Director of Philanthropy

Director of Philanthropy

Our Vision

Metro Nashville Public Schools will be established as the premier large school district in Tennessee and beyond by ensuring that every student is known.

Our Mission

We deliver a great public education to every student, every day.

Job Summary

Directs the district's private philanthropic resource development function, designing and executing a comprehensive strategy to secure charitable gifts, corporate and foundation partnerships, and in-kind contributions that advance Board-adopted academic and operational priorities. Serves as the district's principal relationship holder for individual, corporate, and private foundation donors, personally managing a portfolio of major-gift prospects from identification through solicitation and stewardship. Establishes the standards, controls, and ethical framework governing how charitable support is solicited, accepted, recorded, restricted, recognized, and reported across the district — including the gift acceptance criteria applied at both the central office and school levels. Holds budget authority for the philanthropy function and accountability for its return on investment, and reports fundraising performance, pipeline health, and donor commitments to executive leadership and the Board. Operates without direct reports, achieving results through influence, cross-functional coordination, and the direction of external counsel, vendors, and volunteer leadership.

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Regular and reliable attendance is an expectation of the job.

Education Details:

Bachelor's Degree: Required

from an accredited institution in nonprofit management, business administration, public administration, communications, marketing, philanthropy, or a closely related field

Master's Degree: Preffered

in nonprofit management, public administration, business administration, philanthropic studies, or a related field

Licenses and Certifications:

DL NUMBER - Driver License, Valid and in State

and the ability to travel independently among school sites, donor locations, and community venues

Required

Certified Fund Raising Executive - CFRE International

Preferred

Advanced Certified Fund Raising Executive (ACFRE) or Certified Specialist in Planned Giving (CSPG)

Preferred

Grant Professional Certified (GPC), Grant Professionals Certification Institute

Preferred

Active membership in the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) or comparable professional association

Preferred

Work Experience

A minimum of eight (8) years of progressively responsible professional experience in fundraising, development, or philanthropic resource development

Required

At least three (3) years managing a personal portfolio of major-gift prospects with documented solicitation and closure results; Demonstrated experience securing gifts from more than one revenue channel (individual major gifts, corporate partnerships, private foundation grants, planned or deferred gifts); Demonstrated experience designing and executing a multi-year development plan against measurable revenue targets; Experience preparing and presenting fundraising performance information to executive leadership, a board, or a governing body.

Required

Experience in a public sector, K–12, higher education, or public-agency-affiliated development environment

Preferred

Experience with capital campaigns, endowment building, or planned giving programs; Experience administering a donor CRM or fundraising database (e.g., Raiser’s Edge, Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud, or comparable); Experience operating a development function without dedicated development staff, achieving results through cross-functional and volunteer resources.

Preferred

Essential Functions

• Develops, recommends, and executes a comprehensive multi-year philanthropic strategy aligned to the district’s strategic plan and Board-adopted priorities, establishing annual revenue targets by channel and measurable objectives for pipeline growth, and monitors the local, state, and national philanthropic landscape to advise executive leadership on emerging funder priorities, opportunities, and risks.
• Translates district academic and operational needs into fundable priorities and builds the case for support, working with academic, operations, and finance leadership to define scope, cost, outcome measures, and reporting commitments before any funding proposition is taken to market.
• Manages a personal portfolio of major-gift prospects and donors through the full development cycle — identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, closure, and stewardship — conducting prospect research and establishing capacity ratings, ask amounts, solicitation strategies, and cultivation timelines for each assigned relationship.
• Prepares and delivers solicitations, proposals, and funding presentations to individual donors, corporate partners, and private foundations, and manages submission calendars, budget narratives, and post-award reporting obligations for privately funded awards.
• Cultivates and manages corporate, private and family foundation, and community partnerships, negotiating partnership terms and translating them into written agreements, and directs the solicitation and evaluation of in-kind contributions against district need, acceptance criteria, and total cost of ownership.
• Designs and administers the district’s donor stewardship and recognition program, including impact reporting, acknowledgment practices, and fulfillment of restricted-gift reporting commitments.
• Staffs the Director of Schools, Board members, and executive leadership in their donor-facing roles — preparing briefings, talking points, and follow-up strategies — and represents the district at community, civic, business, and philanthropic events, including evening and weekend engagements.
• Establishes and maintains district standards, procedures, and internal controls governing gift solicitation, acceptance, restriction, valuation, recording, acknowledgment, recognition, and reporting.
• Reviews proposed gifts against Board policy, district priorities, and acceptance criteria, and recommends acceptance or declination of gifts carrying restrictions, conditions, naming implications, ongoing cost obligations, or reputational risk.
• Ensures compliance with Internal Revenue Service substantiation and acknowledgment requirements, the Tennessee Public Records Act, district records retention requirements, and applicable student privacy law; maintains separation between philanthropic relationships and procurement, contracting, and vendor selection; and identifies and escalates actual or apparent conflicts of interest.
• Serves as the district’s advisory authority on fundraising conducted outside the philanthropy function — advising school-based leaders, parent organizations, and support groups on district fundraising standards, gift acceptance requirements, and permissible solicitation practices, and coordinating with the office responsible for federal, state, and other public grants so that private funding strategies do not duplicate, supplant, or conflict with public grant activity. This position does not administer federal or state entitlement or competitive grant programs.
• Develops and administers the operating budget for the philanthropy function and holds accountability for cost-per-dollar-raised and return on investment; manages contracts and scopes of work for consultants, prospect research services, campaign counsel, event vendors, and the donor record system; reconciles philanthropic revenue with the finance office; and establishes and reports performance metrics — dollars raised by channel, pipeline value and velocity, closure rates, and donor retention — to executive leadership and the Board.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

KSAs

Proficiency

• Comprehensive knowledge of philanthropic fundraising theory and practice, including the major-gift development cycle, moves management, annual giving, planned and deferred giving, corporate partnership development, and campaign structure.
• Knowledge of prospect research methodology, wealth screening, and capacity and inclination rating.
• Knowledge of the legal and regulatory framework governing charitable contributions, including Internal Revenue Service substantiation and acknowledgment requirements, the treatment of restricted and conditional gifts, and the distinct considerations applicable to charitable giving to a public governmental entity.
• Knowledge of the Tennessee Public Records Act and its implications for donor records, gift agreements, and confidentiality representations made by a public agency.
• Knowledge of ethical standards governing the fundraising profession, including donor intent, donor rights, gift restriction integrity, and conflict of interest.
• Knowledge of public school district governance, funding structure, budget cycles, and the relationship between philanthropic support and appropriated public funds, including the distinction between supplementing and supplanting.
• Knowledge of nonprofit and governmental fund accounting principles sufficient to structure gifts, restrictions, and reporting accurately.
• Knowledge of donor relationship management systems and fundraising performance measurement.
• Knowledge of the Nashville and Middle Tennessee philanthropic, corporate, and civic community.
• Skill in personally soliciting and closing significant charitable gifts from individual, corporate, and foundation sources.
• Skill in persuasive written communication, including proposals, cases for support, funding narratives, budget justifications, and impact reports.
• Skill in public speaking and executive-level presentation to donors, boards, civic organizations, and community audiences.
• Skill in relationship building and management across widely varied constituencies — donors, business leaders, elected and appointed officials, principals, parents, and community organizations.
• Skill in negotiation, particularly in structuring partnership agreements and resolving gift restriction and recognition terms.
• Skill in budget development, financial monitoring, and contract administration.
• Skill in data analysis and the use of pipeline and performance metrics to direct effort and forecast revenue.
• Skill in the use of donor CRM platforms, productivity software, and reporting tools.
• Ability to produce revenue results without dedicated staff support, achieving outcomes through influence, cross-functional coordination, volunteer leadership, and contracted resources.
• Ability to translate complex academic and operational initiatives into clear, compelling funding propositions for non-educator audiences.
• Ability to exercise independent judgment in recommending acceptance or declination of gifts, including declining support that carries unacceptable restrictions, cost obligations, or reputational risk.
• Ability to maintain strict confidentiality and discretion regarding donor information, giving capacity, and sensitive district priorities, while operating transparently within public records requirements.
• Ability to establish credibility rapidly with senior executives, philanthropists, and civic leaders.
• Ability to manage a high-volume portfolio with competing timelines and to sustain long cultivation cycles without loss of momentum.
• Ability to work evenings and weekends as required by donor availability and community events.
• Ability to represent the district with professionalism, cultural competence, and sensitivity to the diversity of the community served.

Required for All Jobs

Punctuality and consistent presence are essential to maintaining a productive and collaborative work environment. Regular in-person attendance is a fundamental expectation of this position.

Performs other related duties as assigned for the purpose of ensuring the efficient and effective functioning of the work unit.

Complies with all laws, regulations, policies and standards.

Physical Demands/Working Conditions

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Physical Demands

Physical Demand

N/A

Rarely

Occasionally

Frequently

Constantly

Weight

Stationary Position

X

Move/Traverse

X

Stationary Position/Seated

X

Transport/Lifting

X

Transport/Carrying

X

Exerting Force/Pushing

X

Exerting Force/Pulling

X

Ascend/Descend

X

Balancing

X

Position Self/Stooping

X

Position Self/Kneeling

X

Position Self/Crouching

X

Position Self/Crawling

X

Reaching

X

Handling

X

Grasping

X

Feeling

X

Communicate/Talking

X

Communicate/Hearing

X

Repetitive Motions

X

Coordination

X

Notes: N/A - Not Applicable. Rarely - The physical demand or working condition is required on an occasional basis and the intensity is light. Occasionally - The physical demand or working condition is required sometimes, and the intensity is moderate. Frequently - The physical demand or working condition is required often, and the intensity is moderate to heavy. Constantly - The physical demand or working condition is required continuously, and the intensity is heavy. Weight - The weight refers to the amount of force required to lift, carry, push, pull, or hold objects.

Working Environment

Working Condition

N/A

Rarely

Occasionally

Frequently

Constantly

Extreme cold

Extreme heat

Humidity

Wet

Noise

Hazards

Temperature Change

Atmospheric Conditions

Vibration

Mechanical Parts

X

Job Title:

Director of Philanthropy

Job Code:

1901091

Job Family:

19 – Executive Management

Sub-Family:

Director

Job Family SOC Code:

11-0000

Sub-Family SOC Code:

11-1021

FLSA Classification:

Exempt

Grade Ladder:

MNPS Support Salaried

Pay Grade:

MNPS.SCH015-S

Duration (Days):

260

Locations Type:

• Support Hub

Pay: $118,091.11 - $177,120.05 per year

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Dependent health insurance coverage
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Parental leave
• Professional development assistance
• Retirement plan
• Tuition reimbursement
• Vision insurance

Work Location: In person