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Director of Development of Individual Giving
National Cathedral School in Washington, DC, has engaged DovetailED to lead a search for a Director of Development for Individual Giving beginning in October 2024. Interested candidates should review the opportunity statement and submit a cover letter, resume, and list of references as a consolidated PDF to Zack Lehman, President of DovetailED Talent Sourcing, at zack@dovetailedsourcing.com.
National Cathedral School Director of Development for Individual Giving: https://bit.ly/474KgTC.
This is a fantastic opportunity for a seasoned development professional with a passion for education and desire to equal the philanthropic playing field for women and girls. Approaching its 125th anniversary, and in the early tenure of Head of School Elinor Scully, NCS is planning a significant fundraising campaign that will transform its ability to pursue its mission. The successful candidate will apply their demonstrated track record of success to build and grow a best-in-class major gifts program. In addition to program management, the Director will manage a dynamic portfolio of approximately 75 - 100 major gift prospect relationships to successfully close six and seven-figure gifts in line with our institutional funding priorities. The Director will also oversee the Individual Giving Coordinator and the Stewardship and Donor Relations Manager. NCS offers a salary range of $110,00-$130,000 depending on experience and a full benefits package, including professional development opportunities. Presence on-site required Monday through Friday with occasional evening and weekend assignments, as needed.
The successful candidate must be an independently motivated, goal-oriented, strategic thinker who can execute among multiple priorities and succeed in a dynamic, team oriented, results-driven environment.
Their leadership will engender a positive culture of donor-centered best practices and pursuit of continuous improvement for the Development office. NCS is committed to leadership in multicultural education and a culturally diverse faculty and staff. The school therefore seeks applications from candidates who will contribute to an atmosphere in which all are valued and supported.
Their leadership will engender a positive culture of donor-centered best practices and pursuit of continuous improvement for the Development office. NCS is committed to leadership in multicultural education and a culturally diverse faculty and staff. The school therefore seeks applications from candidates who will contribute to an atmosphere in which all are valued and supported.
Responsibilities include:
Program Management
- In consultation with the Head of Development and Philanthropy, develop and manage a strategic plan for major gift prospect management aligned with institutional funding priorities.
- Accurately project revenue and track progress towards goals and produce internal and external reports regarding projected and achieved goals.
- Supervise Individual Giving Coordinator and Stewardship and Donor Relations Manager.
- In partnership with Head of Development and Philanthropy, oversee budget development and monitoring for any and all major gifts fundraising and stewardship activities.
- Provide major gifts training for staff and volunteers.
- Promote and support an environment of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
- Play an active role supporting the Head of Development and Philanthropy in the development, management, and implementation of campaign strategy.
Major Gift Fundraising
- Actively manage a dynamic portfolio of 75 - 100 major gift prospect relationships.
- Demonstrate success cultivating, soliciting, and closing gifts with a focus on gifts of $100,000+.
- Grow the planned giving program at NCS, identifying prospective planned donors and understanding planned giving vehicles, with outside consultation when necessary.
- Develop original written content and edit other’s work to support fundraising and stewardship initiatives.
- Maintain a high level of professional knowledge and proficiency regarding fundraising best-practices.
- Participate as a fully engaged member of the Development Team and a member of the NCS community. Serve as an effective ambassador for the school by developing a conversational knowledge of school history, traditions, and culture, strategic planning, and funding priorities.
- Engage Governing Board members, School administrative leaders, faculty, staff, and volunteer leaders as needed to purposefully advance gift conversations.
Stewardship and Donor Relations
- Oversee the NCS stewardship program, including the planning of donor recognition events and activities, and the stewardship of special and endowed fund donors.
Skills and Qualifications
- Bachelor’s Degree and eight or more years of professional fundraising experience.
- Demonstrated success managing people.
- Demonstrated success cultivating leadership annual gift and major gift prospects and closing five and six figure gifts.
- Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office suite.
- Demonstrated ability to conduct data input with a high degree of accuracy; analyze data to inform decisions; and provide timely and useful reports.
- Demonstrated proficiency in drafting and preparing professional correspondence.
- Demonstrated excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communications skills.
- Ability to handle challenging situations diplomatically and maintain collaborative working relationships with colleagues, senior-level executives, and trustee-level volunteer leaders.
- Ability to maintain confidentiality, act with discretion, and maintain a high level of performance under pressure.
- Ability to organize, prioritize, and successfully execute multiple concurrent tasks; to anticipate needs and act accordingly, and to perform with a high degree of initiative.
- Consistently demonstrate superior organizational skills and attention to detail.
- Frequent regional travel and occasional national and overnight travel.
- Experience with Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge or a similar relationship management system preferred.
NCS is committed to leadership in multicultural education and a culturally diverse faculty and staff. The school therefore seeks applications from candidates who will contribute to an atmosphere in which all are valued and supported. As an Episcopal school, NCS welcomes people of all backgrounds and faiths while maintaining a close identity with Washington National Cathedral's commitment to being a house of prayer for all people.
National Cathedral School serves 587 students in grades 4 through 12. Faculty and staff are curious intellectually, flexible, and collaborative, and they view education as an engaging vocation. Our students are engaged, fun, and kind, and they love to be challenged and viewed as confident individuals. Faculty and staff maintain a lively conversation about the meaning of an excellent education, an interest in pedagogy, and innovative uses of technology.
National Cathedral School serves 587 students in grades 4 through 12. Faculty and staff are curious intellectually, flexible, and collaborative, and they view education as an engaging vocation. Our students are engaged, fun, and kind, and they love to be challenged and viewed as confident individuals. Faculty and staff maintain a lively conversation about the meaning of an excellent education, an interest in pedagogy, and innovative uses of technology.
