Director of Major Gifts

Job Description

Job Description

At Rocketship Public Schools, we believe in the infinite possibility of human potential.  We believe that every student deserves the right to dream, to discover, and to develop their unique potential and it is our responsibility and our privilege to unleash the potential inside every Rocketeer we serve. Our non-profit network of public elementary charter schools propels student achievement, develops exceptional educators, and partners with parents who enable high-quality public schools to thrive in their community. We are a collective of parents, teachers, leaders, and students working together to transform the future for underserved communities across our country. At Rocketship Public Schools, we are unleashing potential.

Position Description

As an organization in our 20th year, Rocketship Public Schools has a proven educational model, a compelling case for support, and a highly successful fundraising engine. Thanks to strong, established relationships with foundations and institutional partners, we currently raise roughly $10M annually. However, our biggest untapped opportunity is individual giving.

We are ready to unlock that potential. Joining a highly successful national development team, the Director of Major Gifts will report directly to the Vice President of Development while working closely with our Co-Founder & CEO, Regional Executive Directors, and network leaders to establish our major gifts program and scale it across our national network. Your primary focus will be finding, qualifying, and closing high-net-worth individuals across California and beyond who do not know us yet.

This is a role for a builder. While we have a tremendous foundation of institutional support, your mandate is individual growth. If your greatest fundraising successes have come from discovering new champions and forging new connections from the ground up—rather than managing established portfolios—this is the role for you.

This is a premier opportunity for an ambitious, data-informed, and values-driven frontline fundraiser to build a high-performing donor portfolio, leverage executive leadership effectively, and shape a culture of individual philanthropy across a nationally recognized charter network. You will design and execute sophisticated moves management strategies to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward high-net-worth individuals and community partners capable of making investments of $25,000+.

New donor acquisition and pipeline growth: the core of the role

• Identify, research, qualify, and engage new major gift prospects using wealth screening, philanthropic databases, referrals, local networks, and community engagement.

• Build a robust pipeline of prospective donors across California, with opportunities to expand nationally.

Frontline fundraising and portfolio management

• Manage an active portfolio of up to 100 major gift donors and high-capacity prospects ($25,000+). 

• Develop and execute individualized moves management strategies across qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.

• Lead the development of compelling, highly personalized proposals, solicitation materials, impact reports, and stewardship communications.

Executive partnership and strategy

• Partner with the CEO, Regional Executive Directors, and other senior leaders to execute strategies for high-value donors, including meeting prep, solicitation strategy, and follow-up.

• Develop annual regional major gifts plans and activity calendars aligned to revenue goals.

• Document and scale effective major gifts strategies to build capacity across the broader Rocketship network.

Events and community engagement

• Design and execute donor events of varying size, including an annual California-based event and the upcoming 20-year anniversary, to cultivate prospects and generate fundraising opportunities.

We focus on concrete outcomes rather than vague expectations. While we will partner with you to refine specific metrics during onboarding, the overall blueprint for success includes:

First 90 Days (Foundation & Discovery)

• Audit and rate the existing $25k+ donor pipeline

• Launch discovery outreach and build a qualification plan for new prospects 

• Align regional strategy with executive leadership and establish Salesforce tracking routines

First 12 Months (Execution & Revenue)

• Cultivate 50+ new qualified prospects

• Close $250k in new major gifts

• Build a pipeline to secure $500k for Year 2

• Kick off the strategy for the 20th-anniversary campaign

12–18 Months (Scale & Long-Term Impact)

• Create a pathway to securing $1M+ in total new major gift revenue

• Scale major gift processes from California across the national network

• Convert anniversary initiatives into major, long-term philanthropic investments

• A documented record of acquiring new major donors, not only growing inherited portfolios. Be ready to walk us through relationships you sourced yourself, from first contact to close.

• Proven track record of cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding major donors, including demonstrated success securing individual gifts of $25,000+ and growing relationships over time.

• 5–8 years of progressive experience in nonprofit fundraising (K–12 education or education-focused philanthropy preferred), including at least three years of directly soliciting and closing major gifts.

• Deep understanding of major gifts strategy and the full donor lifecycle: prospect identification, moves management, and qualification discipline that you designed rather than inherited.

• Strong data and CRM management skills (Salesforce preferred), using portfolio analytics to inform strategy and prioritize time.

• Exceptional relationship-management skills to build trust quickly with high-net-worth individuals, board members, and senior executives.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with a command of persuasive storytelling and proposal development.

• Commitment to Rocketship’s mission and advancing equitable educational opportunities for students and families.

This position requires residency in the San Francisco Bay Area, within practical commuting distance of Rocketship’s Bay Area schools. The anticipated work arrangement is approximately 60% remote and 40% in person, with in-person engagement varying based on school, donor, and organizational needs. Regular local travel and flexibility to accommodate these activities are required. In addition, this person can expect to travel nationally 3-5 times per year. 

We are open to shaping this role around the right candidate. We welcome conversations with exceptional candidates who bring the right fundraising expertise and passion for our mission—even if their ideal role structure looks different from a traditional full-time position.

Compensation:

Commensurate with qualifications and experience, plus excellent health and wellness benefits, 403b retirement plan, flexible spending account (FSA), and generous paid time off.

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions. While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly required to talk, hear, and communicate with both adults and children. The employee frequently is required to use hands or fingers, handle or feel objects, tools, or controls. The employee is frequently required to stand; walk; sit; and reach with hands and arms. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds and occasionally climb ladders. Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision, distance vision, and the ability to adjust focus. The noise level in the work environment is moderate to high.

Rocketship Public Schools provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, amnesty, or status as a covered veteran in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws. Rocketship Public Schools complies with applicable state and local laws governing non-discrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including, but not limited to, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

Rocketship Public Schools expressly prohibits any form of unlawful employee harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, or veteran status. Improper interference with the ability of Rocketship Public Schools’ employees to perform their expected job duties is absolutely not tolerated. Click here for our Sexual Harassment Policy.  For questions, concerns, or complaints, please contact Human Resources.