Job summary
The Director of Institutional Advancement is the School's chief fundraising strategist, a leader in donor cultivation, and one of the main solicitors of major gifts.Working closely with the Head of School, Board of Trustees, parents/guardians, current and past employees, alumni, and other constituent groups, the Director of Institutional Advancement engages in fundraising that supports the annual and long-term operating, capital, and endowment needs of the School and in alignment with the current five-year strategic plan.The Director of Institutional Advancement plans and executes the strategies for fundraising around the school's initiatives and philanthropic priorities overseeing a team of Advancement professionals dedicated to these endeavors.
Responsibilities
• Work closely with the Head of School to develop a vision and strategic direction for the School's advancement efforts and oversees all aspects of the Advancement Office, including leading, supervising, and mentoring Advancement staff, and the execution of fundraising programs to achieve the school's annual and long-term fundraising goals.• Serves as a major gifts officer and provides strategies, data, and donor information to the Head of School to support solicitations made directly by the Head of School.• Works closely with the Chief Financial Officer to ensure accurate financial record keeping related to all aspects of Advancement.• Leads the identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of donor prospects at all giving levels; expanding the school's fundraising capacity through prospect research and industry research.• Stewards major donors and manages the portfolio of leadership gift prospects.• Grows the School's Annual Fund efforts, buoying both participation rates and dollars raised annually by all constituencies.• Oversee a planned giving program.• Oversee capital campaigns.• Oversee campaigns for the endowment.• Supports the Board of Trustees by working with the Board Advancement Committee to establish strategic fundraising goals, policies, and plans and the Board Committee on Trustees' for identifying, prospective Trustees.• Supports the efforts of the Parents Association, collaborates with PA leadership, and supports PA events and communications while building and managing a pool of volunteers from the school community to aid fundraising efforts and maintaining relationships with faculty and staff, alumni, parents/guardians, students, trustees, and friends of the School.• Responsible for the planning, building, management and execution of the annual Parent Association Auction.• Works with the Director of Marketing and Communications to create strategic, effective outreach and messaging to the broader SSFS community (current families, alumni, parents of alumni, former Trustees, etc.) including newsletters, social media, print and digital materials, event promotions, advancement webpages, and communications related to solicitations and stewardship.• Assists in building relationships with potential corporate sponsors for events such as Auction and securing grant-based funding appropriate to the school's mission and goals.• Engage with alumni to strengthen their connections with the school and to cultivate their giving.• Other duties as assigned by the Head of School.
Requirements
• Bachelor's degree required; Advanced degree with focus on fundraising or school administration preferred, 3-5 years of experience in advancement and fundraising preferred.• Professional experience and proven success in fundraising, public relations, and alumni relations, preferably in a mission driven independent school environment.• Demonstrated success in major fundraising and major gifts solicitation as well as capital campaign development and management.• Proven skill at annual fundraising, donor cultivation and demonstrated strategic and long-range planning skills with excellent fiscal management skills.• A visionary leader who is able to embrace Quaker values and Quaker decision-making processes.• Proven skills in the areas of diversity, equity, and inclusion, with experience leading and working successfully in a diverse environment.• A collaborative leader and worker with strong internal motivation, follow-through, and strong interpersonal, verbal, written and executive functioning skills.• A seasoned individual who understands the independent school landscape and the fundraising climate within the Washington Metro area.• A strong appreciation for the connections between advancement, marketing and communications, admissions, and school finance.• Strong verbal and written communication skills.• Strong interpersonal skills.• Strength in research, data collection, and analysis.• An advanced understanding of, and ability to use, technology, including Microsoft Office, and on-line technologies (including Google, Veracross).• Creativity and innovation.
Key Skills Needed
• Fundraising• Public relations• Alumni relations• Strategic planning• Financial management• Leadership• Collaboration• Verbal and written communication• Interpersonal skills• Research and data analysis• Technology proficiency• Creativity and innovation
