Vice President, Government Partnerships

DonorsChoose makes it easy for anyone to help a teacher in need, moving us closer to a nation where students in every community have the tools and experiences they need for a great education.

Since 2000, more than 6 million people and partners have contributed $1.5 billion to support 2.8 million teacher requests for classroom resources and experiences. Projects range from art supplies to build the set for a school musical, to books and puzzles that affirm students' identities, to bird seed for an at-home science project. We proudly serve all US public schools, public charter schools, and Head Start centers, and we combat systemic inequity by driving a majority of donations to schools that have been historically underfunded due to economic and racial inequity.

DonorsChoose has been recognized as a best place to work by GOOD Magazine and the Nonprofit Times, while Fast Company named DonorsChoose one of the 50 Most Innovative Companies in the World—the first time a charity has made this list. Our dedicated team works from across the United States to bring classroom dreams to life.

DonorsChoose is also at an exciting and pivotal moment of growth and innovation, exploring and testing new ways - through both growth and new product offerings - to eliminate educational inequity for all students. To learn more about the organization, visit their website.

About the Community Growth and Impact team:

The Vice President, Government Partnerships (VPGP) will drive ongoing government funding in support of the DonorsChoose mission. The VPGP sits within the broader Community Growth and Impact Team which raises the revenue, $165M this school year, for the organization, through its marketplace, major gifts, corporate, foundation, and government giving.

Since 2020, DonorsChoose has partnered with nine states to directly deploy $105 million from ESSER and other funding sources to teacher classroom projects. Participating states have been so thrilled with the impact on teacher engagement and the positive media reaction, that multiple states are considering or are already leveraging post-ESSER DonorsChoose funding partnerships. As one example, the state of Nevada passed SB339, giving teachers access to $10M in state funding for classroom needs. DonorsChoose seeks to build on this success by establishing a Government Partnerships function within the Community Growth and Impact team.

DonorsChoose is seeking its first Vice President, Government Partnerships to further build and manage the government partnerships portfolio for the organization. Reporting to the Chief Revenue and Marketing Officer, the VPGP will be responsible for developing and executing the government funding strategy, including stewarding existing and securing new partnerships with state departments of education to differentiate DonorsChoose in the market, while ensuring DonorsChoose's commitment to equity. The VPGP will partner closely with the Advocacy and Public Partnerships team and may build a team as the function grows.

In this role, you'll:

• Set strategy for the Government Partnerships function

  • Develop and implement a comprehensive, multi-year strategy to broaden DonorsChoose's government partnerships portfolio
  • Strategically identify new partnership opportunities and product offerings, that are aligned to DonorChoose's key organizational priorities, to increase government revenue
  • Establish systems and processes to ensure a close feedback loop between key government funders and related DonorsChoose teams (e.g. Advocacy & Public Partnerships, Marketing, and Partnerships)
  • Drive fundraising best practices, including systems utilization, prospecting, and partnership/grant reporting
  • Monitor broader industry trends, competitive activity, and regulatory developments to informs sales strategies and identify new partnership opportunities

• Steward existing and build new government partnerships

  • Develop, manage, and maintain an active portfolio of government partnerships, with a focus on state departments of education
  • Lead a team that builds toward a $20M+ annual revenue goal by the 2025-2026 school year
  • Proactively identify new opportunities for government partnerships at a national scale
  • Build on existing ESSER-based partnerships, extending those relationships to a post-ESSER context
  • Cultivate champions for DonorsChoose across the public sphere in the spirit of raising awareness of educational inequity, DonorsChoose, its mission, and its track record of results
  • Partner with the Advocacy and Public Partnerships team and other leaders throughout DonorsChoose in relationship-building and fundraising activities

• Build a government partnerships team

  • Work with DonorsChoose leadership to identify an ideal staffing structure for a small but mighty, high performing government partnerships team
  • Set and manage team goals, aligned with strategic planning, stakeholder input, and industry research
  • Serve as a content expert on the government partnerships fundraising function, training and mentoring team members across DonorsChoose to develop their own knowledge of government funding cycles and partnership opportunities

Studies have shown that leaders from underrepresented groups only apply to jobs if they feel they meet 100% of the qualifications. As no individual candidate meets every qualification, we encourage candidates who meet most of these requirements to apply:

• A minimum of ten years of professional work experience, with at least five years in government fundraising/partnerships
• A successful track record of securing and renewing complex government funds/partnerships, including at least one multimillion-dollar contract
• Experience navigating a government partnership from the ideation and relationship building stage, all the way through to managing stakeholders to drive a bill through a state legislature
• Experience building strong, long-term relationships with government funding agencies; strong listening skills, and an ability to engage with a politically diverse group of funders and prospects in a thoughtful, inclusive manner
• A strong command of government fundraising/partnership best practices; demonstrated success building and leveraging processes and donor management systems to track and steward grants and partnerships
• Ability to build and drive growth, and be a detail-oriented implementer to translate strategy into results
• A demonstrated commitment to advancing racial equity and centering the perspectives of those most impacted in decision-making, including experience working directly with people from diverse racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds
• Exceptional relationship and trust-building skills, both internally and externally, with the ability to build positive relationships at all organizational levels and with a diverse group of stakeholders
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to tailor messaging for different audiences in a manner that they can understand and relate to

Location:
The organization is open to the Vice President, Government Partnerships working from anywhere in the United States, with the expectation of 30% travel to attend conferences, meetings with state/district funding partners, and DonorsChoose internal meetings.

The majority of the DonorsChoose 180+ person team works a flexible hybrid to remote schedule from the NYC area, including from their office which is open for optional use. States where employees currently work: New York City or Remote in CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, IL, IN, MA, MD, ME, MI, NJ, NM, NY, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, TX, VA, WA, or WI.

Our compensation philosophy ensures that we are both externally competitive with tech-forward nonprofits of a similar size and internally fair in our pay practices. The following ranges represent the target offer range, given the scope and experience expectations for this role.

• The hiring salary range for this role is $131,000- $160,000 and will be commensurate with experience
• We have a hiring salary range of $145,000- $175,000 for specific higher cost of labor locations, which include New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Boston, and Washington, D.C.

Exact compensation details will be commensurate with experience and location. In addition, we are open to a variety of experiences and recognize that the person we hire may be less experienced or more senior than this job description, as posted. If that's the case, an updated salary range will be shared with candidates if they move forward in our hiring process. Once an employee is hired, the salary range for their role increases to ensure they are able to receive performance-based raises and grow in their role.

In addition, we offer full-time staff 25 paid vacation days per year and 11 paid holidays, a rich employer-paid individual and family health plan, a matching 401(k) plan (up to 5% of base salary), annual professional development stipend, and casual and flexible work environment. To learn more about what it is like to work for DonorsChoose, visit our careers page.

Qualified Individuals, please apply: https://www.on-ramps.com/jobs/3171

DonorsChoose is an organization increasingly representative of the varied races and ethnicities, genders and sexual orientations, religious and political beliefs, and abilities that comprise our nation. DonorsChoose.org focuses on attracting, retaining, and advancing diverse talent because it makes us more effective, high-performing, creative, and resilient.

If you are passionate about our mission, highly skilled in your field, and looking for a place where you can bring all of yourself to work, we want you.

On-Ramps is deeply committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We believe social change happens when people with a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, and identities come together with a common purpose. We're working with DonorsChoose to build a diverse team that represents the communities it partners with. We encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply.

On-Ramps is committed to the inclusion of all qualified individuals in the hiring process, including but not limited to those with disabilities. If you require reasonable accommodation(s) to participate in the application or interview process, please contact info@on-ramps.com.