We are thrilled to be partnering with the Lake Washington Schools Foundation in their search for an Executive Director! The Lake Washington Schools Foundation's objective is to help all 30,000 students achieve their potential - in and out of the classroom - by bridging gaps between critical needs of students and the services the school district is able to provide. The Executive Director (ED) will have overall strategic and organizational responsibilities for the Lake Washington School Foundation's staff, programs, fundraising, expansion, and execution of its strategic plan and vision. The ED will be responsible for ensuring growth of the Foundation from an already successful small organization to an essential component of our community's philanthropic landscape, with targets for quadrupling in size over the next five years and reaching a $5 million annual fundraising goal by 2029. CORE COMPETENCIES: Leadership * Develop and deliver on a vision that is conceptualized with the Board of Trustees. * Manage the development and implementation of the Foundation's strategic plans including strategic analysis, goals and methods for achieving them, objectives, responsibilities, and priorities. * Develop and maintain a strong relationship with the Board of Trustees, Donors, and District personnel; seek and build board involvement to ensure achievement of fundraising goals and operational excellence. * Manage and direct a current staff of four and grow the team as needed to meet objectives. Recruit, develop, and retain a high performing motivated team of experts. Fundraising * Achieve overall fundraising goals through successful execution of planned fundraising campaigns and events, cultivation of donors, pursuit of appropriate grant opportunities and engagement of all stakeholder groups. * Implement effective systems to monitor fundraising campaigns and programs to measure success and effectively communicate to the board, funders, and other constituents. Organizational Management * Ensure the successful management of organization's short- and long-term strategic and financial goals by developing reasonable timelines and allocating the resources needed to achieve them. * Prepare and administer annual operating and capital budgets, monitor revenues and expenditures to ensure sound fiscal control. Communication * Actively engage and energize Foundation donors, volunteers, trustees, community partners, collaborating organizations, and District personnel. * Successfully achieve strong brand awareness for the Foundation through relevant media, including electronic and print. REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES Knowledge: * Proven record of accomplishment of fundraising for a non-profit organization or business development for a business enterprise, with annual outcomes exceeding $2 million. * Principles and practices of financial planning, budgeting, expenditure control, reporting, and long- and short-term fundraising. The ideal candidate will have knowledge of non-profit accounting techniques and standards. * Principles of supervision and personnel management to include coaching and managing staff, developing high-performance teams of volunteers and staff, setting and achieving objectives, and managing a budget of relevant scale. * Leadership traits such as setting priorities, rapid decision-making, delegating, consensus building, facilitating and conducting large and small meetings. * Laws, regulations and processes governing non-profit organizations; interpretation and implementation of required laws, regulations, and processes. * Principles and practices of planning, analyzing current trends in public education. Skills: * Persuasive and passionate written and verbal communicator with solid and demonstrable business writing skills. * Exemplary interpersonal skills, including tact, diplomacy, integrity and professionalism * Strong marketing a public relations experience with the ability to engage a wide range of stakeholders. * Donor cultivation and stewardship, including use of CRM to achieve fundraising objectives. * Excellent organization, follow-through, and customer service skills. * Public speaking experience is desirable. Abilities: * Be a trusted leader on diversity and inclusion-related issues, programs, and trends. Set clear expectations and work across the organization to attract, engage, and collaborate the increasingly diverse set of stakeholders that the Foundation needs to achieve its mission. * Maintain fairness, consistency and confidentiality. * Meet deadlines and balance multiple or changing priorities while producing accurate deliverables. * Multitask, prioritize, track projects, and follow through with assigned tasks Requirements: * Passion, idealism, integrity, positive attitude, mission-driven, and self-directed * Familiarity with the Lake Washington School District and/or possessing a desire to immerse themselves in our community * Experience in Fundraising * Experience in a supervisory capacity * Understand, read, and speak English * Willingness and ability to occasionally work evenings and weekends in support of Foundation fundraising and special events * Valid Washington State Driver's License in good standing * Approved Lake Washington School District Volunteer Application * Able to work outside of normal workday If you are interested in taking the next step in your career and learning more about the Lake Washington Schools Foundation's Executive Director position, please email lwsfedsearch@gmail.com or submit your application through our online portal.