I. Who We Are

Student Freedom Initiative, Inc. (SFI) is a nonprofit corporation formed under the laws of the State of Delaware and operated exclusively for charitable, educational, and scientific purposes. Our vision is to reduce the wealth gap through the lens of education. We focus on the young men and women attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities ("HBCUs") - and ultimately other Minority Serving Institutions ("MSIs"). We are student centric and evidence-based; we deliver a holistic solution to address the systemic problems resulting from the trapping of poverty that contribute to wealth gap. Our program is composed of four pillars: (1) Alternative to traditional Parent PLUS loans, (2) Internships & Certification, (3) Comprehensive Supports, and (4) Targeted MSI Capacity Building. The outcomes sought from these pillars are to reduce student debt burden, increase student job readiness, increase student persistence, and increase resilience and competitiveness of MSIs. These pillars are enabled by the generous contributions of our corporate and philanthropic supporters.

II. The Role

We are looking for a Senior Manager, Fundraising and Development to join our team. In this role, you will have overall responsibility for pursuit of funding from a variety of sources (e.g., family offices, foundations, corporations, high net worth individuals), organizing fundraising initiatives, and preparing grant proposals. To do well in this role you must be a self-starter, detail-oriented, analytical, and possess strong written and oral communication skills. Detailed and timely communication is critical to the success of this role as well as the consistent execution of the responsibilities listed below.

III. What You Will Do

Serving as Senior Manager, Fundraising and Development, you will:

• Develop fundraising strategy.
• Develop and maintain plans and objectives to achieve fundraising strategy.
• Identify grant opportunities.
• Develop and identify potential donors.
• Prepare grant applications and fundraising proposals under the Executive Director's
• Present proposals (jointly) with the Executive Director.
• Assist the Executive Director, board of directors, volunteer fundraisers, and other stakeholders with public fundraising initiatives.
• Collaborate with the Executive Director to prepare inputs to annual budgets and projections.

IV. What You Will Bring

• A minimum of 10 years of fundraising experience; nonprofit sector experience highly preferred.
• Understanding of potential donors who have contributed to higher education, with an emphasis on minority serving institutions.
• Understanding of historical inequities in society and comfort with discussion of solutions.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite or related software.
• Excellent analytical abilities that can be applied in aligning the organizations objectives with available funding opportunities.
• Keen sense of urgency, adaptability, flexibility and resourcefulness.
• Ability to treat sensitive/confidential information appropriately.
• Ability to function professionally under pressure, and show poise in all situations, while managing concurrent projects and deadlines.
• Ability to excel in a fast-paced work environment.
• Willingness to travel up to 20% required (actual travel may be lower due to Covid conditions).

V. What Core Competencies You Should Possess

• Collaboration
• Detail-Oriented
• Flexibility/Agility
• Interpersonal Skills
• Personal Effectiveness
• Project Management
• Results Driven
• Ability to Deal with Ambiguity
• Ability To Exercise Discretion
• Ability Protect Extremely Sensitive Information & Relationships

It is impossible to list every requirement for, or responsibility of, any position. Similarly, we cannot identify all the skills a position may require since job responsibilities and the Company's needs may change over time. Therefore, the above job description is not comprehensive or exhaustive. The Company reserves the right to adjust, add to or eliminate any aspect of the above description. The Company also retains the right to require all employees to undertake additional or different job responsibilities when necessary to meet business needs.

Attachment 1 - Company Executive Summary

I. Overview

Student Freedom Initiative, Inc. ("SFI") is a nonprofit corporation formed under the laws of the State of Delaware and operated exclusively for charitable, educational, and scientific purposes for students initially attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities ("HBCUs") - and ultimately other Minority-Serving Institutions ("MSIs") in the future. SFI evolved from the transformational gift of Robert F. Smith, Founder and Chairman of Vista Equity Partners and Philanthropist. When he paid off the loans of the entire graduating class of Morehouse College (Atlanta, GA), he recognized he needed a scalable solution to address the systemic challenges facing not only this HBCU and its students but more broadly, students attending any MSI. Therefore, he established SFI with a bold vision - Reduce the wealth gap through the lens of education. Its mission builds on and expands the work of recognized section 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organizations, including the Education Finance Institute (EFI), Jain Family Institute (JFI), Better Future Forward (BFF), United Negro College Fund (UNCF), and Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF). The challenges facing MSI(s) and their students requires everyone working together to provide solutions that may be as unique as these individual institutions and student populations.

II. Mission Statement

The SFI mission is to provide freedom in professional and life choices for students attending Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) by increasing their social and economic mobility using a student-centric, evidence based, holistic, and collaborative approach.

III. Organization Core Values

Reliability: We do what we say we're going to do. This is how we forge strong relationships and deliver greater results.

Excellence: We approach our work with a critical and analytical mind, constantly questioning the status quo and seeking innovative solutions.

Determination: We embrace the unknown and tackle challenges head-on, driven by our passion and determination to create a better future.

Integrity: We value honesty and openness - cards face up.

Collaboration: We are dedicated to fostering a collaborative, supportive and inclusive work environment where everyone is valued and respected. We evolve together.

IV. Program Pillars

SFI's approach includes the following pillars, each of which is tailorable to meet the needs of the participating MSI(s) and business imperatives of potential corporate and philanthropic donor(s):

• Private Sector Alternative to Parent PLUS loans. A flexible approach to replace traditional Parent PLUS loans, but with more favorable economic and non-economic terms.
• Internships & Certifications. Paid internships within Science Technology Engineering, and Math (STEM) related companies and access to industry driven certifications.
• Comprehensive Supports. Provide eligible students services and access to technology to reduce the digital divide, enhance their ability to perform in their intended major, and better prepare them for their life after college.
• Targeted MSI Capacity Building. Provide eligible MSIs services and technology to reduce the digital divide, transform and evolve technology, increase flexibility of endowments, identify potential revenue generation opportunities, and enhance Research & Development (R&D) capability.
  
  
  

V. Implementation Tenets

SFI's identification of MSI(s) and student needs, solutions, and how these solutions can be tailored to be culturally sensitive, and impactful will be guided by the following tenets in pursuit of its mission through the Program Pillars:

• Student-Centered - SFI remains acutely focused on the interest of students/families and recognizes that their success benefits communities, employers and MSIs.
• Holistic - SFI elevates the totality of the MSI ecosystem; recognizes the implication to people, process, technology, and governance; and provides a suite of solutions that enable MSI and student success.
• Evidence-Based - SFI refines and adjusts its program to optimize student outcomes based on continuous analysis of data throughout the program's lifecycle, and generates high quality research to support broad(er) adoption of this transformative program.
• Collaborative - SFI develops mission-aligned, strategic partnerships; leverages core competencies of subject matter experts; and capitalizes on synergies with related goals.

VI. Outcomes

Through its organization core values, program pillars, and implementation tenets, SFI intends to achieve the following outcomes which will be measured over time through a longitudinal study:

• Reduce student loan debt burden.
• Increase student job readiness.
• Increase student persistence.
• Increase resilience and competitiveness of MSI(s).