Director, External Affairs

Job Title: Director, External Affairs

Team: External Affairs

Location: In-Person in Chicago (IL)

Employment Type: Full-time

FLSA Classification: Exempt 

Start Date: ASAP

About Braven

Braven is a national nonprofit that prepares promising college students to secure a strong first opportunity after college graduation through a career-accelerating program.

We work with higher education and employer partners to offer a life-changing experience that begins with a semester-long course for college students, followed by support that lasts through graduation.  

Together, our ambition is to help rebuild the middle class and revitalize the American Dream.

To learn more, take a look at Braven’s Impact report.

About the Role

In order to achieve its ambition of serving 80,000-100,000 Fellows over the next decade, Braven is hiring a Director, External Affairs to play a pivotal role in growing our Chicago corporate and philanthropic fundraising through partnering closely with Braven’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Chief External Affairs Officer, and the Chicago program team. This role will be responsible for cultivating new prospective partners and stewarding existing philanthropic and employer partnerships, supporting volunteer recruitment, engaging with and helping to build the Chicago Board, engaging the local Investor Committee, and advancing Braven’s brand. 

This role is on the External Affairs team and reports directly to the Chief External Affairs Officer.

What You’ll Do

Development (35%)

• Partner with the CEO, Chief External Affairs Officer, and Braven’s development team to establish the Chicago region’s fundraising strategy and complete the annual revenue game plan.
• Track the Chicago region’s revenue progress to goal and overall weighted pipeline; project manage the implementation of the Chicago region’s quarterly action plans and adjust as needed based on lessons learned.
• Steward donor relationships with excellence; leading prep/follow-up, joining most regional meetings, and owning a portfolio of relationships.
• Partner with the Chief External Affairs Officer and Braven’s development team to identify, vet, and cultivate new prospects; conduct research on priority prospects and create individualized cultivation plans.
• Strategize with the Chief External Affairs Officer on how to engage donors through the Moves Management stages and project manage the execution of next steps, from making an ask to securing a commitment and stewarding relationships effectively to win a renewal.
• Review grant application and report drafts, and support the central development team in submitting high-quality narratives/data on time.

Employer Partnerships (EP) & Volunteer Recruitment (15%)

• Partner with the national employer partnerships team to create the Chicago region’s Employer Partnership (EP) strategy for revenue, volunteer, and program opportunities – identifying EP prospects, building a pipeline, researching, and creating engagement plans.
• Serve as a conduit of information about the Chicago region’s program needs, deeply understanding nuances and priorities, and advocating for shared-value solutions for Fellows and EPs.
• Manage a portfolio of ~10-20 Chicago region local EPs, recruiting volunteers, preparing meetings, sourcing opportunities, and co-hosting events.
• Collaborate with the central EP team on local contacts for EPs in the national portfolio and take the lead with the central EP director in meetings.
• Support in-person events at EPs for Fellows.
• Support volunteer recruitment through in-person info sessions, tabling, and personal outreach with national and local partners.

Board Management (15%)

• Partner with the CEO and Chief External Affairs Officer in stewarding current board members, including identifying and vetting board prospects, partnering with the central team on briefs, and developing cultivation and engagement plans.
• Prepare and join the CEO and Chief External Affairs Officer’s 1:1 meetings/engagements with current board members, customize meeting collateral, lead meeting prep, and follow-up.
• Project manage all board meetings and lead content planning. Collaborate and coordinate across teams on the draft of the management memo, run of show, deck, pre- and post-follow-up emails, and note-taking during meetings.

Operations (15%)

• Create action plans for the quarter, month, and week to achieve goals across workstreams, adapting a