What are the responsibilities and job description for the Director of Annual Giving position at Maumee Valley Country Day School?
Position opening: Director of Annual Giving
Type: Full-time staff (260 days paid over 12 months)
Application deadline: March 1, 2025, with applications reviewed as they are received
Start date: July 1, 2025 (or sooner at the discretion of the Head of School)
Job Summary: Director of Annual Giving
The Director of Annual Giving at Maumee Valley Country Day School will play a critical role in advancing the school's mission of providing a personal, experiential, and global education. As a key member of the dynamic and creative advancement team, the Director will be responsible for all aspects of the school’s sophisticated annual giving program, including the design, structure, and execution of the annual campaign, Giving Tuesday, and stewardship of donor relationships. This position will oversee donor data management and cultivate strong constituent relations to ensure a successful and sustainable program. The Director will work closely with the Marketing and Admissions teams to develop and execute a compelling and unified strategy that supports the school’s world-class teachers and passionate students while fostering a culture of philanthropy. The role requires strategic vision, leadership, and the ability to build meaningful connections with the broader school community.
Key Responsibilities and Duties:
- Campaign Design & Execution: Lead the strategy, structure, and execution of the school’s annual giving campaign, including planning, budgeting, and timeline management. Oversee the creation of a comprehensive campaign that aligns with the school’s mission.
- Giving Tuesday Coordination: Manage and execute Giving Tuesday initiatives, ensuring effective messaging, promotion, and engagement with donors and constituents.
- Donor Relations: Develop and nurture relationships with existing and potential donors, ensuring they are engaged, appreciated, and motivated to continue supporting the school’s mission.
- Data Management & Analysis: Oversee the management of donor data, ensuring accuracy and integrity. Use data-driven insights to assess campaign performance and inform future strategies.
- Collaboration with Marketing & Admissions: Work closely with the Marketing and Admissions teams to create unified and compelling messaging that resonates with all school constituencies, including alumni, parents, and friends of the school.
- Leadership & Team Coordination: Provide leadership and guidance to the advancement team around annual giving, ensuring alignment with broader goals and priorities. Foster a collaborative and results-driven environment.
- Reporting & Stewardship: Regularly report on progress toward annual giving goals to senior leadership and trustees. Ensure donor recognition and stewardship strategies are in place to acknowledge and thank donors for their contributions.
- Engagement & Community Building: Cultivate a sense of community and ownership among donors, encouraging greater participation and long-term giving.
Key Skills/Competencies:
- Fundraising Expertise: Proven experience in fundraising and donor relations, particularly in an annual giving context. Ability to craft compelling cases for support and inspire donors to engage with the school’s mission.
- Strategic Thinking: Strong ability to develop and implement strategies that align with institutional goals and drive growth in annual giving.
- Data-Driven Decision Making: Comfortable with donor database systems and using analytics to track campaign performance, assess trends, and inform future strategies.
- Collaborative Leadership: Strong interpersonal skills and a collaborative approach to working across departments (e.g., Marketing, Admissions) and with external stakeholders.
- Communication Skills: Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to tailor messaging to different audiences, including current students, alumni, parents, and the broader school community.
- Project Management: Skilled in managing multiple projects simultaneously, with a keen attention to detail and the ability to meet deadlines.
- Passion for Education: A deep commitment to the mission of Maumee Valley Country Day School and an understanding of the value of experiential and global education.
- Creativity & Innovation: Ability to bring fresh ideas to the annual giving program, leveraging new tools, technologies, and strategies to engage donors effectively.
This position reports to the Director of Advancement and collaborates closely with the members of the advancement team. As a full-time employee, the position offers benefits including but not limited to comprehensive health benefits, robust paid time off, paid life insurance, tuition remission, and professional development. All Maumee Valley employees are expected to actively engage in personal and professional work in support of the school’s diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, work independently with minimum supervision, and collaborate willingly and effectively with their team.
Our Philosophy of Teaching and Learning
As Maumee Valley Country Day School approaches the 140th anniversary of its founding, it remains the preeminent educational institution in northwest Ohio. It is the only accredited, coeducational, nonreligious, and independent school in the area and attracts families from northwest Ohio, southeast Michigan, and nations worldwide. Enrollment is about 470 students from pre-kindergarten through 12th Grade. We prepare students for global citizenship and admission to prestigious universities. We are known for outstanding academics, high test scores, a beautiful campus, unrivaled opportunities for study abroad, hands-on learning, and personal bonds between students and teachers.
At Maumee Valley, children dream, explore, and cultivate their passions and strengths. Our faculty and staff do the same. We are more than a school and more than a group of people: We are a community of lifelong learners who inspire joy. As the only PreK-12 independent school in northwest Ohio, we support an accomplished and diverse student body within a progressive academic program.
A Maumee Valley education is Personal, Experiential, and Global. A journey of discovery and action defines each child’s learning experience. Through an intentionally crafted curriculum, including active lessons and serendipitous explorations, a Maumee Valley education launches children toward the investigation of the world. It helps them find their place in it. With our students at the center of our decision-making, we aspire to seek understanding, grow in our compassion and empathy, and adapt to the ever-changing world our students will one day lead.
Read our school’s Statement of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging:
https://www.mvcds.org/about/diversity-equity-and-inclusion
Background check
All Maumee Valley employees and volunteers must agree to a comprehensive background check and confidentiality agreement.
Equal Employment Opportunity
We are dedicated to providing equal employment opportunities to all personnel and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, ability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, military status, veteran status, ancestry, or citizenship, per applicable laws. In addition, we comply with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including but not limited to hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, benefits, and training. We value a diverse workforce.
