Associate Director of Philanthropic Engagement
Position Description
School Overview:
Providence Academy is a Christian independent school in Leesburg, VA, and was founded in 2013 with a mission to provide “Uncompromising excellence in educating and equipping students with Truth.” The school serves approximately 230 students in Junior Kindergarten – 8th grade.
In the classroom, teachers encourage, motivate, and inspire students through an exceptional educational program infused with a Christian worldview. Students are challenged in all areas of their lives – academically, spiritually, physically, emotionally, and socially – as they develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. The school strives to develop and nurture a strong partnership with parents to ensure their children thrive in all aspects of their lives. Faculty and staff are committed followers of Christ, called to demonstrate their commitment to Christ in words and actions, and to hold each other accountable to scripture with love, compassion, and understanding.
The Opportunity:
This is an exciting time at Providence Academy as this past year the school celebrated its 10th anniversary with record breaking giving and completion of a Campaign Study through its partnership with a well-established fundraising firm. The school has recently executed a contract with this firm to launch the school’s first capital campaign based on results that exceeded all benchmarks from the Campaign Study. The Associate Director of Philanthropic Engagement will have the opportunity to create partnerships that provide resources for our next generation of students.
This is also the first time the school will hire a full-time employee in a Development position. The school’s first Development position was created two years ago and was a part-time position (.5 FTE). This individual did an exemplary job building a framework and helping grow the school’s philanthropic base through an Annual Fund, 10 Year Anniversary Gala, and Sponsorship Program. Now is the time for a Christ-centered, highly relational, and experienced individual who believes in Christian education to join the school’s leadership team and enhance existing development programs and develop new ones that will help further the school’s mission. This individual will also have a tremendous opportunity to assist and learn from the firm leading the school’s first capital campaign.
The Associate Director of Philanthropic Engagement, under the supervision and direction of the Head of School, will provide leadership and strategic vision in helping the school grow a funding base and become more widely known in the community. The ideal candidate is a collaborative, confident, and relational leader who works effectively with faculty, staff, students, and their parents. This person must possess a growth and school-centered mindset in order to guide development at Providence Academy to its next level of excellence. The ideal candidate has experience in community engagement, fund raising, donor base growth, and program development. This person must be a dynamic leader who can effectively and thoughtfully lead professional development for the school and build relationships with former, current, and future constituent groups. Most importantly, they must be skilled, thoughtful, empathetic, and Christ-centered in their communications with others.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities:
· In coordination with the Head of School identify, cultivate, and steward prospective donors, communicating directly with major donors and prospects, and corporate/ foundation/community leaders.
· Plan, lead, and execute philanthropic engagement activities such as the Annual Fund, Giving Day, grants, special events, etc.
· Create a vision for community engagement and set goals to achieve that vision.
· Participate as an active and engaged member of the Development Committee and educate trustees on their philanthropic responsibilities.
· Report fundraising progress to the Head of School at established interval in various formats that most effectively ‘tell the story.’
· Collaborate with staff to align fundraising and marketing strategies with program initiatives.
· Manage and expand all development activities, increasing major gifts, corporate and foundation gifts, and revenue from the annual fund and other sources.
· Revise, develop, and implement policies and procedures concerning philanthropic engagement.
· Collaborate and partner with staff, families, and community members to identify key constituents or groups to be involved with PA.
· Keep up to date records in Bloomerang, Benevity, and other donor management programs.
· Ensure timely and thoughtful communications / thank you notes with all donors.
Personal Qualities & Skills Desired:
· A genuine passion to serving the school’s mission with Christ-honoring excellence.
· Ability to think strategically, create a comprehensive fundraising plan, and provide best-practice fundraising knowledge.
· Ability to develop authentic, quality relationships with a variety of constituencies, including major donors.
· Excellent written and spoken communication skills.
· High energy, positive, flexible, adaptable, and willing to offer support throughout school departments, as needed.
· Dedication to a high level of confidentiality.
· Strong management, interpersonal and supervisory skills, as demonstrated by the ability to work well with colleagues and volunteers - the ability to build a strong circle of influence.
· Highly developed organizational skills with a keen eye for detail.
· Ability to take initiative, think independently, and take rational risks.
· Ability to perform under deadlines and changing schedules.
Experience Desired:
· Bachelor’s degree, masters preferred.
· Candidates should have a minimum of 1 – 3 years fundraising experience.
· Demonstrated success in donor cultivation, major gifts development, and meeting fundraising goals.
· Experience working closely with high net worth individuals, foundation leadership, and senior-level executives.
· Proven track record of achieving annual revenue targets.
· Strong skills in analyzing data, using Excel to report in table and visual formats, and in using other Microsoft Office applications.