Career Center

Sacramento Country Day School, a leader in Pre-Kindergarten - 12th grade independent school education since 1964, seeks a full-time Major Gifts Officer for the current school year to secure philanthropic support for Sacramento Country Day School. Serving more than 500 students, Country Day’s mission is to “inspire intellectual discovery and engage a diverse community to think critically, live creatively, and act compassionately. “

The Major Gifts Officer is a member of the Advancement team and is responsible for securing philanthropic support for Sacramento Country Day School. The salary range for this position is between $70,000 - $90,000 depending on experience.

Reporting to the Director of Advancement, the Major Gifts Officer is responsible for identifying, qualifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding a portfolio of current and prospective donors; creating strategic action plans for top prospects with the intent of deepening relationships on behalf of Country Day. Beyond securing annual, major, and planned gifts from identified prospect’s the Major Gift Officer’s key responsibilities also include prospect research, campaign management, and report writing. This position requires travel and includes evening and weekend responsibilities to be successful. 

Specific Duties and Responsibilities:

• Work in conjunction with the rest of the advancement program and employ a deliberate “moves management” program: identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit, and steward a major gifts portfolio of current and prospective donors.
• Build and expand the engagement of Country Day’s leadership prospect pool; identify strategies and opportunities to align prospects with various school priorities as a key component of the comprehensive campaign. Create strategic action plans for top prospects with the intent of deepening relationships on behalf of the school, leading to Increased comprehensive giving including annual, capital, and deferred gifts.
• Develop a reporting structure that supports prospect manager goals for visits.
• Develop and execute timely reports using best practices and metrics.
• File prompt call reports following any significant constituent engagement.
• Ensure that donors to Country Day are thanked appropriately, professionally, and accurately according to gift levels, funds, donor history, and special circumstances through oversight of all acknowledgment letters.
• Use wealth screening tools and Raiser’s Edge/RE NXT for prospect identification, tracking activity, and generating reports to track the progress of each prospect’s cultivation/solicitation/stewardship plan.
• Attend key events to interact with donors and prospects, including travel and evenings and weekends as necessary.
• Assist and support the Advancement program in other ways as requested by the Head of School or Director of Advancement.

The successful candidate will have of the following attributes:

• Bachelor’s degree, Master's degree and/or CFRE preferred
• Prior experience in fundraising with increasing responsibility, preferably in independent school education or comparable experience in the private sector
• Demonstrated success in closing major gifts and a proven record of accomplishment in donor relations and stewardship work
• Willingness and ability to travel and work nights and weekends as required
• Comfort and strong skills with technology including Google Workspace, Microsoft Word, Excel, and Blackbaud databases
• Results-oriented with the ability to meet deadlines and goals; think strategically; engage people with a variety of backgrounds and viewpoints; work meticulously with close attention to detail
• Strong interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills
• Ability to work independently and as a member of a team in a fast-paced environment
• Ability and interest in maintaining a working knowledge of best practices in the field of donor relations and stewardship
• Ability to plan and execute events and programs and measure/report their impact
• Comfort in working with a broad variety of people and an appreciation that key philanthropic ambassadors come from all backgrounds. A commitment to DEIB, social justice, and anti-racism both as it relates to success in this position and as a vital tenet of the school’s value system
• A sense of humor, a generous spirit, and a good nature

The ideal candidate will add strength to a wide range of programs and embrace a diverse and powerful learning community. 

School requirements include: Background check, First Aid/CPR training (school sponsored), negative TB result.

Sacramento Country Day School is an inclusive community and welcomes applicants from all backgrounds. To apply, please send a single .pdf file that includes a letter of interest, resume, and a list of three (3) references to Rachelle Doyle, Director of Advancement, at resume@saccds.org.

About Sacramento Country Day School

Sacramento Country Day School, the leading elementary, middle, and secondary school in Sacramento and throughout the region, inspires intellectual discovery and engages a diverse community to think critically, live creatively, and act compassionately. Country Day's core values, as outlined in our mission statement, include: Intellectual Discovery, Diversity, Critical Thinking, Creativity, and Compassion. Serving 570 students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade, Country Day is located in Sacramento, California, between San Francisco and Lake Tahoe, with both roughly 90 minutes away.

Connections working at Sacramento Country Day School