Senior Development Writer

Job Summary:

Reporting to the Leader, External Relations and serving as a key member of the Advancement team, the Senior Development Writer advances the mission of Success Academy Charter Schools (SA) by authoring and/or editing compelling philanthropic narratives and other copy used in major and principal gift/grant proposals, solicitation materials for mid-level and direct response giving, stewardship reports/materials, bespoke donor correspondence, and similar documents – often writing on behalf of others. The incumbent will engage with executives and other team members to clearly articulate Success Academy’s mission and impact through compelling and often bespoke storytelling and stewardship that inspires ever-increasing generosity among donors, institutional funders, and prospective supporters.

The Development Writer is a proactive, confident self-starter that thrives in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment that values results. They are persistent and driven to succeed in advancing efforts to expand and retain a robust, engaged community of individual and institutional donors that enable SA to meet or exceed its ambitious goals to reinvent public education. Success in this role will require the following qualities:

• Self-motivated, self-sufficient, and driven to lead and collaborate with others to achieve success
• Detail-oriented and analytical
• Strategic, proactive, and forward-thinking
• Persuasive, outgoing, and confident with exceptional communication skills
• Possesses the highest standards of personal and professional integrity; and adheres to and promotes SA’s mission, culture, and strategic priorities.

Essential Functions:

Content Development: Writing and Editing

• Brings the Success Academy story to life through compelling content that fosters engagement and inspires philanthropic support.
• Writes and edits a significant volume of compelling and persuasive fundraising proposals, case for support and solicitation materials, and stewardship assets.
• Develops, adapts, and customizes content that clearly outlines funding priorities and expected outcomes.
• Ensures content is consistent in tone, style, and messaging, and aligned with SA priorities and aspirations.
• Authors/edits bespoke donor correspondence.
• Works closely with executives and members of the Advancement team to craft effective and compelling storytelling with fidelity to SA standards of excellence.
• Partners with Advancement colleagues in developing compelling content for deployment across various donor constituencies, segments, and platforms in service for cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship objectives. This includes serving as a resource to evaluate the writing of others.
• Ensures that the department’s editorial content is consistent with SA standards of excellence and quality and executed with precision, accuracy, and expedience.
• Authors/edits donor newsletters and other updates to deepen engagement and advance fundraising and stewardship objectives.
• Occasionally assists with the creation/editing of select content for special events, website updates, and digital/direct response appeals.

Stewardship

• In close collaboration with CAO and Leader, External Relations, helps to coordinate bespoke communications with principal donors and other VIPs.
• Drafts customized gift acknowledgements consistent with established protocols for major and principal gifts.
• Assists Development team with implementing donor-specific stewardship plans and action and provides content to support these work streams.
• Contributes significantly to the writing/editing of bespoke donor reports (in collaboration with CAO/Development team), including the annual Impact Report.
• Collaborates with others across the organization to gather stories and data, translating them into impactful content that showcases scholar and other SA achievements and demonstrates the impact of philanthropic gifts.
• Maintains record of distributed donor communications in donor database of record for reference by Advancement team.

Content Management and Project Management

• Creates, develops, and proactively shares content that supports donor engagement and fundraising efforts and ensures consistent and meaningful messaging across platforms, tools, and messengers to support organizational priorities.
• Integrates Advancement communication strategies with broader SA communications, marketing, and advocacy efforts, as appropriate.
• Serves as primary steward of digital content resources, ensuring optimal systems, organization, accessibility, and intuitive navigation.
• Tracks and manages proposals and other critical documents throughout review/approval processes with executives and other relevant stakeholders.
• Creates and manages templates for proposals, decks, boilerplate language, and style guide(s) for the department.
• Liaises with other departments/teams (i.e., Creative Agency, Communications, Advocacy, others) to facilitate coordination of content resources, communications calendar(s), and consistency/accuracy of content, including other media assets (e.g., photography, video, data visualization).

Other Administrative Responsibilities

• Endeavors to remain abreast of SA programs, activities, accolades, and new initiatives to most effectively engage and/or steward donors to greater levels of support.
• Utilizes and optimizes Raiser’s Edge NXT database to effectively track and manage bespoke correspondence and stewardship actions, such as special acknowledgments and other VIP communications.
• Participates in and helps staff SA/Advancement events, as needed.

Qualifications:

Education 

• Minimum Required: Bachelor’s degree
• Preferred: An advanced degree is beneficial.

Work Experience 

• Minimum Required: 4+ years of experience in persuasive writing. Experience writing for fundraising/development purposes strongly preferred.
• Experience writing on behalf of executives with a broad range of voice and style is very beneficial.

Specialized Knowledge Needed for Performance of the Job

• Demonstrated prior success in bespoke customer experience, donor engagement/stewardship, and/or donor communications.
• Ability to adapt to a range of writing styles and produce outstanding written work on tight timelines with a high level of accuracy and attention to detail.
• Creative problem-solver;
• Experience managing projects to specifications and to meet expected deadlines;
• Knowledge of charter schools and the education reform landscape is beneficial.

Skills

• Exceptional writing, editing, and proofreading skills.
• Ability to think strategically and contextually, and to anticipate the needs and expectations of manager and executives.
• Ability to manage competing priorities and multiple, concurrent tasks, exhibit flexibility, and meet deadlines.
• Ability to analyze and present data effectively, make decisions, and align efforts with priorities and opportunities.
• Acts with tact and discretion, respecting confidentiality and proprietary information.

Nice to haves

• Strong computer skills, including fluency in Microsoft Office and Google suite.
• Familiarity with Raiser’s Edge NXT or similar CRM systems helpful.

Other

• Possesses a passion for the mission of SA.
• Ability to travel locally, occasionally work after hours, and on weekends.