Overview

The School and State Finance Project (schoolstatefinance.org)is a nonpartisan, nonprofit policy organization that works collaboratively with policymakers, communities, and other key stakeholders to develop data-driven solutions that ensure all public school students receive equitable education funding that supports their learning needs.

Our Mission: To eliminate racial and economic disparities in Connecticut education funding.

Our Vision: All Connecticut students have equitable funding, access, and opportunities — no matter their race, socio-economic status, learning needs, or zip code.

Since our founding in 2015, we have secured an additional $770 million in need-based funding for Connecticut students, directly engaged nearly 15,000 community members, and led the effort to implement a comprehensive, student-centered funding formula.

We are an independent and trustworthy source of high-quality research and accessible analysis, and serve as a bridge between those who demand equity for all students and the elected leaders who are charged with making policy.

Although not a member-based organization, the School and State Finance Project actively works with a diverse group of stakeholders and communities across Connecticut. The School and State Finance Project aims to serve as a trusted resource for state and local policymakers, school district officials, community leaders, and all people looking for transparent, accessible, and approachable information about education funding and state finance.

The School and State Finance Project is a fiscally sponsored project of TSNE (tsne.org).

Responsibilities

As part of the School and State Finance Project’s Engagement and Development team, the Senior Engagement & Development Associate will help develop and execute the organization’s engagement and development strategies, create and maintain the organization’s development and fundraising infrastructure, aid in the creation and execution of programming, identify development alignments when possible, and work across the organization to ensure strong connectivity through communities. The Senior Engagement and Development Associate will also be a key voice in the creation of collateral materials to meet the needs of stakeholders, and will participate in collaborations with stakeholders in order to develop high-quality, funder-aligned programming.

The ideal Senior Engagement & Development Associate will be a highly-skilled communicator and strategist, in both communicating out to target audiences through verbal and written forms and in listening to the needs of community members to identify key integrations of programming and development. The candidate will be a critical thinker and able to work well individually and as part of a team. This is a great opportunity for an individual who is passionate about equity, education, and fair public policies, and wants to use their interpersonal skills and passion for advocacy to engage audiences and advance the organization’s mission and fundraising capabilities.

The candidate will demonstrate a knack for communicating complex information and engaging people around challenging — and at times politically sensitive — topics. The candidate must be passionate about improving how public schools in Connecticut are funded.

Specific responsibilities include:

• Support the Engagement and Development team in developing and executing the organization’s engagement and development
• Recommend and develop new ways to strengthen the organization’s development and fundraising infrastructure, leading change to optimize the internal logistics of grant applications and reports.
• Manage the organization’s grant application and reporting timeline, to ensure all participants meet deadlines, and aid in writing applications and reports.
• Identify grant opportunities that align with organizational initiatives, and cultivate relationships with funding organizations.
• Collaborate with the Chief of Engagement and Development in identifying new ways to stretch both breadth and depth of fundraising.
• Recommend and develop new approaches to leveraging the organization’s CRM, Hubspot, to strengthen both engagement and development efforts.
• Assist in executing the organization’s engagement and youth-led initiatives.
• Collaborate with the Chief of Engagement and Development and the Engagement Manager in developing and executing plans to grow the organization’s knowledge-building efforts regarding school finance policy and organizational initiatives.
• Assist in research and strategy regarding communities in order to inform the strategic plan of the Engagement and Development team, at both the state and local level.
• Meet with stakeholders to further engagement and development opportunities and initiatives, including in one-on-one, small group, and workshop or presentation settings.
• Assist in the crafting of approachable and accessible messaging and talking points for advancing the organization’s engagement and development efforts, collaborating with the Senior Engagement and Communications Associate and the Communications and Digital Advocacy Manager.
• Other duties and special projects, as assigned.

Special Requirements

• Valid driver’s license and access to car;
• Ability and willingness to travel throughout Connecticut;
• Occasional evening and weekend work may be required.

Qualifications

We will consider exceptional candidates who demonstrate a strong combination of the specific qualifications and skills described in this section.

Don't meet all the qualifications? That’s ok! Studies have shown individuals — in particular those who are women, people of color, LGBTQIA+, or have a disability — are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single condition. Our organization is dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive culture of belonging, so if you're excited about this role but your experiences don't match every qualification exactly, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or another role in our organization!

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• 3-5 years of experience working as a community engagement professional with Connecticut experience preferred.
• 2+ years of experience within the development field (i.e. fundraising, grant writing, annual fund creation, sponsorship procurement) preferred.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to break down complex issues into more approachable and easy-to-understand content.
• Superb organizational skills with demonstrated ability to “multi-task” and produce high-quality work in a timely manner.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to communicate across diverse audiences with varying knowledge levels.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, specifically Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Proficiency in Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides, as well as Gmail
• Ability to work with others to create and implement plans.
• Commitment to learn more about policy areas the organization is working on, and become well-versed on the various subject issues.
• Familiarity with education policy issues preferred.
• Familiarity with Connecticut policy-making process preferred.

Physical Demands/Work Environment

The physical demands described for this position are that of a typical office environment. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions. Ability to sit and/or stand for extended periods of time 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. The job is not subject to significant occupational or environmental hazards and the likelihood of personal injury would be relatively slight. Additionally, environmental and work hazards are not present to a measurable degree.

Position Location: Hybrid: remote or organization office at 316 North Main Street, Suite 3, Southington, CT 06489

Position Schedule: Regular Full-time, 37.5 hours per week

Compensation: The salary for this position will be $80,000 - $85,000.

Benefits: This position is eligible for a full benefits package.

• Generous Paid-Time-Off (PTO): 16 paid holidays, 3 weeks of paid vacation, 5 paid personal days, paid sick time, paid health leave, and paid volunteering time off;
• 80% employer-paid, offering some $0 deductible health insurance through Harvard Pilgrim along with several low-deductible plans;
• Low-cost Dental and Vision insurance;
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) for health and dependent care;
• Employer-paid Life, Long- and Short-Term Disability Insurance;
• Employer contribution to pension plan through TIAA;
• ...and more!

Organization Commitment to Equity

The School and State Finance Project was founded with the mission to mitigate inequity in education funding and provide opportunities to Connecticut’s public school students no matter their race, ethnicity, community, or background.

We recognize that within this work, systemic racism plays a powerful and harmful role in the creation of inequitably funded school systems and the outcomes of students. We also recognize this same systemic discrimination is deeply intertwined in our state’s economic policies.

We are committed to explicitly addressing how systemic racism and racial injustice intersect with our work. We will consciously use the independence and self-acknowledged privilege of our organization to call for equity and fairness in all facets related to our mission, and will actively listen to — and collaborate with — the historically underserved and disenfranchised communities we are working to strengthen.

We continually work to ensure this commitment is reflected in the diversity of our staff, the data we analyze, the policies we develop, and the conversations we have with policymakers, stakeholders, and community members across Connecticut.

We know as an organization, and as individuals, we will always have learning to do, room to grow, and ways we can be better allies. We hope you join us in this commitment to build a more equitable state for Connecticut’s students, families, and communities.

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