Director of Institutional Advancement 

Start Date: October 1, 2024

The Academy of Notre Dame de Namur, an independent, college-preparatory, Catholic girls’ day school, seeks a creative and experienced Director of Institutional Advancement to lead the School's advancement programming. The Director of Institutional Advancement reports to the Head of School, serving as a member of the Leadership Team and managing the  day-to-day operations of the Advancement Department. The Director will provide leadership and direction for all fundraising efforts; will direct friend and fundraising efforts; and will be a strategic partner to the Head of School and the Board of Trustees.

Founded in 1856 by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, the school is the only all-girls’ Catholic academy on the Main Line outside Philadelphia, dedicated to teaching young women “what they need to know for life” in preparation for responsible living in a global society. 

The successful candidate is an exceptional communicator with demonstrated experience partnering with and balancing the priorities of multiple constituencies. They should have experience in  independent schools and fundraising.

Leadership 

• Leads strategic planning for advancement, which is driven by and supports the School’s Mission, Hallmarks, and priorities.
• Provides direction and support to the Head of School in fulfilling advancement responsibilities, ensuring prudent use of time.
• Assists the Head of School in providing support to the Board of Trustees, including utilizing the talents and ideas of the Board to expand Notre Dame's  fundraising efforts. 
• Develops strong working relationships with Trustees and other key constituents of the School. 
• Spends at least 80% of the time on activities directly related to nurturing the relationships with donors who have the capacity to make significant gifts (of $25,000 and more) to the Academy through capital or endowment gifts.  
• Serve as the leadership team liaison to the Advancement Committee of the Board which involves preparing the agenda, communicating with the Chair of the Advancement Committee, participating in the meeting, and preparing meeting minutes.
• Provides periodic analysis of advancement program results and status to the Head of School and the Board of Trustees.  
• Leads the Advancement Team providing direction, feedback, and coaching to insure annual fundraising goals are met.
• Collaborates with the Advancement Team on the vision, direction, and oversight of the Academy’s Institutional Advancement Program. 
• Develops strategy and plans for stewardship of donors in coordination with the Advancement Team.

Gifts Officer 

• Personally contacts, develops relationships, solicits, and stewards major gift prospects and donors.  
• Finalizes specific strategies for the cultivation and solicitation of major donor  prospects and reviews prospect strategies regularly for refinement.
• Develops long-range plans for current and prospective donors' involvement in the life of the School.

• Develops and manages a program that engages the Head of School, other leadership team members, Trustees, and volunteers in stewarding major gift donors. 
• In coordination with the Advancement Team:
• Manages tracking of endowment funds, including background information on  donors, fund purpose, gift amount, market value, and use of funds. 
• Ensures that donors are provided with annual reports on endowment  performance, market value of fund, and use of endowment income. 

Campaign Leadership and Management

• Engages, coordinates, and translates campaign plans into action, including but not limited to committee structure and goals, participation of Board of Trustees, and advancement staffing.
• Manages prospect identification, evaluation, assignment, and tracking to ensure the success of the campaign, including the assignment of prospects to volunteers, and preparing prospect proposals and meeting scenarios, including personalization for each prospect. 
• Coordinates events to support the campaign, including cultivation events. 
• Manages systems tracking and reporting on gifts and ensures pledge fulfillment.

IndySchool Consultancy has been retained to lead this search for the school.  For more information or to apply, please contact Tim Viands, President, at tim@indyschoolconsultancy.com

Requirements 

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing or related field; Master’s degree preferred.
• Minimum of five (5) years of successful fundraising experience, including prior capital campaign experience
• Proven track record of creatively building and leading successful teams
• Deep appreciation and understanding of the independent school environment and the ability to articulate its values and vision, internally and externally
• Superior communication skills both written and spoken with strong interpersonal, organizational, and managerial skills

IndySchool Consultancy has been retained to lead this search for the school.  For more information or to apply, please contact Tim Viands, President, at tim@indyschoolconsultancy.com

About Academy of Notre Dame de Namur

Located just outside Philadelphia, in Villanova, Pennsylvania, the Academy of Notre Dame de Namur is a Catholic, independent, college preparatory school that commits itself to the education of young women in grades 6 through 12 for responsible living in a global society.

Connections working at Academy of Notre Dame de Namur