Position Summary:

The Advancement Office is responsible for cultivating and expanding philanthropic support among alumni, parents, past parents and friends of Canterbury School. The Leadership Gift Officer is responsible for identifying, qualifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding a portfolio of leadership-level ($1,915+) donors and reunion prospects.

The ideal candidate is a strategic relationship builder with the confidence to inspire meaningful philanthropic investment through personalized, inperson engagement. This position requires regular travel approximately 30-40% of the time, and includes some evening and weekend responsibilities.

Essential Responsibilities:

• Manage a portfolio of 100-125 leadership-level donors and prospective donors with capacity to give $1,915+, with an emphasis on acquiring new donors, reactivating lapsed donors, and upgrading existing donors.
• Build and strengthen relationships through personalized outreach, including face-to-face visits, phone calls, zooms, and meaningful donor encounters.
• Devise individual engagement strategies for each prospect, with the goal of soliciting annual gifts ($1,915+) and/or multi-year pledges ($10k+).
• In collaboration with Advancement colleagues, lead fundraising efforts for 25th, 30th, 35th, and 40th milestone reunion classes; identify and prioritize the cultivation and solicitation of leadership donors.
• Develop comprehensive reunion fundraising strategies for assigned reunion classes, including volunteer recruitment and management, goal setting, gift pyramid development, lead donor(s) identification, and peer-to-peer solicitation efforts.
• Monitor progress toward reunion fundraising goals, providing regular updates to internal stakeholders and volunteers.
• Collaborate with Advancement colleagues and campus partners to ensure consistent strategy, messaging, and donor experience.
• Meet or exceed individual fundraising goals while contributing to broader advancement and reunion fundraising objectives.

Required Knowledge and Skills:

• Authentic desire to work in an independent school environment, ability to effectively communicate the School’s mission and priorities, and willingness to travel extensively to strengthen relationships with donors and prospective donors.
• Adhere to ethical fundraising practice, including transparency, confidentiality, and respect for donor intent, while upholding the highest standards of integrity and professionalism.
• Goal and detail oriented with excellent organizational, writing, and communications skills; able to create clear, concise, and compelling written messages.
• Ability to meet deadlines and manage multiple projects simultaneously, working independently and as a member of a team.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Suite and Google applications. Experience in Raiser’s Edge/NXT or other fundraising databases is a plus.
• Independent secondary school or higher education experience is strongly preferred.
• Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of two years of fundraising experience is required.