Director of Development

About the School

Founded in 1963 as a mission of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, St. Paul’s currently serves over 500 toddler-eighth grade students in the heart of Kansas City, MO. With a dynamic, dedicated faculty and a supportive, inclusive community, we exist to develop confident learners, ethical leaders, and compassionate, engaged citizens.

About the Role

The Director of Development is responsible for leading all fundraising and stewardship activities for the school, including the annual fund, planned giving, major gifts, special events, the annual auction, and capital campaigns. The Director of Development is a key member of the leadership team and reports to the Head of School. The role works closely with the Advancement Committee of the Board of Trustees, supervises the Development Coordinator, and partners with the Director of Admissions and the Director of Marketing and Communication to champion schoolwide advancement goals.

Currently, the school annually budgets for a combined $525,000 in revenue from the annual fund and parent’s guild auction. The school also engages in annual major gift solicitation and periodic capital campaigns to fund strategic priorities and major campus improvements. The school is currently in the public phase of fundraising for campus renovations and endowment growth.

Responsibilities

• Plan and oversee the school’s Annual Fund campaign using a multi-channel communication plan for soliciting constituent groups to grow annual giving. The current year annual fund goal is $325,000.
• Personally solicit top donors for the Annual Fund.
• Utilize volunteers from constituent groups, including parents, grandparents, and alumni, to assist in the campaign.
• Report on annual giving progress and constituent participation.
• Cultivate and solicit major gifts in support of the school’s key initiatives as outlined by the board.
• Oversee multi-year capital campaigns approved by the board.
• Research and write grant proposals to fund special school projects, professional development experiences, and capital campaigns.
• Work closely with the board and campaign leadership on solicitations and provide regular campaign progress reports.
• Help coordinate events for connecting St. Paul’s alumni, parents of graduates, grandparents, and retired employees with the school.
• Collaborate with marketing to communicate relevant messages and engagement opportunities with these constituent groups.
• Keep records current for alumni.
• Oversee documentation of pledges, gifts, and donor acknowledgements.
• Manage the follow-up for all pledges and pledge payments based on the donor’s payment schedule.
• Ensure proper donor recognition.
• Assist business manager with needed audit items.
• Provide fundraising projections for annual operating budget.
• Supervise Development Coordinator and provide oversight for the school’s auction and Parents’ Guild events.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree.
• 3-5 years of experience in a development and fundraising role.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with a donor database or CRM (examples: Raiser’s Edge, Salesforce).

Physical Demands

Incumbents must be able to successfully perform the essential functions of the job, with or without reasonable accommodation.