Development Director

Organization Mission and History:

Mackintosh Academy was established as a nonprofit independent school in 1977 by Eve Mackintosh, an influential leader in gifted education in Colorado. The Academy now has two campuses, one in Littleton and our campus in Boulder that opened its doors in 2011. Mackintosh Academy - Boulder (Mack Boulder) has two divisions, Lower School (K-5), and Middle School (6-8), that serve 155 total students with 37 faculty and staff. Mack Boulder operates with a highly supportive, independent Board of Trustees.

Mackintosh Academy’s mission is to nurture the keen minds and compassionate hearts of the gifted child in a responsive and caring community of learners. Our students mature into confident, healthy human beings inspired to contribute to a world that needs them. In addition to being Colorado’s first independent school for gifted learners, it is Colorado’s only independent school that’s an authorized International Baccalaureate (IB) school with both a Primary Years Programme (PYP) for K-5, and Middle Years Programme (MYP) for 6-8. As an authorized IB World School, Mackintosh Academy’s mission also aligns with the IB program’s mission, “to create a better world through education.”

Overall Scope of Position:

Reporting to and working in concert with the Head of School, the Director of Development provides leadership, and day-to-day planning, coordination and execution of all fundraising and donor volunteer management at Mack. The Director of Development provides strategic direction for the School's advancement and external relations efforts, including establishing and implementing an overall advancement strategy; ensuring annual goals are met; implementing and managing all fundraising initiatives including special events, annual giving, and special projects; and preparing for a capital campaign in its early stages.   The Development Director additionally provides leadership for all relevant marketing and outreach efforts supporting both admissions and development efforts.

The Director of Development expands and diversifies Mack’s donor base and pipeline by coaching and partnering with the Head of School, staff and faculty members, the board of trustees, committees, parents, and other ambassador groups. The Director of Development confidently and charismatically builds and deepens donor relationships, local connections and civic partnerships. This position helps creatively elevate the brand, inspires the community and represents the organization. The Director of Development plays a critical role in the future success and expanded impact of Mack Boulder.

Opportunities for Impact:

The incoming Director of Development will have the opportunity to make a significant impact on our operations and our ability to deliver on our core mission. Some of these opportunities include:

• Work and partner with an entrepreneurial, future thinking Head of School to further grow and strengthen Mack. Be part of a nimble, action-oriented leadership team that is curious, committed to excellence, and innovative.
• Strengthen our annual fund. We currently raise about $250,000 each year with 100% participation from the board, staff, faculty and parents, and we are poised for significant growth in this area.
• Grow our major gifts program to support special initiatives such as The Orchard Center.
• Identify and implement innovative fundraising programs and events to supplement and/or complement the regular auction. The spring auction currently raises around $225,000.
• Develop and implement an effective planned giving program.
• Partner with the Board of Trustees to build a robust Development Committee.
• Build a culture of philanthropy across the school community.
• Plan and execute an effective, future $5-6 million capital campaign in partnership with the Head of School, the Board of Trustees, and others.
• Enhance the brand of Mack Boulder with a variety of stakeholders locally and regionally.

Mack Boulder has several broader plans for the next few years in which the Development Director will play a significant role:

• Expand and brand our remote learning programming (Mack Without Walls) to serve more families.
• Create a “school within a school” program to support gifted learners with dyslexia in school year 2021/22. After the initial launch, work towards expanding the reach of the program to include remote teaching and the development of a public facing testing center.
• Establish endowed, or cash-term donations to support professional development and tuition assistance/ scholarship funding.

The Mack Boulder Culture:

People who thrive at Mack Boulder find their values and personal attributes align with these key features of our culture:

• Mack Boulder is a school for and about children. All our decisions have a child at the center, and we each value regular opportunities to be with and learn from the students at the school.
• We are infinitely patient and curious. Students, teachers, staff members, board members, parents regularly ask, “Why” and expect others to do the same. Education is all about asking questions and understanding the world in new ways, and we practice that thinking every day in all our efforts.
• Having a keen sense of humor and an openness to interacting regularly with people who are interesting, quirky, compelling, and service-minded are essential to success at Mack Boulder.
• We take a lot of pride in our work, we demand excellence from ourselves and each other, we exhibit consistently strong ethics, and we are committed to our efforts to educate children who can make the world a better place.

Qualifications and Experience:

The ideal Director of Development is highly competent in their role as a fundraiser and manager, while maintaining a collaborative working style. They are self-directed and able to thrive in a dynamic and entrepreneurial environment. The Director of Development brings an awareness of industry best practices and the flexibility to integrate new procedures into organizational culture. They also bring the ability to educate and positively engage other staff and volunteers in the implementation process with a sense of humor and warmth that reflects the culture of the school.

The successful candidate possesses experience in development or advancement leadership roles with demonstrated expertise in fundraising, marketing, admissions, and the process of growing related systems. They need experience planning and implementing fundraising campaigns and events which require excellent organizational skills, clear and effective communication skills, and well-honed listening skills.

Qualified candidates should possess:

• The ability to think strategically, to manage change, and to take intelligent risks in a complex environment.
• The credibility to represent the School.
• The ability to gain the respect of donors, School committee members, parents, faculty, and other colleagues.

Candidates need a high level of energy, a balanced sense of urgency, and the intellectual capacity to partner effectively with a visionary Head of School.