Job Description

About Good Reason Houston

Good Reason Houston exists to create a future where every child in every neighborhood of Houston has access to a world class public education that prepares them to thrive in the Houston of tomorrow. We believe that all Houston students deserve an excellent education, and work to reshape the Houston education landscape by inspiring hope, possibility, and action as we work towards our mission of growing the number of students learning in great public schools.

Good Reason Houston builds awareness of, advocates for, and advises school systems on measures aimed to improve the quality of education available to all. Today the organization partners with 25 public school systems that collectively serve 700,000 students across 900 public schools in the Houston region. We seek to cultivate a shared regional vision for educational quality, to build the capacity for change required within districts and the greater Houston community, and to foster collective ownership to support student-level results for kids across our city.

For more information, please visit www.goodreasonhouston.org.

About The Role

Good Reason Houston is on a mission to ensure that Houston becomes the top public education city in the nation. We are seeking a driven and detail-oriented advancement professional who is passionate about transforming educational outcomes for students and families across Houston.

As a key player in advancing this mission, the Manager, Advancement will play a pivotal role in building and sustaining relationships with donors, supporting the development and execution of a multi-year strategy to increase institutional and individual giving, managing corporate engagement opportunities, and supporting special event project management. The Manager, Advancement will collaborate across departments to craft compelling grant proposals, execute donor engagement activities, and provide comprehensive stewardship of donor relationships.

This position reports to the Chief Advancement Officer and will work closely with senior leadership and internal teams to drive strategic fundraising efforts. A successful candidate will possess a strong understanding of fundraising principles, showcase exceptional communication skills, and demonstrate a proven track record in donor engagement and stewardship. This is an exceptional opportunity for a development professional who is results-oriented, passionate about fundraising, and excited about working in a rapidly evolving and innovative environment committed to improving education for students across Houston.

Primary Responsibilities

Institutional Donor Management (65%)

Develop and execute a comprehensive strategy for increasing major gifts, in collaboration with the Chief Advancement Officer
Build and manage a portfolio of donor prospects , conducting research to assess giving potential, timelines, and strategic alignment
Provide high-level support to senior leadership for donor meetings, including briefing materials, meeting preparation, and follow-up communications
Draft and submit grant proposals and reports, in collaboration with cross-functional departments, ensuring alignment with funder requirements and organizational priorities
Track all donor interactions in eTapestry and ensure timely submission of donor acknowledgements and stewardship materials

Portfolio Management and Donor Stewardship (20%)

Assist in managing relationships with top donors within the major gifts portfolio, supporting strategy development and donor engagement
Coordinate cross-departmental collaboration to gather data and insights for donor meetings, grant applications, and progress reports
Prepare branded and tailored meeting materials for donor engagements and ensure timely follow-up on all donor activities
Maintain data integrity within the donor database, tracking pledges, payments, and reporting needs in collaboration with the Finance team

Corporate Engagement and Special Events (15%)

Collaborate with internal teams to facilitate corporate volunteer opportunities, ensuring strong alignment with programmatic goals
Plan and execute special events for institutional donors, including corporate partner engagement and volunteer activities
Ensure corporate engagements and events are designed to expand awareness of Good Reason Houston’s mission and deepen donor investment

Qualifications & Key Attributes

Bachelor’s degree required
4+ years of experience in fundraising, with an emphasis on institutional giving and event planning
Exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines
Strong research, analytical, and problem-solving skills
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with experience drafting grant proposals, donor communications, and reports
Proficiency in MS Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Word required; experience with donor databases such as eTapestry, Blackbaud, or Salesforce highly preferred
Demonstrated ability to be flexible and adaptable in a fast-paced environment, responding to shifting priorities and team needs
Mission-driven with a passion for Good Reason Houston’s work and a deep understanding of how advancement contributes to organizational success

Our Team

Along with our core beliefs, the traits listed below were generated by the team to capture what it looks like in action when operating at our best.

We embrace and drive change.

We are flexible and fierce.

We operate with a bold bias toward action.

We fess up when we mess up.

We dare greatly and engage humbly.

We grow as we go.

We turn up the love when we turn up the heat.

We root for each other.

Good Reason Houston staff are expected to support this organizational culture by promoting and adhering to these team traits to maintain an open and cohesive work environment & relationships.

Working at Good Reason Houston

Good Reason Houston offers a competitive salary commensurate with experience in a similar position. The starting salary range for this position is $75,000. New hires are offered a salary depending on qualifications, internal equity, and the budgeted amount for the role. Good Reason Houston also has a 401(k) (automatic 3% employer contribution), life, medical, dental and vision insurance packages. Each employee accrues 35 paid time off days per calendar year in addition to the 19 paid holidays per year. Good Reason Houston is an office-based organization, but allows for virtual work on Mondays and Fridays.

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Good Reason Houston jobs

Manager, Advancement