The Advancement team at Our Lady of Good Counsel High School is seeking a Development Associate to join our team. The Director of Major and Planned Giving will help build a comprehensive major and planned giving program. As the school embarks on a campaign, this externally focused fundraiser will be responsible for building and managing a portfolio of prospects, deepening relationships with donors, and developing new philanthropic connections to increase long-term support. 

The Director will employ industry best practices in moves management and the donor gift cycle, ensuring a data-driven and relationship-centered approach to philanthropy.  The ideal candidate will be strategic, proactive, and creative in identifying opportunities to engage prospects, expand philanthropic revenue, and strengthen stewardship.  The Director should be knowledgeable about gift planning tactics and vehicles to assist donors with including Our Lady of Good Counsel High School in their will, trust, or other long-range financial and estate plans.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The successful candidate will be expected to carry out the following:

• Grow a sustainable major gifts program, aligning donor strategies with the school’s long-term fundraising goals.
• Build and manage a portfolio of major and planned giving prospects and donors to identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit, and steward.
• Conduct at least 8-10 strategic donor initiatives (including but not limited to visits) per month, with successful follow-up, directly leading to new commitments over time. A significant portion of visits will be intake visits with new prospective donors, so the successful candidate will have experience in generating new relationships and reactivating lapsed interest.
• Develop written proposals, illustrations, gift agreements, and other donor communications.
• Collaborate with Advancement and Marketing staff to share stories of impact to inspire additional giving.
• Involve appropriate campus constituents and volunteers in gift conversations.
• Develop and oversee the Planned Giving marketing program in conjunction with the Executive Director of Advancement.
• Exhibit meticulous attention to documenting prospect and donor contacts, maintaining donor confidentiality, discretion, and information security.
• Manage the programming for the 1958 Legacy Society, the giving society for planned gift donors.
• Seek opportunities to be involved in the campus and external community to represent the organization, share its mission, and cultivate and steward relationships for future programs.
• Attend school and advancement events, as necessary, to cultivate and steward donors and prospects.
• Complete other duties as assigned to support the work of the department and further the mission of the school.

 SUPERVISOR/MANAGER: Chief Advancement Officer

QUALIFICATIONS: 

• Demonstrated knowledge of and experience in soliciting and closing planned gifts, including wills, trusts, gifts via beneficiary designations, charitable gift annuities, and charitable remainder trusts.
• Experience discussing legacy giving or estate planning with donors and/or their affiliated professional advisors.
• Prior demonstrated experience in moves management, the donor gift cycle, and industry best practices for fundraising.
• Experience working with Board members, volunteers, and school leadership to advance fundraising goals.
• Prior experience in a multi-year fundraising campaign.

EXPERIENCE: 

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• 5-7 years of frontline fundraising experience, preferably at an independent school, college, university, or nonprofit organization.

• 5-7 years of fundraising experience in raising major gifts ($50,000+) and in planned giving.

SKILLS:

• Highly organized, self-motivated, and strategic in approach.
• Highly refined interpersonal skills; strong listening and writing skills; adept at communicating complicated or abstract concepts in simple terms; desire to work with diverse constituency groups.
• Experience with CRM/donor management database software preferred.
• Proficient with Google Workspace (Slides, Docs, and Sheets)

About Our Lady of Good Counsel High School

Our Lady of Good Counsel High School, a private, Catholic, college-preparatory school in Olney, MD.

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