Thrive Scholars originated in Los Angeles as South Central Scholars (“SCS”) twenty years ago. Over this time, the organization has refined its program model and, in the last few years, has focused on expanding nationally; reaching more high-achieving underrepresented students, growing the number of Scholars it serves; and deepening the programs impact.

Since its inception, Thrive Scholars has become a life-changing experience for thousands of talented and ambitious students of color and their families across the country. As Thrive Scholars celebrates its 20th anniversary year and pays tribute to staff, mentors, partners, volunteers and board members, it continues its unwavering commitment in supporting Scholars from high school to their early career after college graduation. Thrive Scholars especially thank their Scholars and Alumni for allowing them to be part of their remarkable journeys along the way. Seeing 98% of Scholars graduate from college – many from the nation’s top colleges and universities – and enter jobs that lead to economic mobility, makes its 20-year milestone especially meaningful.

Over the past 20 years, the Scholars it has supported have gone on to become engineers, attorneys, investment bankers, doctors, consultants, professors, and graduate students at some of the nation’s most prestigious institutions. Of the Scholars in its program, 87% are the first in their family to go to college. Hearing about how proud parents are of their children who thrive as a result of the program, Thrive Scholars has the benefit of seeing firsthand how its highly effective, data-driven program can influence the trajectories of families and set an example for generation to come.

Its comprehensive, data-driven, high-touch program model focuses on the key inflection points that can be the difference between graduating from any college, and graduating from a top college with the grades, degree, career skills, and network needed to thrive in high-trajectory careers. Over the course of its six-year program, spanning junior year of high school through college graduation, Scholars benefit from expert college advising, academic preparation, social-emotional and academic support, financial support, and career development.

Thrive Scholars has adopted an ambitious five-year strategic plan to scale its impact from the 300 new Scholars it serves each year to the tens of thousands of high-achieving students of color across the country from financially under-resourced communities that could benefit from its program. Over the last three years, Thrive Scholars has grown from 18 staff and a $6M budget to 80 staff and a $20M budget. It is currently in the midst of an ambitious strategic plan that will gradually increase its budget to $40M by 2027.

The plan is to scale Thrive Summer Academies by opening 10 regional Thrive Academies across the country in the next five years, serving at least 5,000 of our country’s most ambitious and motivated students of color. Then opening its Career Pathways program to these same students to ensure they are exposed to high trajectory careers and develop the network and skills they need to thrive in them. Thrive Scholars will partner with other colleges and organizations to provide the additional support Scholars need, scaling its impact at a fraction of the cost compared to the traditional program.

Thrive Scholars seeks a dynamic and results-oriented Chief Development Officer to join during an exciting period marked by tremendous growth and organizational transformation. With an ambitious strategic plan in place, the organization is poised to double in size by 2027. Central to achieving such impressive results is a robust fundraising enterprise and a strong community of supporters. For 20 years, Thrive Scholars has been transforming the lives of its scholars through its distinctive multi-stage and fully integrate program of support. As the organization continues to expand their overall impact and reach, they need an innovative and inspirational Chief Development Officer who can drive the overarching fundraising strategy, build a robust culture of philanthropy, and garner critical support needed to fuel essential programmatic expansion. With a clear and compelling mission to help high-achieving, underrepresented students from economically disadvantaged communities get into and graduate from top colleges equipped to achieve their full career potential, this is a unique opportunity for a new CDO to leverage current Board and major donor individual, corporate, and institutional support while expanding and diversifying the overall volume and value of funding to sustain Thrive Scholars’ tremendous growth trajectory. The new CDO must be an aspirational leader with a strong passion for the mission coupled with an unwavering commitment to Thrive Scholars’ core values around diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, the Chief Development Officer will be a key member of the leadership team responsible for providing the overarching strategy and oversight for Thrive Scholars’ national fundraising efforts with a focus on major gifts to ensure the organization is consistently achieving its ambitious growth targets. In partnership with the Chief Executive Officer and the Board of Directors, the CDO is responsible for attracting philanthropic support for critical programmatic and operational priorities. The successful candidate will help forge new relationships to build Thrive Scholars’ visibility, impact, and financial resources. In doing so, the CDO will be tasked with planning and implementing of a multi-year comprehensive fundraising strategy aimed at meeting or exceeding key fundraising goals. With the support of a dedicated and talented team of 14, the CDO will be charged with significantly increasing philanthropic revenue from individuals, corporations and foundations to support the organization’s mission and vision. The person in this position will facilitate and strength relationships with current and future supporters, solicit contributions on behalf of the organization, and expand a community of philanthropic investors who share a belief in the unique role that Thrive Scholars plays in providing high-achieving students of color from economically under-resourced communities the opportunities they need to thrive at top colleges and in careers that position them for economic mobility.

As the chief fundraising officer, it is critical that the next CDO be able to effectively articulate the mission and vision in compelling terms to garner significant donor support from a variety of funders including individual, corporate, and institutional. The next CDO must be a savvy leader with a keen business sense, strong fundraising capabilities, and exceptional interpersonal skills necessary drive to cultivate significant resources. Leading by example, the CDO must be comfortable maintaining a personal portfolio of donors as well as working with the development team on industry best practices. The successful candidate will be experienced fundraising leader with a proven track record of building comprehensive fundraising programs. They should possess a strong strategic focus along with a keen appreciation for the operational elements of the role.

Experience working with a multi-site organization is required as is experience raising significant resources and closing major gifts with individuals, corporations, and institutional investors. The ideal candidate will have experience engaging with a broad set of internal and external stakeholders in environments without natural or built-in donor bases. Success will be measured by strong relationship building skills, demonstrated success in large-scale fundraising efforts, and the ability to develop a highly effective development enterprise poised for long-term success. The CDO must be adept at stewarding high-level donors and prospects as well as partnering with the CEO and Boards on major donor and funder relationships. Candidates must have outstanding communication skills, proactive leadership, and a strong commitment to Thrive Scholars’ mission and vision.

• Serves as a lead fundraiser for the organization proactively positioning Thrive Scholars as the national leader in the college access and success space for high-achieving students of color from low-income communities.

• Prepares multi-year and annual fundraising growth plans in collaboration with the Chief Executive Officer aimed at maximizing individual, corporate, and institutional revenue on a national basis as well in each of Thrive Scholars’ existing regions and prospective sites.

• Implements robust fundraising strategies and programs to achieve annual and multi-year fundraising goals to fuel Thrive Scholars’ programmatic and operational growth.

• Leverages the philanthropic potential of donors, ensuring all supporters have an excellent experience in sponsoring Thrive Scholars.

• Significantly increases philanthropic support from individuals by attracting leadership, major, planned gifts, multi-year commitments as well as grows institutional funder base, including support from major foundations and corporate partners.

• Contributes to the overall growth and retention of funding from corporate partners and foundations by building a strong pipeline of sponsors in this vertical.

• Implements strong prospect cultivation and donor stewardship best practices for all staff and volunteers nationally and locally to embrace.

• Provides leadership, strategic direction, management, and coordination for all facets of the organization’s development efforts.

• Builds strong relationships with Thrive Scholars’ program leadership and staff; understands Thrive Scholars programs; works collaboratively with program leadership to integrate innovative development strategies throughout the program; and ensures development engagement of Scholars is informed by program best-practices.

• Develops and institutes metrics for monitoring and evaluating the performance of fundraising programs and initiatives.

 

• Personally manages a portfolio of prospects and donors who have the potential to provide significant charitable contributions to the organization.

• Actively promotes Thrive Scholars’ values, programs, and contributions to educational excellence and economic mobility to garner support and interest from donors, corporations, and foundations.

• Effectively partners with the Chief Executive Officer to deploy their time and attention to leverage the greatest revenue generating opportunities.

• Works effectively with the National Board of Directors, National Board of Trustees, Local Boards of Directors and other key volunteers, leveraging their talents, resources and ideas to enhance fundraising activities; enhances the members of the National Board of Directors ability to identify fundraising opportunities and encourages their ongoing participation as donors and solicitors.

• Cultivates prospects and steward donor relationships through outstanding communication, engagement, and recognition.

• Identifies new funding prospects to support the organization as well as determines opportunities to diversify existing funding streams.

• Serves as a passionate proponent of the organization and its mission appropriately representing the organization, its Boards, leadership, staff, and scholars to donors and prospects.

• Provides strategic oversight to the development team including hiring, onboarding, and coaching as well as performance management and talent development for the team.

• Builds meaningful relationships with the development team and ensures that the proper infrastructure and support is in place to facilitate organizational growth.

• Cultivates a diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture that promotes excellence, innovation, and accountability.

• Promotes a strong culture of philanthropy by fostering ongoing learning and development opportunities across the team and identifying areas for growth and collaboration.

• Fosters a positive team culture and facilitate staff engagement by effectively connecting tasks to mission impact, and promoting a team practice of open communication, feedback, accountability, and success.

• Plays an active role in the fundraising process by maintaining a personal portfolio of high-level donors as well as partners with the Board and Chief Executive Officer on major donor stewardship and funder relationships.

• Fosters and cultivates positive relationships with industry partners, donors, volunteers, and Scholars.

• Assures that the organization’s culture, systems and procedures support fund development and vice versa

The ideal candidate will have high-level development leadership experience, excellent interpersonal and communications skills, and the ability to provide the necessary fundraising strategy to support this growing organization. The successful candidate must possess significant fundraising expertise at the 6 and 7 figure level as well as development leadership experience with a focus on best practices. Relevant experience in a nonprofit of similar size, scale, and complexity is required. Direct exposure to leading large scale fundraising efforts on behalf of college access and educational space is welcomed.

The successful candidate will possess many of the following skills and characteristics:

• 10+ years of progressive development leadership experience along with extensive fundraising, operations, financial management, and long-range strategic planning skills.

• A minimum of 5 years of experience leading a development department for a large, multi-site nonprofit organization; demonstrated success in leading and growing a development function and attracting 6- and 7-figure gifts.

• Experience as a fair, respected leader, and skilled fundraising leader with a proven ability to lead large-scale fundraising efforts.

• Superb leadership skill coupled with the ability to effectively manage, lead, and supervise a talented, passionate, and dedicated development team.

• Demonstrable track record of personally identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and closing individual donors, corporations, and foundations.

• A record of measurable results in organizing and implementing such activities as: major gifts, annual funds, corporate and foundation giving, and planned giving.

• An ability to work effectively and quickly gain the respect and support of various constituencies, including the Board of Directors and staff members, donors, foundation and service recipients.

• A track record as an effective communicator; highly developed skills in writing and speaking; competence at crafting messaging for donor audiences; the ability to communicate the program’s mission and interests to a broad audience.

• An ability to lead effectively, flexible and adaptable style; a leader who can positively impact both strategic and tactical fundraising initiatives.

• Knowledge of and relationship with national and regional funders, foundations and corporations.

• A solid understanding of nonprofit/for-profit fiscal management, principles and best practices.

• Experience implementing and managing a database system, preferably Salesforce

• A strategic and creative visionary who welcomes new perspectives and innovative approaches to increase philanthropic support to sustain organizational growth.

• Demonstrated experience in leading people, managing budgets, providing professional development opportunities, and fostering a welcoming, inclusive, and equitable environment.

• Strong, compelling communication skills along with a high degree of comfort engaging with major donors and organizational funders.

• A deep commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion along with cultural competency regarding issues of multiculturalism.

• An ability to balance day-to-day operations with overarching fundraising strategy in order to anticipate the future needs and options for the organization.

• A strong collaborator with excellent organizational and communication skills.

The targeted salary for this role is $250-275k commensurate with experience. In addition, there will be a competitive performance-based bonus structure along with a comprehensive benefits package.