The Academy of the Holy Cross is accepting resumes for a Director of Annual Giving.

The Academy of the Holy Cross, a Catholic College preparatory school sponsored by the Sisters of the Holy Cross since 1868, is dedicated to educating young women in a Christ-centered community which values diversity.  The Academy is committed to developing women of courage, compassion and scholarship who responsibly embrace the social, spiritual and intellectual challenges of the world.

All faculty and staff must demonstrate a commitment to the Core Values of the Academy: community, Catholic identity, academic excellence, educating the whole person, tradition, diversity, leadership, single-sex education, environment, and communication.

The Director of Annual Giving is responsible for directing and managing the school's annual fund and for conducting analytics on the school's database of donors, prospects and constituents.  The position reports to the Director of Philanthropy and Stewardship.

The Director of Annual Giving is charged with developing and implementing strategies for securing annul financial support for the mission of the school from alumnae, parents (current and past), friends and foundations.

The annual fund is comprised of multiple, personalized solicitations throughout the school year, strategically timed and focused.  Solicitation strategies include use of direct mail, social media, phone and personal visitation.  The specific approach to different profiles of constituents must be based on information derived from the analytics performed.  While the focus of this role is Annual Giving, the Annual Fund Director contribute to other advancement and development initiatives including corporate sponsorships, grant-writing, and major gifts

The Director of Annual Giving is also responsible for working with other members of the advancement team to ensure proper data entry, gift acknowledgement, ongoing updating and management of the school's database.  It also includes working closely with the President and Director of Advancement to identify/move prospects into the major gift cycle, manage the annual fund budget and assist as needed in special advancement projects.

PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Determine the best, most effective strategy for annual fund success based on the school's needs, history of giving, electronic screening results and in-depth analytics
• Create the annual fund plan for the year complete with timelines and objectives
• Create and manage the budget for the assigned areas of responsibility
• Write all annual fund solicitation copy
• Work with appropriate staff and/or vendors to ensure smooth production of all annual fund operations
• Work with the database manager to send letters of acknowledgement to annual fund donors
• Perform in-depth analytics on the school's database of constituents and donors, to assess results and identify prospective major gift prospects
• Research and identify foundation grants
• Work closely with the President and Director of Advancement to ensure a coordinated approach to major gift prospects
• Work independently and be self-motivated in initiating contacts with annual fund donors and prospects
• Provide the results of analytics to the Director of Advancement to assist in the maximization of the school's philanthropic potential
• Compile statistics and provide regular, periodic reports on the progress of the annual fund and other related areas of focus (i.e., percentage of giving, cost of each mailing, results of each mailing, etc.)
• Assist in creating the annual development plan for the school
• Attend Advancement Committee Meetings as necessary.

Experience

• Five - ten years' experience in non-profit fundraising

Skills:

• Excellent research and analytical skills required
• Must have excellent written and oral communication skills
• Ability to meet deadlines and achieve objectives
• Ability to work with others within the department and school
• Ability to work with vendors (printers, mail house, etc.) to achieve desired results
• Must be proficient in Raiser's Edge Database Software
• Must have strong work ethic, excellent organizational and follow-through skills, flexibility and high energy and a willingness to coordinate efforts with others
• Must have strong interpersonal skills
• Must be able to work evenings and weekends as required
• Must possess a personal belief in and commitment to the missions, goals and objectives of the school
• Must have a high level of integrity in dealing with confidential information
• Must have attention to detail
• Must possess an optimistic and positive attitude
• Must be self-motivated and a self-starter
• Must be creative, passionate, respectful, kind, sophisticated and have perseverance