Career Center

POSITION:  Director of Annual Giving

VA Summary: Vermont Academy (VA) is nestled on four hundred fifty acres at the foothills of the Green Mountains in Saxtons River, Vermont, and has provided a supportive community and close personal attention to its students for close to 150 years.  VA immerses students (boarding and day) in key developmental pillars including Community, Land, Ingenuity, and Independence. 

Values: Diversity, equity, and inclusion are central values to Vermont Academy. We are passionate about building and sustaining an inclusive and equitable working and learning environment for all students, staff, faculty, and families. We believe every member of our team enriches our diversity by exposing us to a broad range of ways to understand and engage with the world, identify challenges, and discover, design, and deliver solutions.

Job Title:  Director of Annual Giving

Reports To:  Director of Advancement

Job Type:  Full Time

Summary

Vermont Academy seeks a Director of Annual Giving, who will be responsible for creating and executing a comprehensive, year-round fundraising plan for annual giving. The fundraising plan will include goals, strategies, and programming that build and engage VA’s donor base, increasing the annual fund each year. This person will also work to ensure the effective administration of annual fund gifts through acknowledgment letters, recognition of donors in the Annual Report, and the delivery of any necessary reports and communications, such as pledge reminders and donor reports, to appropriate constituents. They will work closely with the Director of Alumni Engagement, the Associate Director of Advancement, Operations and Stewardship, and the Director of Communications & Marketing. Through personal visits, they will identify, cultivate, and steward meaningful relationships with established and potential donors, seeking and securing unrestricted gifts for the annual giving campaign, as well as identifying potential campaign and planned giving prospects. This is a full-time, twelve-month position that includes travel, and weekend and evening work.

Specific Responsibilities:

• Create and manage a comprehensive fundraising plan and appeal schedule for annual giving, in coordination with alumni, campaign and communications efforts.
• Work collaboratively with members of the Advancement & Communications Offices to coordinate appropriate annual giving solicitations, including strategy and stewardship of donors and prospects.
• Work with the Communications Office to create appeals and marketing materials, as well as to maintain the annual giving page on the School’s website.
• Make strategic and statistical-based recommendations for the Annual Fund to the Director of Advancement and to the Advancement and Constituency Relations (ACR) Committee of the Board of Trustees/Campaign Chair(s) for annual dollar, participation, and qualitative goals. Create and implement strategies to achieve annual giving goals.
• Create and manage a multidimensional appeal schedule that utilizes a variety of mediums (e.g., electronic solicitation, direct mail appeals, face-to-face solicitations, and proposals) to communicate with potential and current donors.
• Cultivate and manage volunteers that will work to increase engagement and giving. This includes serving as the liaison with the Vermont Academy Parents Association and with the Alumni Council Class Representatives Committee.
• With the Director of Alumni Engagement, and the Associate Director of Advancement, Operations, and Stewardship, will: be responsible for preparing weekly, monthly, and other relevant annual giving reports;
• Manage gift crediting and acknowledgment procedures; Reconcile all reports, develop custom reports, and determine appeal codes for Raiser’s Edge.
• Maintain an active prospect portfolio and solicit leadership gifts in support of annual giving.  Meet expectations of 8–10 visits per month.
• Utilize Raiser’s Edge to track visits, produce contact notes, and conduct appropriate constituent follow-up within two weeks.
• Participate in ACR committee meetings.
• In coordination with the Deans’ Office and the Academic Studies Office, organize the annual Family Weekend in the fall.
• Support the School, its mission, and its leadership.
• Support residential life by performing weekend duties in rotation.
• Actively participate in the life of the Academy by being a visible presence at meals, meetings, events, productions, and games.

Basic Qualifications: 

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• A minimum of three years of experience in a nonprofit environment, with a demonstrated record of success in annual giving.
• Experience promoting and managing previous annual giving programs in educational institutions is highly desirable.
• Demonstrated and successful experience performing personal solicitations of annual fund gifts.
• Experience with volunteer management is highly preferable.
• A strong sense of fundraising ethics and practices, and respect for confidentiality of donor information.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• A highly energetic and enthusiastic personality, with excellent interpersonal, problem-solving, and time-management skills.
• The ability to work both independently and as a team player.
• Proficiency in MS Office programs, GoogleSuite, and Raiser’s Edge competency is strongly preferred.
• The ability to travel to meet with donors and prospects.
• Ability to work evenings and/or weekends, as required by the position.

Disclaimer: The above declarations are not intended to be an all-inclusive list of the duties and responsibilities of the position described, nor are they intended to be such a listing of the skills and abilities required to do the job. Rather, they are intended only to describe the general nature of the position.

Job Description Status: The duties and responsibilities listed in this job description are illustrative ones anticipated for this position. Other duties and responsibilities may be assigned as required. Vermont Academy reserves the right to amend or change this job description to meet the needs of its programs. This job description and any attachments do not constitute or represent a contract.

Employment decisions are made at Vermont Academy without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, or veteran status.

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About Vermont Academy

Founded in 1876, Vermont Academy is a coed college preparatory boarding and day school in southern Vermont, serving grades 9-12 plus a postgraduate year. www.vermontacademy.org

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