ABOUT THE PARTNERSHIP FOR LOS ANGELES SCHOOLS

Launched in 2007, the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools mission is to transform schools to revolutionize school systems, empowering all students with a high-quality education. The Partnership is a non-profit, in-district partner to LA Unified, not a charter network. As an independent nonprofit organization, the Partnership serves 13,550 students across 20 LA Unified schools in Boyle Heights, South Los Angeles, and Watts. The Partnership works within the LA Unified School District context, which includes honoring all collective bargaining agreements for its teachers and school staff.

ABOUT THE POSITION

The Vice President (VP) of Development will have an exciting and rewarding opportunity to help build the Partnerships next phase of transformative growth and impact. A highly strategic, passionate, and proactive leader, the VP will serve as the chief architect and driver of the Partnerships growing philanthropic revenue strategy, responsible for delivering an ambitious and phased five-year income plan that will secure increasing levels of support each succeeding year.

The VP will be a collaborative, result-oriented, and dynamic strategist who will provide vision, strategic direction, and leadership for the Partnership’s development programs to attract philanthropic support principally from individuals and foundations, including annual, major, and planned giving; corporate and foundation gifts and grants; stewardship programs; donor marketing; and other development-related activities. This position reports directly to the Chief External Relations Officer (CXO) and works closely with the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), and engages with the Board of Directors to help increase the Partnerships relationships with all new and existing prospects and constituencies to secure new and increasing levels of private and institutional support.

The VP of Development will build and support a high-performing team, strengthen systems and structures, and foster a capacity and culture of philanthropy across the organization. The VP will have a direct and positive impact on the 2025-2030 strategic plan through developing an organization-wide culture of philanthropy, major and principal donor strategy, and timely execution at one of the nations largest in-district transformation organizations.

POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES

Position responsibilities include but are not limited to:

Fundraising Strategy & Culture

• Design and execute a multi-year fundraising strategy aligned with organizational vision and strategic plan, including annual targets and gift table plans
• Personally manage and grow a portfolio of top prospects and donors, including individuals, foundations, and corporations, with a focus on high-net-worth individuals and multi-year transformational gifts
• Oversee development of compelling cases for support, tailored donor communications, and stewardship strategies to strengthen relationships and secure flexible, unrestricted funding
• Expand and refine prospect pipeline, integrating historical context and new identification strategies to diversify and grow the donor base
• Serve as a trusted advisor and collaborative thought partner to the CEO, CXO, and Board of Directors, and share responsibility with these team players on fundraising strategy execution
• Regularly brief the CEO and Executive Team on revenue performance, emerging opportunities, and fundraising risks
• Serve as a dynamic external face for the Partnership, representing the organization at major events, donor meetings, and public forums to increase visibility and inspire investment
• In collaboration with the organizations communications team, elevate the voices and stories of students, families, and school communities in donor-facing communications
• Build and embed a collaborative, organization-wide fundraising culture, engaging board members, executive leadership, and program teams as active fundraising partners

Internal Capacity-Building & Systems Management

• Equip internal stakeholders with tools, training, and messaging to confidently support donor cultivation and stewardship efforts
• Champion the Partnerships commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in all team and external fundraising activities
• Strengthen internal systems and processes for prospect management, donor tracking, stewardship, and revenue reporting to ensure accountability and data-driven decision-making
• Oversee the use and optimization of CRM tools (e.g., Raisers Edge) to support robust pipeline development and “pipeline health” dashboards to monitor progress, identify gaps, and proactively adjust cultivation strategies
• Ensure operational excellence and sustainability in all fundraising activities, positioning the organization for long-term financial resilience

Leadership & Team Management

• Lead, build, inspire, and support a high-performing Development Team that grows an increasingly larger and diverse base of support by increasing donors and prospects, ensuring effective management, and maximizing strategic donor engagements
• Mentor the Development Team members through individualized coaching, instilling a growth mindset, engaging in identity-base…