Overview
As a national leader in deeper learning in public education, Harlem Village Academies (HVA) stands apart as the only charter school network in New York offering a Montessori program for its youngest learners and culminating in the esteemed International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme for its high school students. Across its PK–12 schools, college preparatory pathway, and the Deeper Learning Institute (HVA's groundbreaking graduate school), HVA is defined by a commitment to equity, excellence, and the development of independent thinkers and ethical leaders.
Founded in 2003 by CEO Dr. Deborah Kenny, HVA is poised for an extraordinary next chapter. In addition to its thriving schools, the organization is launching a national initiative that will amplify over twenty years of pioneering work in deeper learning by sharing its practices and model with schools and communities across the country. This expansion reflects HVA's ambitious vision: to ensure that all young people, particularly those historically underserved, have access to an education that nurtures intellectual curiosity, intrinsic motivation, and genuine agency.
Serving a student body that is 98% Black and Latino, HVA consistently outperforms the district, city, and state by wide margins. Every student, 83% of whom are the first in their families to do so, earns admission to college. These results stem from a distinctive educational model and from a community known for its warmth, humility, and entrepreneurial spirit. Supported by a world class board and seasoned leadership team, HVA enjoys strong financial stability and the organizational clarity needed to sustain its mission long-term.
Harlem Village Academies seeks an experienced, mission-aligned fundraiser to serve as its Vice President of Advancement. The Vice President will design and lead a comprehensive individual giving strategy that strengthens and expands the organization's philanthropic foundation. Reporting directly to the President/Chief Operating Officer and working closely with its Founder and Chief Executive Officer, the Vice President will serve as the principal strategist and ambassador of HVA's development efforts, partnering closely with senior leadership, board members, and long standing donors while cultivating the next generation of supporters who will carry HVA's mission into the future.
This is a compelling opportunity for an experienced advancement leader with both gravitas and humility, someone who can represent HVA with confidence, build authentic relationships, mentor and develop team members, and steward a mission and model that are genuinely transformative. The ideal
candidate listens deeply, understands and honors HVA's unique model, and brings a strategic, steady, and outcomes driven approach to advancing the work.
Mission
Harlem Village Academies is a PreK-12 charter school network in Harlem. HVA is the only charter network in New York that offers both Montessori as well as the International Baccalaureate to all students. We are passionate about creating a rich intellectual life for students as well as teachers.
At a Glance (6-8 stats)
Established: 2003
Number of Schools in Network: 5
Total students and alumni: 2,000+
Students of color: 98%
Total faculty: 200
Opportunities and Challenges
The next Vice President of Advancement will join Harlem Village Academies at a moment of both strength and possibility. HVA's fundraising record is extraordinary, driven by the deep, enduring commitment of a loyal community of leadership donors who have supported HVA from the beginning. For two decades, these relationships have helped secure the stability, growth, and innovation that define HVA today. The Vice President will inherit this remarkable foundation and will be expected to steward it with thoughtfulness.
At the same time, the organization recognizes the importance of planning carefully for the future. With many long-standing supporters still deeply engaged, this is a natural moment to begin expanding the pipeline, widening the circle of individuals who understand and champion HVA's mission, cultivating emerging donors, and ensuring that the organization's philanthropic strength remains vibrant for decades to come. The Vice President will help guide this gradual, intentional evolution, partnering closely with senior leadership to introduce new supporters, deepen engagement, and reinforce the long-term sustainability of HVA's fundraising program.
Navigating this work requires both strategic vision and emotional intelligence. The Vice President must bring the sophistication to design a forward-looking individual giving strategy, along with the relational finesse to build meaningful partnerships across the organization. This is an opportunity to create a collaborative approach in which the Vice President shapes strategy, leads execution, and works alongside HVA's leadership to inspire and engage supporters.
Additional opportunities and challenges include:
- Deepening and diversifying the donor base while sustaining the exceptional stewardship that long-standing supporters have come to expect.
- Building a comprehensive and future-focused individual giving strategy that aligns with HVA's growth, including its new national initiative.
- Enhancing internal development systems and operations, including data management, prospect research, and donor stewardship practices.
- Mentoring, building and supporting a capable, eager team, ensuring clarity, development, and shared ownership of advancement goals.
- Representing HVA with confidence, warmth, and humility, ensuring that donor interactions reflect the mission, values, and distinctive culture of the organization.
- Listening deeply throughout the first year, gaining an understanding of HVA's culture and approach, and building authentic trust before initiating major shifts.
Responsibilities:
The Vice President of Advancement will provide strategic leadership and hands-on execution across all individual giving efforts, serving as a trusted partner to the Founder and CEO, senior team, board of directors, and long-standing donor community. Key responsibilities include:
Strategic Leadership and Vision
- Design, implement, and refine a comprehensive individual giving strategy that strengthens current support while thoughtfully building the next generation of donors.
- Align fundraising priorities with HVA's strategic plan, programmatic needs, and new national initiatives.
- Serve as a strategic thought partner to senior leadership, contributing to broader organizational planning and decision-making.
Donor Cultivation, Solicitation, and Stewardship
- Cultivate, solicit, and steward a portfolio of high-capacity individual donors and prospects, focusing on leadership gifts ranging from $25,000 to $1M+.
- Build authentic, trust-based relationships with new and existing donors by connecting them deeply with HVA's educational model, student outcomes, and vision for deeper learning.
- Prepare for and execute high-level donor meetings and engagements, serving as a polished representative of the organization.
- Ensure exceptional stewardship practices that reflect HVA's culture of warmth, gratitude, and organizational integrity.
- Collaborate with board members to strengthen engagement, support their fundraising efforts, and broaden HVA's reach through new networks.
Team Leadership and Internal Collaboration
- Lead, mentor, and support the advancement team, providing direction and professional development to the Associate Director of Development and other staff.
- Promote a collaborative, high-performing culture within the advancement function.
- Work closely with the CFO, instructional leaders, and program staff to understand organizational needs and articulate compelling cases for support.
Development Operations and Systems
- Strengthen internal systems and processes to support sustainable growth, including CRM management (Raiser's Edge/NXT), prospect research, and data-driven decision-making.
- Oversee grants administration in partnership with internal teams, ensuring strategic alignment between individual and institutional giving.
- Ensure that all donor materials and communications reflect HVA's mission, values, and voice.
Events and Donor Engagement Opportunities
- Lead the design and execution of cultivation and stewardship events, including small gatherings, book launch events, literacy volunteer engagements, and school-based experiences.
- Work effectively with event consultants and internal colleagues to create meaningful donor experiences, including annual spring benefit.
Qualifications and Personal Attributes
- Warm, engaging, strategic advancement leader with 8–10 years of relevant nonprofit fundraising experience
- Demonstrated success cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding major gifts from high‑capacity donors
- Strategic and creative thinker with strong command of fundraising and advancement best practices
- Deep passion for education equity and a genuine belief in HVA’s mission and model
- Proven experience working with high net worth individuals and board members
- Entrepreneurial, driven, and motivated by excellence; thrives in a collaborative and hands‑on environment
- Exceptionally organized, with strong follow‑through, attention to detail, and professionalism
- Skilled communicator with excellent verbal and written communication abilities
- Experienced mentor and team leader who can support, guide, and motivate staff
- Highly service‑oriented with strong relationship‑building instincts
- Discreet, respectful of confidentiality, and able to exercise sound judgment
- Positive, energetic presence that can inspire and energize supporters
- Comfortable within an intimate, highly collaborative school community
- Willing and able to work on-site regularly at HVA’s Harlem offices
