possible.

• Bachelor’s Degree (Required)
• 6-8 years development experience (Required)
• Previous management experience (Required)
• Demonstrated fundraising experience within the Chicago market (Required)
• Demonstrated experience managing fundraising targets of $4,000,000 and above (Highly Preferred)
• Understanding of the Chicago/Midwest philanthropic and education landscape (Preferred)
• Experience building or launching a fundraising strategy in a new or emerging market (Preferred)
• Based in the Chicago metro area (Preferred)
• Willingness to travel to external stakeholders across the Midwest region up to 8 times per month (Required)