Director Of Advancement

The Opportunity

Young Scholars Charter School is a public charter middle school serving roughly 300 scholars in grades 5–8 from 31 zip codes across Philadelphia. For nearly thirty years the school has built a Village of Scholarship around one mission: a personalized education that challenges, engages, and prepares all students to passionately pursue their dreams and lead a life of active citizenship. The results are showing. Scholars perform 16–18 points above the MAP national average, math proficiency grew 10% in a single year, teacher retention is near 90%, and Young Scholars is a designated “Beat the Odds” school and recipient of Elevate 215’s 2026 Innovation and Impact Award.

The school’s programming has outgrown its space. In Fall 2028, Young Scholars will open a purpose-built campus one mile from its current home, with a full gymnasium, modern library, technology center, auditorium stage, counseling suites, playground, and green space — several of these are spaces the school has never had. The $20.5M project is anchored by a $5M philanthropic campaign. The Director of Advancement will lead it.

What You’ll Build On

This is not a standing start. Young Scholars brings nearly three decades of philanthropic support and several million dollars in cumulative giving to this campaign: long-standing, multi-cycle foundation partnerships; an engaged community of founding philanthropists, Board members, alumni families, and longtime individual donors; and a reliable annual fund. The CEO is an active solicitor, and the Board Chair is personally invested. The campaign itself has been designed, with a case for support, a three-part structure spanning legacy, community, and institutional giving, and campaign research support engaged. The Director arrives to lead a plan, not to write one.

The Role

The Director of Advancement is accountable for all fundraising results at Young Scholars, with the capital campaign as the defining priority for the next 24–36 months. The Director owns the campaign plan, pipeline, and calendar; directs campaign vendors and counsel; prepares the CEO, Board Chair, and volunteer leaders to solicit; personally manages a portfolio of prospects; and protects the annual fund throughout. The Director reports to the CEO and staffs the Board’s Campaign Advisory Committee.

This role is built to grow. The Director begins as the school’s development lead, and as the campaign performs and the revenue base expands, Young Scholars is committed to investing in additional development capacity around what the work proves it needs. The Director who succeeds here will finish the campaign having built the fundraising operation the school will rely on for the next decade and having positioned themselves to lead it.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the campaign’s goals, timeline, and results, from the lead-commitment phase that unlocks project financing through building dedication in Fall 2028.
• Maintain the prospect pipeline and gift table; ensure every open door leads to a timely, well-prepared ask.
• Partner with the CEO and volunteer leaders on top-prospect cultivation and solicitation; personally manage a portfolio of major and mid-level prospects.
• Execute the legacy and tribute-naming strategy with sensitivity and discretion, including honoree relationships, naming agreements, and stewardship.
• Oversee institutional giving: proposal calendars, submissions, reporting, and funder relationships.
• Launch and manage the community campaign, including volunteer recruitment and milestone events.
• Build and support the Campaign Advisory Committee with the Board Chair; direct campaign counsel and vendors against clear deliverables.
• Own campaign communications and donor recognition; protect and grow the annual fund; ensure clean gift processing, pledge tracking, and reporting for the CEO, Board, and finance committee.

What Success Looks Like

• Lead commitments secured on schedule, enabling project financing to close.
• The $5M goal achieved by building dedication, with a healthy gift table across legacy, institutional, and community giving.
• Annual fund performance sustained at or above $450K in each campaign year.
• A Board, CEO, and volunteer corps who feel prepared in every donor conversation, and every donor, at every level, thanked, recognized, and stewarded to a high standard.

Who We’re Looking For

We expect strong candidates to bring most of the following:

• 5+ years of progressive fundraising experience with demonstrated ownership of outcomes; capital or comprehensive campaign experience strongly preferred.
• A record of closing five- and six-figure gifts, personally or by preparing leaders and volunteers to solicit them.
• Institutional grants experience, and experience managing consultants or vendors against deliverables.
• Exceptional project management and outstanding written and verbal communication, with comfort across the full range of donors.
• Fluency with donor databases and gift reporting, and high standards for data integrity.
• A genuine commitment to educational equity and to the scholars, families and staff of Young Scholars.

Compensation and Details

The salary range is $130,000–$150,000, commensurate with experience, with competitive and comprehensive benefits including health, dental, life, retirement, and generous PTO. The position is based in Philadelphia and is hybrid, with in-person presence required for donor meetings, campaign events, Board meetings, and school community events. Occasional evening commitments are tied to campaign events and Board meetings.

To Apply

Please send a resume and a brief note about why this campaign interests you to klamilla@phillyscholars.org. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, with interviews beginning September 21, 2026.