ABOUT THE POSITION
Building on 14 years of 100% parent, faculty, and Board participation, the Director of the Annual Fund will be instrumental in growing our Annual Giving. This plan will include strategies and programming to engage our parent, community and alumni donor bases. The AF Director should be a relationship builder and have a commitment to details. Stewardship—through authentic and impactful outreach, programming, and reporting—is a priority. The Director will identify, cultivate, and steward meaningful relationships with both dedicated and prospective donors, seeking and securing gifts for the Annual Fund, as well as identifying potential campaign and planned giving prospects.
In conjunction with the gift management team, and, when appropriate, the marketing team, the Director will effectively and accurately track and acknowledge gifts, coordinate donor recognition through a comprehensive stewardship plan, and drive the delivery of annual reports and communications regarding the Annual Fund.
The Director should work with the Board, Head of School, and Director of Development to maximize capacity and participation.
This is a year-round, full-time position with benefits reporting to the Director of Development. There are no supervisory responsibilities. This position starts September 2, 2025 or earlier.
PRIMARY DUTIES + RESPONSIBILITIES
- Create and manage a comprehensive fundraising plan and appeal schedule:
- Set, manage and reach dollar and participation goals for the annual giving program
- Create and manage a calendar/schedule of multidimensional appeals that leverage a variety of media (e.g., electronic solicitation, direct mail appeals, face-to-face solicitations, events) to communicate with potential and current donors
- Assess program at the end of the year and lead annual planning
- Manage Annual Fund volunteers including recruitment, management, and training
- Use Raiser’s Edge to track visits, produce contact notes, and drive constituent follow-up
- Expand the alumni program
- Build relationships with constituents and personally solicit an assigned pool of prospects
- Coordinate the gift entry and acknowledgment process with the gift management team
- Draft and coordinate Annual Fund solicitation and acknowledgement letters
- Provide notes for the Head of School to personalize thank-you letters
- Analyze results, track progress from year to year and generate reports and statistics
- Contribute content to school publications and social media as appropriate collaborating with the Marketing and Communications team.
- Support the annual auction which is a critical component of our annual giving program
- Attend on-campus and off-campus events, as appropriate
- Assist with prospect research
- Other responsibilities as assigned by the Head of School
QUALITIES
We seek a resourceful candidate with experience in annual giving, alumni relations, sales, marketing, or a related field. The candidate should also have a good mind for details, a sense of humor, and an engaging presence. Strong, clear writing skills and Spanish proficiency are plusses.
Interested candidates should send a cover letter, resume, and two letters of reference by August 1, 2025 to Trent Smither, Director of Development at tsmither@communityschool.org.