On the road, West Virginia
Maple Grove, Minnesota
Maple Grove, Minnesota
Pennington, NJ / Hybrid & Flexible Work Options Available
Posted: 16-Mar-23
Location: Beverly Hills, Michigan
Type: Full Time
Salary: Commensurate with experience
Required Education:
OVERVIEW
Detroit Country Day School (DCDS), one of the largest and most renowned independent day schools in the country, seeks to bring to its community a Director of Annual Giving, to start in July of 2023. This newly created full-time, in-person position will play a prominent role in securing philanthropic support for DCDS’s strategic and institutional priorities. The Director of Annual Giving will report directly to the Chief Advancement Officer and will be part of a dynamic, forward thinking team.
As a key member of the Advancement Office, the Director of Annual Giving is in charge of the strategic planning, implementation, management, and execution of a comprehensive annual giving program. Working with the Advancement Office, this person will focus on developing strategies, organizing targeted outreach and communication, educating and energizing the DCDS donor base, and managing parent volunteers. Through a variety of means, the Director of Annual Giving will seek and secure gifts for the Annual Fund, as well as identify potential campaign and planned giving prospects, by identifying, cultivating, and stewarding meaningful relationships with established and potential donors, including current and past parents, alumni, grandparents, faculty and staff, and other members of the school community.
MISSION
Detroit Country Day School develops citizens and leaders of the world in a culturally diverse environment of academic rigor, competitive athletics, and artistic expression, built on a foundation of service and character.
PHILOSOPHY
The philosophy of Detroit Country Day School is embodied in its motto: Mens Sana In Corpore Sano (A Sound Mind in a Sound Body), a motto that guides its overall pedagogy. DCDS strives to educate the whole child by offering an educational program that responds to their academic, athletic,and artistic pursuits and by developing their talents and strengths in a supportive environment. To do so, the School maintains a challenging academic program, a competitive interscholastic athletic program, and myriad curricular and extra-curricular opportunities in the visual and performing arts; in addition, the School makes a significant investment of time and energy to foster service
and build character in its students.
PORTRAIT OF A DCDS STUDENT
The Portrait of a Detroit Country Day Student enumerates the six habits of mind the School seeks to inculcate in its students during their years on campus. This Portrait documents the School’s expressed desire to produce graduates who are “Inquisitive” and “Innovative” as a result of the School’s challenging academic and artistic programs; who are “Honorable” and “Inclusive” as a result of the School’s commitment to character education and diversity, equity, and inclusion; who are “Resilient” as a result of the School’s required participation in the athletic program; and who are “Balanced” as a result of the School’s concern for their social and emotional health.
ABOUT DCDS
The School currently enrolls 1,514 students and sits on three campuses in beautiful Beverly Hills and Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, north and west of a revitalized downtown
Detroit. The School has a $36 million endowment and financial aid (including a generous faculty/staff remission program) accounts for 10% of its $49 million budget. There are 6,765 alumni.
DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES
- Responsible for growing Country Day’s Annual Fund and managing the strategy, calendar, and operations of it.
- Working closely with other Advancement colleagues, foster a vibrant culture of philanthropy so that giving of time and financial resources are meaningful experiences for donors and volunteers
- Develop and implement targeted campaigns and approaches, which includes key messages and segmented appeals of both print and email campaigns, for established and potential donors
- Partner with the Chief Advancement Officer to execute a strategic solicitation plan of trustees and former trustees
- Manage the leadership giving program of the Annual Fund and oversee the strategies, timelines, trainings, and messagings of volunteers and major donor prospects
- Identify, recruit, train, and manage volunteers to be effective ambassadors of DCDS and confident in their assigned roles in supporting the Annual Fund program
- Manage the strategy, messaging, and implementation of annual giving events, such as the Day of Giving to foster the culture of philanthropy at DCDS and increase participation in giving to the Annual Fund
- Working with the Director of Alumni Relations, oversee, grow, and ensure long-term annual support among alumni
- Working with the Director of Alumni Relations, create, train, and manage DCDS Annual Fund volunteers, including alumni and past and current parent volunteers
- Working with the Database Manager, oversee the wealth research software and donor prospect management data and ensure data integrity through the use of best practices for the review of gift entries and gift acknowledgements for accuracy
- Manage the creation of the Annual Report in partnership with Advancement colleagues and the Communications Office
- Be a proactive member of the school community, attending athletic and artistic events, student presentations, and other occasions
- Assist and manage projects as needed or assigned
- Bachelor’s degree required and preferred minimum of five to ten years of experience in fundraising
- Must be a highly energetic professional with a track record of fundraising success and project management
- Interest in independent school education and a dedication to promoting the School’s fundraising priorities by developing positive and respectful relationships with faculty, senior administrative leaders, trustees, parents, alumni and the advancement office team.
- Must have excellent writing and interpersonal skills, reflect an optimistic and positive attitude and have a demonstrated record of completing assignments.
- Cooperate and work together with all school leaders and colleagues; plan and complete job duties with minimal supervisory direction.
- Ability to prioritize and effectively manage diverse tasks, multitasking in a fast-paced sometimes stressful environment.
- Perform tasks which are supportive in nature to the essential functions of the job, which may be altered or redesigned as necessary.
- Must possess good judgment, tact, sensitivity, and discretion in the handling of confidential information, materials and situations.
- Must be detailed oriented, thorough and accurate.
- Must be willing to work in-person and on occasional evenings and weekends, including occasional travel both in and out of Michigan.
- Display the highest ethical and professional behavior.
- Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
- Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds at times
