Reporting to the Head of School, the Director of Development collaborates with the entire leadership team including the Assistant Head of School, Director of Finance and Facilities, and the Director of Admissions. The Director is responsible for all aspects of fundraising, including the Annual Fund, Major Gifts, Special Events, and Grants. This job is accomplished through the individual’s own direct efforts as well as partnering with the Board-led Advancement Committee, and effectively leveraging the skills and volunteer contributions of Westerly parents, alumni, board members, and staff. The new Director will come to Westerly ready to take action, but also willing to take the time to learn the school, the community, and the current and future development needs. With a bent for strategic thinking and data-driven analysis, the Director of Development will map out a vision for Westerly’s growth and development practice. 

The Position

The Director of Development is a full-time, 12-month, key member of the leadership team at Westerly and will have a significant impact on the financial well-being and future of the school. This role offers an opportunity to build a nascent development practice into a stable and fruitful cornerstone of the school. The Director will see and understand the significant possibilities in this position and will use creativity, keen analytics, sound judgment, and heart to strengthen and evolve the role of development at Westerly. In partnership with the Head of School and the Board, the Director will create a plan for development, stewardship, and the establishment of an endowment that takes into account the mission of the school and the community it serves. The Director will jump into the role and the community with both feet, putting strategy into action to deliver on several crucial building blocks to secure Westerly’s future. 

Strategic Priorities

The Director of Development will approach the role with curiosity and optimism, ready to strategize and implement systems, programs, and practices that will bolster Westerly’s foundation. They will lead, monitor, and assess the quality and efficacy of the development work by prioritizing the following:

• Develop a five to 10 year strategic roadmap for development.
• Develop a donor stewardship plan.
• In partnership with the Head of School and Board, work towards establishing and growing an endowment.
• Create an outreach and engagement plan for the alumni community that fosters a deeper connection to the school.
• Build a network of relationships with organizations and individuals outside of the Westerly community to widen the donor base.
• Help cultivate a culture of giving within the Westerly community.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS 

• Cultivate and sustain donor relationships, including donor recognition and stewardship.
• Evaluate current fundraising strategies and methods and recommend changes as appropriate.
• Oversee all aspects of the Annual Fund campaign.
• Develop and partner with the Head of School to implement a Major Gift Program.
• Work with the Board Advancement committee to develop and implement fundraising strategies and an overarching fundraising plan.
• Oversee all aspects of the annual Silent and Live Auction event inclusive of planning and night of execution. This includes serving as the administrative lead for all logistics, recruiting and overseeing parent volunteers to serve as the auction chairs, committee members and night of volunteers, managing sponsorships, ticket sales, and other donations from collection to tracking them within the development database and reconciling with accounting.
• Respond to donor concerns, requests, and gifts, including recognition, invoicing, and producing annual statements in a timely and accurate manner.
• Work with the Head of School and Board of Trustees to reach fundraising goals.
• Engage the Board in fundraising activities to identify and approach new individual and corporate funding prospects.
• Prepare solicitation materials including targeted appeals and social media communication.
• Educate internal stakeholders about fundraising in independent schools.
• Maintain the donor database management system according to all IRS specifications, and school policies and procedures.
• Fulfill other duties as assigned by the Head of School.

QUALITIES AND ATTRIBUTES

• Results-driven, organized, and growth oriented strategic thinker with strong follow-through skills and an ability to drive processes.
• Transparent, personable, persuasive, and influential communicator who is comfortable speaking about personal finances and giving.
• A proactive go-getter who will hit the ground running.
• Ability to build relationships and trust with key constituencies including parents/guardians and alumni.
• Collaborative, adaptable, and with a willingness to step in where needed.
• An interest in getting to know and be involved with the community outside of development work.
• Innovative, curious, and willing to try new things.
• Knowledgeable of DEIJB principles as these are well incorporated at the school. 
• Authentic leader with a sense of humor that doesn’t take themselves too seriously.

Westerly School is an equal opportunity employer and makes employment decisions on the basis of merit. School policy prohibits unlawful discrimination based on age, color, creed, disability, gender, marital status, national origin or ancestry, race, religion, registered domestic partner status, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, a medical condition including genetic characteristics, or any other consideration made unlawful by federal, state or local laws.

When it comes to faculty and staff, Westerly seeks caring, dedicated individuals who have a passion for learning and who are always open to improving their craft. The Westerly campus and community encourage collaboration and creativity. Westerly supports all teachers and staff in their professional development and empowers them to share their knowledge and expertise with the greater community.

Interested candidates should submit via  https://bit.ly/Westerly_DevDirector_AppForm the following materials confidentially in one, single PDF file: 

• A cover letter indicating the candidate’s particular interest in and qualifications for the position
• A current résumé
• The names, addresses, and telephone numbers of five references, including at least one recent supervisor. References should speak to the applicant’s ability to be an effective administrator and to work collaboratively and collegially with all relevant stakeholders (references will be contacted only with the candidate’s permission).

QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor's Degree.
• A minimum of 3 - 5 years of relevant development, advancement, and/or fundraising experience.
• Demonstrated strengths in interpersonal skills, collaboration, and initiative.
• Ability to prioritize, organize and manage multiple projects efficiently.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience with donor database management is a plus.
• Excellent understanding of principles and techniques of development activities, including annual giving, major giving, planned giving, event planning, capital campaigns, marketing and communications, and grant procurement.
• Experience in event planning and/or project management.
• Proven success in applying for and being awarded grants.
• Position requires absolute confidentiality and professionalism in appearance, attitude and presentation.
• Experience with alumni engagement is a plus.
• Experience in building an endowment is a plus.
• Knowledge of the Long Beach community is a plus.
• Experience in K-12 schools is a plus.

About Westerly School of Long Beach

Westerly School is an independent, non-sectarian Kindergarten through 8th grade school focused on whole child education. Through inquiry-based pedagogy and practices, Westerly School strives to recognize and meet the needs of every individual student to ignite within each child a lifelong love of learning as they discover their full and unique potential. Founded in 1991 by a group of parents who wanted to provide an alternative to the Long Beach Unified School District education, Westerly remains the only independent school in Long Beach. Westerly currently enrolls 180 students. Westerly School is an equal opportunity employer and makes employment decisions on the basis of merit. School policy prohibits unlawful discrimination based on age, color, creed, disability, gender, marital status, national origin or ancestry, race, religion, registered domestic partner status, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, a medical condition including genetic characteristics, or any other consideration made unlawful by federal, state or local laws.

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