Aspen Leadership Group is proud to partner with Culver Academies in the search for a Chief Advancement Officer.
Reporting to the Head of Schools, the Chief Advancement Officer will provide innovative vision and strategic leadership to further the advancement program of Culver Academies. The Chief Advancement Officer will establish priorities, objectives, and best practices for a comprehensive program that amplifies and elevates Culver’s culture of philanthropy. The Chief Advancement Officer will lead and manage all fundraising and advancement programs including advancement data infrastructure operations, marketing and communications, major and planned giving, annual fund, alumni and parent engagement, and donor stewardship.
Culver Academies is a values-based, mission-driven, vision-inspired institution that offers a co-educational, residential experience beyond that of the typical boarding school for more than 800 students in grades nine through 12. Located on the north shore of Lake Maxinkuckee, Culver Academies encompasses 1,800 acres of green hills and pristine woodlands. The Collegiate Gothic architecture that defines the campus includes world-class educational and athletic facilities that evoke an Ivy League university rather than a high school. Comprised of three entities—Culver Military Academy, Culver Girls Academy, and Culver Summer Schools and Camps—Culver Academies educates its students for leadership and responsible citizenship in society by developing and nurturing the whole individual, mind, spirit, and body, through integrated programs that emphasize the cultivation of character.
Culver Academies provides the best whole-person education in the world. Whether in the classroom, on the athletic field, or in residential life, Culver students are preparing to become contributing leaders of society. Culver Academies’ commitment to fostering belonging and community is reflected in its students, faculty, and staff. Culver’s core values are forged in bronze in the middle of campus: Duty, Honor, Truth, and Service. These values, along with the Cardinal Virtues of Wisdom, Courage, Moderation, and Justice, are quite literally the foundation of Culver and are intentionally lived and taught via the student life structure, in the classroom, and on the athletic fields. Students learn of their duty to themselves, their units, and dorms, and to their school.
Culver believes that everyone should think for themselves. To that end, Culver does not merely hand students the answers, but rather gives them a deep understanding of every topic and its impact on the world. The rigorous exploration demanded by this pursuit of academic truth feeds into the holistic approach of a character-building Culver education, giving young people the critical thinking skills they need to foster the ability to distinguish the wise from the unwise and the courage and strength to act on those perceptions.
Culver’s holistic approach does not stop at the classroom door, nor is it limited to the barracks or dorm. The Culver mission commands that students’ mind, spirit, and body are developed. Spirit is intentionally placed in the center, recognizing the balance needed in life. Students have a duty to themselves to fulfill their commitments, but also understand the impact of making those commitments can have. Students are also taught the skills to understand and meet their mental, social, moral, spiritual, and physical needs. By teaching them to explore spirituality and morality, Culver students come to learn they have a place in the world, and, more importantly, that what they do matters to others, and that they themselves matter to others—in their unit, in their dorm, and within the greater Culver community. When they leave Culver, students can navigate the greater global community and make their way in it confidently and maturely.
Culver believes that in a diverse community, people overcome their natural inclination to adhere solely to what they know. Culver students live, work, and play in an atmosphere that is naturally diverse. The broad, global perspectives that students, faculty, and staff from other countries, cultures, and backgrounds bring to academic and residential life only serve to ensure students have a wealth of information to draw on when analyzing and making a decision, and to understand the impact of those decisions on the greater community. Within a residential community where every student plays a key role in the success of that community, the respect for other cultures and traditions is built up, strengthening the experience for everyone.
Culver Academies will consider candidates with a broad range of backgrounds. It seeks a strong leader and excellent communicator with deep experience in major and principal giving, and annual giving as well as an ability to establish advancement infrastructure, organizationally as well as technically, through data management systems, to realize operational potential and excellence. A bachelor's degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience and at least eight years of cumulative advancement experience, including leadership and management experience, in an independent school or small liberal arts college setting, is preferred. All applications must be accompanied by a cover letter and résumé. Cover letters should be responsive to the mission of Culver Academies as well as the responsibilities and qualifications presented in the prospectus.
The salary range for this position is $200,000 to $225,000 annually.