List of 1 items.

• Director of Advancement

  Director of Advancement

  Reports To: Head of School
  

  Position Summary

  Verde Valley School seeks an experienced, relationship-driven Director of Advancement to lead the school's comprehensive advancement program and oversee the daily operations of the Advancement Office. The Director of Advancement is responsible for planning and executing strategies that strengthen philanthropic support for the school through major gifts, leadership giving, planned giving, grants, endowment development, capital and special campaigns, foundation and corporate relations, and donor stewardship.

  This position provides strategic leadership while remaining actively engaged in the day-to-day management of advancement operations. The Director of Advancement supervises the Director of Donor Engagement, who is responsible for the Annual Fund, donor engagement initiatives, volunteer management, and the planning and execution of advancement events. Together, these roles ensure an integrated, donor-centered advancement program that supports the school's mission, strategic priorities, and long-term financial sustainability.

  As a member of the Senior Leadership Team, the Director of Advancement contributes to the strategic direction of the school, collaborates across departments, and actively participates in the life of the campus community. The Director also serves as a key leader in planning and implementing initiatives leading to Verde Valley School's 80th Anniversary celebration, leveraging this milestone to strengthen alumni engagement, increase philanthropic support, and elevate the school's visibility.

  Essential Responsibilities

  Advancement Leadership

  • Develop and implement a comprehensive advancement strategy aligned with the school's mission and strategic plan.
  • Establish annual fundraising goals, performance metrics, and long-range advancement plans.
  • Partner closely with the Head of School and Board of Trustees to cultivate philanthropic support.
  • Build and maintain a robust pipeline of leadership and major gift prospects.
  • Personally manage a portfolio of major gift prospects and donors through identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
  • Lead fundraising efforts for capital projects, endowment growth, planned giving, and special initiatives.
  • Develop and execute engagement and fundraising strategies that capitalize on the school's upcoming 80th Anniversary celebration.

  Advancement Operations

  • Oversee the daily operations of the Advancement Office, ensuring efficient systems, workflows, and donor communications.
  • Manage the advancement budget and monitor fundraising performance against established goals.
  • Ensure the integrity and effective use of the donor database and reporting systems.
  • Coordinate gift processing, acknowledgments, stewardship, prospect management, and fundraising reporting.
  • Establish policies and procedures that support best practices in fundraising and donor relations.

  Major Gifts, Endowment, and Grants

  • Develop and implement strategies to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward major and leadership gift donors.
  • Work closely with the Endowment Task Force Chair, the Head of School, and volunteer leadership to rebuild and grow the school's endowment through strategic donor cultivation and planned giving initiatives.
  • Cultivate and maintain meaningful relationships with high-capacity donors, alumni, families, foundations, and community partners.
  • Research, write, coordinate, and oversee grant applications and grant reporting, ensuring compliance with funder requirements and alignment with institutional priorities.
  • Identify and pursue foundation and corporate funding opportunities that advance the school's mission and strategic initiatives.

  Leadership and Collaboration

  • Serve as a member of the Senior Leadership Team, contributing to school-wide planning, strategic initiatives, and institutional decision-making.
  • Collaborate closely with the Dean of Enrollment to align advancement, marketing, communications, and enrollment efforts, ensuring consistent messaging and effective promotion of the school's mission and priorities.
  • Partner with academic and administrative leaders to strengthen relationships with current families, alumni, parents, trustees, and the broader community.
  • Represent the school at campus events, community functions, donor visits, and alumni gatherings as an active and visible member of the Verde Valley School community.
  • Participate fully in campus life, supporting school traditions, student activities, and community events that strengthen relationships across constituencies.

  Team Leadership

  • Supervise, mentor, and evaluate the Director of Donor Engagement and other advancement staff as assigned.
  • Provide leadership, coaching, and accountability to ensure successful execution of annual fundraising activities.
  • Foster collaboration across departments, including Enrollment, Communications, Finance, Alumni Relations, and Academic Leadership.
  • Promote a culture of philanthropy throughout the school community.

  Partnership with the Director of Donor Engagement

  Working in close collaboration with the Director of Advancement, the Director of Donor Engagement will:

  • Lead the school's Annual Fund.
  • Develop and implement donor engagement and stewardship initiatives.
  • Plan and execute advancement events, including donor recognition, alumni, parent, and community engagement events.
  • Coordinate volunteer fundraising committees and campaign volunteers.
  • Support donor communications and engagement strategies that strengthen long-term philanthropic relationships.

  Board and Volunteer Relations

  • Serve as the primary advancement liaison to the Board of Trustees and its Development Committee.
  • Support the Endowment Task Force and other volunteer leadership groups by preparing reports, campaign updates, and fundraising materials.
  • Recruit, train, and engage volunteers in fundraising and stewardship initiatives.

  Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree preferred.
  • Seven to ten years of progressively responsible advancement or fundraising experience, preferably in an independent school or nonprofit organization.
  • Demonstrated success securing major gifts, managing donor portfolios, and leading comprehensive fundraising initiatives.
  • Experience supervising development professionals and building collaborative, high-performing teams.
  • Experience managing grant applications, foundation relations, and institutional fundraising.
  • Strong understanding of annual giving, major gifts, planned giving, endowment fundraising, campaign fundraising, and donor stewardship.
  • Experience working with donor database systems and fundraising analytics.
  • Excellent interpersonal, communication, presentation, and writing skills.
  • Ability to maintain confidentiality and exercise sound judgment.
  • Commitment to the mission and values of Verde Valley School.
  • Membership in, or active involvement with, the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) is preferred.

  Preferred Characteristics

  The successful candidate will be:

  • A collaborative and empowering leader who enjoys working across departments.
  • Equally comfortable with strategic planning and hands-on execution.
  • An exceptional relationship builder with donors, alumni, parents, trustees, faculty, staff, and students.
  • Highly organized with excellent project management skills and attention to detail.
  • Self-motivated, adaptable, and able to manage multiple priorities in a dynamic boarding school environment.
  • Passionate about independent school education and committed to cultivating a culture of philanthropy while strengthening the life of the school community.

  Physical Requirements

  This position requires occasional evening and weekend work for donor cultivation, school programs, advancement events, and alumni activities, as well as periodic travel for donor visits. The ability to move throughout campus and lift materials weighing up to 25 pounds is occasionally required.

  Benefits

  Verde Valley School offers a comprehensive benefits package and an engaging, mission-driven work environment dedicated to preparing students to become thoughtful global citizens. Housing on campus may be available.