Job Description
Montessori School of Columbia (MSC) is 40-year-old independent day school enrolling 160 students in preschool-8th grade. We are dually accredited by the Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS) and the American Montessori Society (AMS). Montessori School of Columbia is situated on a 3-acre campus in the Rosewood neighborhood of Columbia, South Carolina, 2 miles southeast of the State House, on the edge of the campus of the University of South Carolina. We are seeking a new Director of Development prepared to manage, advance, and lead strategic fundraising efforts.
The Director of Development is responsible for building and maintaining a growing community of donors, with a specific focus on upper-level donors and new prospects and overseeing the operations of the Development Department. They will take a lead role in cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding individual donors at all levels; overseeing the critical annual fund; working closely with the school’s head and board of trustees; overseeing the school’s benefit events; and lunching the school’s first capital campaign.
The ideal candidate will be both a flexible self-starter and a collaborator who thrives working in a small organization and is comfortable managing multiple responsibilities of various size and scope. The position requires excellent writing, communications, organizational skills and attention to detail. Preference will be given to those candidates with familiarity and experience in non-profit and mission-driven organizations, ideally in the education sector.
RESPONSIBILITIES
- Overseeing annual giving
- Creating the annual report
- Special events
- Recruiting and managing volunteers
- Leading major gift prospecting, solicitations, and stewardship
- Planning a calendar of annual cultivation, stewardship, and fundraising events
- Drafting all development materials, including acknowledgments, renewals, solicitations, and the annual report
CADIDATES MUST HAVE
- A minimum of 3 years of development leadership experience, preferably in a school setting
- Proven track record of success in individual giving, membership, and grants
- Ability to build strong working relationships with colleagues, board members, parents, and donors
- Strong writing and interpersonal skills
- Ability to learn how to use our database
- Ability to remain flexible and focused in a fast-paced work environment and the ability to pitch in when needed
- Willingness to work on-site in Columbia, SC as well as actively engage in prospecting activities out of the office
Schedule Requirements
A minimum of standard business hours Monday–Friday. Ability to occasionally work evenings and weekends as necessary. This appointment will begin July 2023, or earlier.
Compensation and Benefits
This is a full-time position with benefits and a compensation package that will be competitive for the region and commensurate with experience, degree attainment, and the national independent school market.
Incentives
Spending your day surrounded by enthusiastic children learning in classrooms overseen by outstanding teachers is its own reward. Of course, we provide traditional benefits, too:
- 80% Medical, 100% Dental, and Vision Insurance
- Up to 3% Matching Retirement Plan
- Life Insurance and Voluntary Supplemental Life Insurance
- Short Term and Long Term Disability Coverage
- Tuition Remission for Employees’ Children (MSC School, aftercare and Camps)
- Generous Vacation Policy
Interested candidates may email their resume to Karen Kuse, Head of School, at karen@montessoricolumbia.com.
In 1982, a group of six Columbia families faced a dilemma. Each family had a kindergartener attending one of the two Montessori preschools in downtown Columbia, and these children were reading and doing math that put them far ahead of peers in traditional kindergarten. These six families decided to start an elementary Montessori school. One of the parents and a teacher who had worked in traditional schools, volunteered to attend Montessori training in New York during the summer of 1983. That fall the school opened with a class of six first graders at a local church. The school remained there for a year and a half until one of our parents found a building for sale on Oceola Street in the Rosewood neighborhood.
In 1999 MSC expanded to offer a preschool program located at a church. It became clear that the school needed a consolidated campus and a bigger space. The board and staff looked at undeveloped property and existing buildings for many years. Eventually in 2006, the school began purchasing residences directly beside the elementary school. At that point the board decided that the school should remain in its existing neighborhood.
Today, MSC has approximately 160 students, ages 3-14, in seven buildings on a quaint, 2.5-acre campus in the heart of the Rosewood neighborhood.
At MSC we strive to develop the unique capabilities of each child. Guided by the work of Dr. Maria Montessori and informed by current research, our committed staff honors the natural curiosity of children. Our academically rigorous, self-paced curriculum allows children to work according to their own development levels.
In multi-age classes, children discover the dignity of work as well as the importance of caring for themselves and others. Since we attract families from a rich array of cultural and ethnic backgrounds, MSC students learn to be citizens of the world. Our mission is to foster a love of learning that will guide and sustain children throughout their lives.