Philanthropic Investments: Development Manager

The Commit Partnership (“Commit” or the “Partnership”) seeks a passionate, solutions-focused, fundraising leader strongly committed to the Partnership’s mission to increase the regional living wage attainment rate for young adults in Dallas County to 50% by 2040 irrespective of race, to serve as a Manager on the Philanthropic Investments team. This person will report directly to the Sr. Director of Philanthropic Investments as part of the regional portfolio team. The Partnership’s Philanthropic Investments team plays a critical role in ensuring adequate funding resources are available for the organization to execute initiatives and make progress towards our North Star goal.

Since the Partnership's founding in 2011, the Philanthropy team has secured over $200 million represented by a 50/50 split in local versus national funder investments. Efforts made possible by philanthropic investment in Commit have helped yield transformative outcomes, including informing four state legislative sessions across the years 2017-2023 that collectively created over $7.0 billion of new and potential annual funding for a state that educates 10% of the nation’s PK-12 students. The work has also accelerated the adoption of numerous impactful practices enabled by (i) the Partnership’s leading of two statewide learning communities involving ~20 districts educating 1 in 4 Texas children as well as (ii) its formation with Educate Texas of the Texas Impact Network, which supports numerous “educational backbone” entities similar to Commit across the state. Best practices implemented have included: full-day PreK; extending the elementary school year to reduce summer learning loss; creating pathways to a B.A. in Early Childhood Education for less than $10,000 in total tuition over four years; and compensating educators higher and sooner in their career based on their classroom effectiveness and where they teach (vs. solely based on their seniority).

To accelerate progress towards our North Star goal, the Partnership recently launched Opportunity 2040, a new, innovative collaboration with the Child Poverty Action Lab (CPAL), to significantly improve economic mobility in Dallas County. The full cost of Opportunity 2040 is $13.4 billion of which $347 million is projected to be raised over the next 17 years, from private, philanthropic investments from local, statewide, and national investors. Anchored by an initial $50 million anchor investment from Blue Meridian Partners, a national philanthropic fund, Opportunity 2040 strives to aggregate the first $125 million of flexible philanthropic capital in the first five years, to be deployed against a set of data-backed initiatives focused on living wage attainment and reducing child poverty. This role will have a unique opportunity to work closely with CPAL, Blue Meridian Partners, and a growing pool of investors to build an innovative philanthropic model, leveraging private investments to help access, unlock, and influence significant and sustainable public funds.

While we face complex problems and a stark divide within our region, there currently exists a tremendous opportunity in Dallas to accelerate substantial change for our students at scale fueled by philanthropic capital.

Challenges that exist:

Dallas is the 7th largest county in the US in the number of residents living in poverty.
3 out of 4 students in Dallas County qualify for free or reduced lunch.
Dallas has the 3rd highest rate of child poverty in the nation.
There is a 20-year difference in life expectancy between zip codes located 15 miles apart.
Dallas recently ranked last, out of 274 US cities, in economic inclusiveness.

Opportunities that exist:

Dallas leads the nation in job growth (≈300k new jobs)
There is over $13.6 Billion of existing annual public funding that can be invested more effectively.
Over $1 Billion of available, yet unclaimed public funding is available for community partners and families to access.
Tremendous local philanthropic capacity with a strong commitment to solving complex problems.
Growing investments from Nation investors who see the opportunity to create change at scale in Dallas.

About the role

Reporting to the Senior Director of Philanthropic Investments, this role’s primary purpose is to manage and grow a diverse portfolio of 5 to 7-figure investments from private foundations, corporations, and individuals, through the entire investor cycle. This role will be responsible for an annual portfolio goal of at least $7 million annually, laddering up to the teamwide goal of $42 million while growing future commitments of investment capital. As a key lever to meet this goal, the manager will work with team members across Commit to translate the work and impact of Commit into compelling and customized fundraising narratives that secure meaningful investments from local, state, and national investors.
Our team operates cohesively and at a fast pace which includes lots of deadlines and collaboration to get the job done. We are seeking a driven, self-starter who is undaunted by the challenges our region faces, energized by the opportunities that exist to secure philanthropic capital, works with a sense of urgency for our students and has a mix of executing, influencing, and leadership strengths.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities of the role include:

Manages a portfolio of investments for our regional, Dallas County efforts, developing customized engagement plans and compelling narratives to secure their investments.
Creates and facilitates investor calls, meetings, events, and experiences with great attention to detail, investor-targeted messaging, and highly professional execution.
Serves as a face of Commit in meetings, conferences, and other external convenings with investors.
Executes prospect research and secures new investors.
Draft proposals, concept papers, pitch decks, reports, and other relevant materials to pitch, close, and steward existing and new fundraising opportunities
Develops grant applications and related documents (e.g. required reports, budgets, decks, specific inquiries, etc.) to submit to the appropriate investor.
Independently project manages numerous deadlines for deliverables and investor-related content.
Supports senior leaders in preparing for meetings, responding to requests from investors, and providing follow-up support as necessary.
Develops a deep understanding of the work and continuously seeks ways to stay informed about updates, changes, and shifts in the work.
Works closely with program staff routinely to acquire the knowledge needed to solicit investments and build investor relationships effectively.
Uses Commit’s investment and investor data to create annual goals and track progress toward goals.
Works as a cohesive member of the team and takes advantage of unexpected opportunities that may sit outside of regular portfolio tasks.
Leads sideways and manages up through ownership of some of the team’s key workstreams and initiatives and engages in relevant organizational leadership opportunities.
Utilizes our CRM database (Salesforce) to maintain/update investor and grant records following team procedures and standards.
Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications and Skills Required (Minimum):

Passionate about improving our public education systems, increasing economic mobility for Dallas and the state of Texas, and holding a deep belief that EVERY student deserves access to high-quality education and the opportunity to succeed.
Bachelor’s degree in business, non-profit management, communications, marketing, or other related field; master’s degree preferred.
At least 2 years of grant, fundraising, or sales writing experience, with a proven record of securing and retaining six- and seven-figure investments and investors.
Established, and accomplished relationships with local and national funders preferred.
Demonstrated ability to work with a high degree of autonomy and accountability and to be a team player.
Demonstrated ability to pitch and close investments with individual, foundation, and corporate investors.
Ability to develop and follow through on creative and effective solicitation strategies and to motivate and generate enthusiasm for them among team members.
Ability to quickly build and continuously develop trusting relationships with funders and other stakeholders.
Ability to create and deliver highly professional, compelling presentations to investors and facilitate investor meetings.
Understanding of the Dallas philanthropic landscape
Proficient with Microsoft Office and familiar with using donor management software; proficiency with Salesforce preferred.
Experience within education fundraising preferred.

Philanthropy Team Standards - Who you are:

Relationships drive your work, and you continuously focus on starting, building, and strengthening relationships both internally with team members and across the organization, and externally with investors and partners.
You are driven by finding ways to sell, communicate, and collaborate with investors and other team members about challenges, solutions, insights, outcomes, and impact on students and systems.
You operate with a customer service mindset to investors and team members.
You are solutions-focused, proactive in addressing challenges, and constantly thinking one step- ahead.
You are constantly learning, sharing, asking questions, and keeping up with your field.
You are meticulous about systems, processes, data, and numbers, and how those pieces connect to a big-picture goal or idea.
You lead with your strengths and skills and see success as a team effort.

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.

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Philanthropic Investments: Development Manager