The Assistant Director of Advancement supports Field's donor engagement, stewardship, and fundraising efforts while also developing meaningful opportunities to connect with donors, alumni, and families. This role will also play a part in managing events that enhance community giving. The position partners with advancement leadership to execute the annual fund, plan events, oversee engagement, and track progress through effective reporting and database management. It also provides strategic support by coordinating with volunteers and school leadership to strengthen philanthropic culture and community involvement.
Responsibilities
Donor Engagement and Stewardship:
- Partner with the advancement team and senior leaders to develop donor engagement opportunities, create solicitation strategies, and implement stewardship plans.
- Develop stewardship opportunities through special events, various communication channels, and other engagement opportunities.
- Assist in identifying potential leadership volunteers and other partners.
- Partner with the Director of Advancement and the Director of Alumni Affairs to manage a comprehensive alumni engagement strategy that connects, informs, and inspires alumni through both personal outreach and mass communications.
Events and Community Engagement:
- Manage and execute community engagement initiatives, collaborating with key partners to track and monitor attendance, evaluate outcomes, and make recommendations for future enhancements.
- Along with the Director of Advancement, work closely with parent volunteers and school leadership to plan and execute our annual fundraiser event (Dare to be Field).
- Manage the planning and execution of Alumni events and engagement, including alumni gatherings, outreach, an alumni e-newsletter, and the production of alumni stories and profiles.
- Support the planning and execution of annual fundraisers and cultivation events for new and current families.
- Enhance the culture of giving within the community through special events, volunteer opportunities, and print/electronic materials.
Fundraising:
- Partner with the Director of Advancement to develop and execute The Field Fund (annual fund) plan. This will include managing the communications calendar and assisting with crafting appeals.
- Manage The Field Fund acknowledgement letter process.
- Assist with The Field Fund committee volunteers, including recruitment, training, and scheduled updates.
- Assist with The Field Fund calendar and solicitation plan.
- Assist with prospect research.
- Regularly generate and analyze reports to track advancement progress.
- Build relationships with constituents and personally solicit gifts as appropriate.
Administrative and Strategic Support:
- Track constituency activity in Raiser’s Edge NXT or other designated portals.
- Work with volunteers on the Dare to be Field Committee, Field Parent Association, and Alumni Ambassadors, setting goals, timelines, and monitoring progress.
- Attend and participate in Advancement Committee meetings.
Qualifications
- As a highly visible position, this is a full-time on-campus role.
- A Bachelor’s degree is desired; an advanced degree is preferred.
- Minimum of 5 years of experience in fundraising and development.
- Demonstrated familiarity with setting and achieving large-scale gift goals, and understanding how individual goals and metrics contribute to overarching fundraising objectives.
- Intermediate-level proficiency with Raiser’s Edge and NXT platforms; knowledge of Give Campus, Double the Donation, Google Suite, OneCause, and ThankView preferred.
- Proven experience in a forward-facing role, engaging with a variety of audiences to cultivate a culture of philanthropy.
- Proven success in leveraging prospect-giving history, data analytics, and research to solicit contributions and drive results.
- Track record of building successful fundraising initiatives and appeals using new technologies and best practices, producing outstanding results.
- Excellent verbal, written, and digital communication skills for direct solicitation and donor acknowledgment.
- Experience collaborating with a Communications department to create personalized and compelling appeals for giving and engagement.
- Strong attention to detail with the ability to manage event logistics and multiple competing priorities with minimal oversight.
- A creative approach, strong work ethic, collaborative mindset, enthusiasm, and positivity are essential attributes.
- Previous experience in education, independent schools, and/or the non-profit sector is preferred.
- Availability for occasional weekend and evening responsibilities as required for events.
