Manager, Research and Fundraising at Third Sector New England – Boston, Massachusetts

Third Sector New England
Manager, Research and Fundraising

US-MA-Boston

Job ID: 2025-2619
Type: Fiscal Sponsorship Organizations
# of Openings: 1
Category: Education
Open Circle

Overview

Open Circle (opencirclecenter.org) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting safe, supportive, and successful schools and communities. where students develop durable and essential life skills such as communication, empathy, and problem-solving. Through interactive discussions and structured practices, Open Circle empowers educators to teach students the skills to build positive relationships, navigate challenges, and contribute to caring and respectful learning environments.

Open Circle provides training and K-8 curricula focusing on two goals:

Teaching children critical life skills related to self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, interpersonal relationships, and positive decision-making and problem- solving
• Fostering safe, caring, and engaging classrooms and learning communities

Open Circle is a leading program offering evidence-based professional development and curricula for schools. Since its inception in 1987, Open Circle has reached nearly a million children trained over 60,000 educators. Open Circle is currently used in schools across communities in the United States.

Open Circle is a fiscally sponsored organization of TSNE (tsne.org).

Responsibilities

The Manager, Research and Fundraising position advances Open Circle’s data collection and research initiatives while identifying and securing funding opportunities both through grants and private funding sources. This role bridges program and training outcomes along with resource development, ensuring our programming for schools remains well-supported through grants, partnerships, and philanthropic investment. The Manager, Research and Fundraising provides strategic guidance and light-touch oversight to help Open Circle identify, explore, and develop new opportunities for programs, partnerships, and resources. This includes program data collection, analysis, and research, while also identifying and supporting fundraising efforts to sustain and expand Open Circle’s impact.

Essential Functions

Research & Program Development

Identify emerging trends, tools, and best practices relevant to Open Circle’s mission.Conduct, coordinate, and support program-aligned research projects aligned with organizational priorities using current tools.Collaborate with staff and partners to develop innovative programs and proposals.Support idea development and feasibility assessment for new initiatives.

Fundraising & Grants

Contribute to fundraising strategy and identify potential supporters.Identify and pursue funding opportunities from federal agencies, foundations, and individual donors.Lead grant writing with the Executive Director, proposal development, and submission processes.Research and recommend funding opportunities (grants, sponsorships, partnerships).Maintain a grants calendar, ensuring timely reporting and compliance with funder requirements.Cultivate relationships with philanthropic partners and research collaborators.Assist in light proposal drafting, concept notes, or donor communications.Prepare concise research briefs or fundraising updates for leadership review.

Strategic Collaboration

Serve as a liaison between staff, schools, and external stakeholders.Coordinate with Admin and Marketing managers and trainers to collect data and narratives regarding Open Circle's impact on school communities.Support cross-functional initiatives to expand the impact and visibility of the organization.Track and communicate funding trends relevant to the nonprofit and education sectors.Provide recommendations for pilot projects or experiments.

Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications
We will consider exceptional candidates who demonstrate a strong combination of the specific qualifications and skills described below.

• Background in research, innovation, fundraising, or program development.
• Bachelor's degree and 2+ years of experience
• Experience with nonprofits
• Experience with grants, sponsorships, or donor engagement (preferred).
• Strong analytical and creative thinking skills.
• Excellent written and communication skills.
• Ability to distill insights clearly and concisely.
• Comfortable working independently with minimal supervision.
• Passion for Open Circle’s mission and values.
• Understanding of education, educational policy, and social-emotional building programs
• Proven success in grant writing, fundraising, or development.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to translate complex ideas for diverse audiences.
• Highly organized, self-directed, proactive, and adept at managing multiple priorities.
• Collaborative, relationship-driven, and comfortable working across teams and independently.

Physical Demands/Work Environment

The physical demands described here are representative of those for this position. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions. Work is performed in an office environment and in close proximity to other workers.

While performing the duties of this position, the employee is required to:

• Ability to sit and/or for extended periods in front of a computer screen is an essential aspect of the position.
• There may be a need to lift and/or move materials or equipment.
• Able to work outdoors in inclement weather conditions;
• Likelihood of personal injury would be relatively slight;
• Environmental and work hazards are not present to a measurable degree.

Compensation and Benefits

Location: Work will be primarily performed remotely from personal home office located in the United States.

Schedule: Less than half, up to 4 hours per week. This role requires the ability to work occasional mornings, nights and weekends.

Compensation: The starting pay or this position is $35 - $35/hr.

Benefits: This position is not eligible for benefits.

TSNE/Open Circle strives to achieve excellence through a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work environment that embraces all of our individual and collective differences. Black, Indigenous, People of Color, Middle Eastern and North African, Bilingual and/or Bicultural candidates, and LGBTQ2SIA+ candidates are encouraged to apply. We value and honor the unique talents, learning styles, and lived experiences of each individual that enrich and strengthen our workplace culture, and we are proud to be an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer.

All employment conditions are based on an individual’s performance and job qualifications. TSNE/Open Circle prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, creed, color, religion, native language, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin, physical or mental disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, parental status, pregnancy, race-based hairstyles, or any other protected characteristic stated by federal and state law. Regardless of any class’ protection under the law or lack thereof, TSNE/Open Circle celebrates diversity and values the strengths that come with having a diverse team of employees. It is represented in our workplace culture, and it is who we are.

TSNE/Open Circle's EEO statement extends to volunteers, interns, contractors, vendors, and clients.