Posted: 20-Mar-26
Location: Calabasas, California
Type: Full Time
Categories:
Viewpoint School is an independent, coeducational, college preparatory day school serving 1,200 students in grades TK-12. Viewpoint is located in the Santa Monica Mountains of Los Angeles County on a 40-acre campus in Calabasas, close to the countless urban and recreational destinations Los Angeles has to offer.
Viewpoint School prioritizes the quality of the student experience within a context of achievement, and encourages broad student participation in academic and co-curricular opportunities. The school community is unified by a shared set of values and seeks always to strengthen its culture of learning, purpose, caring, and challenge. Viewpoint asks teachers to create relational classroom climates conducive to collaboration, creativity, and application. Employees are part of a dynamic community of bright, engaged students and colleagues. Balancing academic achievement with student wellness is also a priority for the School.
We are honored to have been named 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 Best Place to Work in SoCal by Best Companies Group. Our talented staff are the ones that made this happen and make this a great place to work every day. What makes this news even better? We're hiring!
Viewpoint School is currently seeking a Major Gift Officer. Viewpoint School offers an exciting opportunity for an adept and impactful fundraiser to play a critical role in advancing one of Southern California’s leading independent schools. The Major Gift Officer (MGO) will join a talented and growing Advancement team at a dynamic moment in the School’s history, as Viewpoint prepares for exciting capital campaign projects.
Reporting to the Senior Director of Advancement, the MGO will qualify, cultivate, solicit, and steward gifts to core annual priorities, including the Viewpoint Fund and Annual Benefit, through the management of a robust portfolio of 150 current and prospective donors with plentiful opportunities for discovery work and pipeline development. Using a classic moves management strategy, the MGO will focus intensively on growing parent participation in annual giving and helping root a culture of philanthropy in the community.
For a strategic, relationship-driven fundraiser, the MGO opportunity offers the chance to join a team of philanthropy experts that hail from a variety of industries–from higher education to healthcare to the arts—and are bringing their knowledge to bear on the independent school landscape with tremendous success. With the full support of a highly sophisticated and committed board and a Head of School that champions and values Advancement work, this role will elevate a maturing advancement program, strengthen donor engagement, and help define the future of philanthropy at Viewpoint School.
Responsibilities
- Work with the Senior Director of Campaign Research and Analytics to leverage all tools available for frontline fundraising work.
- Strive for thorough donor engagement and full saturation of the portfolio by delivering 5 meaningful touches (at least one must be face-to-face) per year to each assigned prospect.
- Be a visible member of the Advancement Office within the Viewpoint community.
- Immerse yourself in all aspects of Advancement work so you can act as a trusted and knowledgeable source of information on the School’s fundraising needs and priorities, including the case for annual support, benefit purpose and structure, endowment growth, and special projects.
- Build and maintain fluency in school curriculum and signature programs.
- Achieve an annual fundraising goal of at least $500,000 designated to the Viewpoint Fund and Annual Benefit, with a stretch goal of $1 million or more which includes restricted giving opportunities to special projects.
- Communicate with the Director of the Viewpoint Fund and Gift Administration as well as other team members as necessary to ensure the gift is properly recorded and corporate matches, stock transfers, or pending gifts are realized.
- Stay closely attuned to the parameters for stewardship events as well as the invitations and responses to ensure that donors are clearly informed of their eligibility and their presence or absence is communicated to the team.
- Partner with the Director of Donor Experience to develop creative strategies to deepen relationships in the portfolio through effective reporting and recognition.
- Follow all procedures outlined in Viewpoint’s Guidelines for Major Gift Officers.
- Input timely (i.e., weekly) and detailed records of donor communications and interactions in Raiser’s Edge NXT with contact reports, proposals/opportunities, research notes, and moves management information on all prospects in the portfolio.
- Actively participate in weekly major gift officer meetings led by the Sr. Director of Advancement to collaborate with colleagues and assess progress.
- Perform other related tasks and special projects as required.
Skills and Qualifications
The MGO must thrive in a highly collaborative and dynamic fundraising environment, where team members have multi-faceted roles and intersect on a variety of projects that move rapidly throughout the school-year. The individual will have a proven track record in annual and/or major giving and experience with discovery work and pipeline building. The ideal candidate will be someone who has a strong understanding of frontline fundraising, is an expert in moves management techniques, and can work independently. To be successful, the Major Gift Officer will be a strong communicator in verbal, written, and presentation formats with excellent interpersonal skills, have an appreciation for data driven work, and possess the ability to work collaboratively with a variety of partners and stakeholders in a large TK-12 independent school.
- Team player with a can-do attitude and willingness to help others
- Demonstrated commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice, and Belonging (DEIJB)
- Highly organized and detail oriented with a demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities and projects, and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment
- Strategic thinker, diplomatic and discerning, with sound judgment and a collaborative style that fosters teamwork and cooperation
- Excellent interpersonal skills with a collaborative approach to working with staff at all organizational levels, including volunteers and board members
- Ability to be creative, enterprising, persuasive, and tactful
- Ability to deliver exceptional customer service via all channels (phone, email, in-person, etc.)
- Ability to use current desktop office technologies proficiently and ability to adapt to and use future technologies
- CRM experience required (Raiser’s Edge NXT preferred)
- Data-driven and digital first mentality, with the ability to work collaboratively in a Google cloud-based environment
- Ability to work evenings for prospect dinners and events as needed
- Ability and willingness to travel locally in greater Los Angeles area for prospect visits and events
Education and Work Experience
- Bachelor’s degree required
- 4-6 years of frontline fundraising experience, with a proven track record of closing annual fund gifts
- Experience working in education is desirable. Understanding of the mission and purpose of independent schools is highly desirable.
Compensation: Anticipated compensation is $95,000 - $110,000 depending on experience.