St. Christopher’s School, the largest all-boys school in Virginia and one of the largest and oldest boys’ schools in the Mid-Atlantic region, seeks a Director of Annual Giving. Reporting to the Director of Development, the Director of Annual Giving will build on St. Christopher’s already successful fundraising program to inspire even greater support and participation in Annual Giving. Currently the St. Christopher’s Annual Giving program raises over $2m annually with strong parent and faculty/staff participation and particularly impressive alumni participation, which regularly achieves ~45% giving rate, making St. Christopher’s a leader in alumni participation nationally.

The Director of Annual Giving will work closely with the Director of Alumni and Community Relations and other Development team members to develop effective Annual Giving growth strategies. Candidates must possess the highest ethical standards, excellent organizational and communications skills, a collaborative work style, and a commitment to the mission and values of St. Christopher’s School.

Serving approximately 1,000 boys in Grades JK-12 in Richmond, Virginia, St. Christopher’s School is committed to cultivating a school community that is diverse, inclusive, and welcoming and prides itself on bringing out the best in every boy. Our Episcopal foundation is at the center of what we do, and we care most about developing young men who possess honor and integrity. Our boys benefit from an education and curriculum that is focused on excellence in all forms, including academics, the arts, athletics, and service learning.

Principal Responsibilities:

• Oversee the St. Christopher’s Annual Giving program
• Create and manage a data-driven multi-year strategy to grow the number of Annual Giving supporters and dollars each year by acquiring, retaining, and upgrading donors to meet targeted Annual Giving goals
• Identify and track giving trends within the community to drive future strategies
• Enhance donor recognition programs, especially our leadership giving society and our loyal donors, ensuring that those programs serve both retention and acquisition
• Work collaboratively with the Director of Alumni and Community Relations to develop and implement a Reunion giving program with clear goals and objectives
• Re-energize the Class and Parent Agent programs
• Collaborate with Development and Communications team members to effectively communicate the Annual Giving case for support and develop a solicitation calendar
• Maintain a portfolio of Annual Giving donors (50-75) with an eye towards increased giving
• Manage St. Christopher’s Day of Giving program, focusing on growth strategy, marketing, and implementation
• Support Alumni & Development team in all initiatives
• Other duties and responsibilities as assigned by the Director of Development

Personal and Professional Characteristics:

• A high level of integrity and a strong work ethic
• A commitment to treating all members of the community with respect and consideration.
• Optimism, patience, maturity, and a sense of humor.
• An open and collaborative professional style, characteristic of a team player, with the judgment to know when decisive action is required.
• A clear willingness to take on problems that present themselves, even if they seem outside the job description.
• A shared understanding of both the mission of the School and the work necessary to steward the School’s goodwill.

Qualifications and Key Skills:

• Bachelor’s Degree.
• Background in creating and executing an annual giving program
• Experience with constituent and volunteer relations, including direct volunteer management
• Demonstrated ability to drive and define and communicate ROI/results from fundraising efforts through reports, publications, and presentations for internal and external stakeholders
• Ability to create basic reports to support departmental/division processes, proficient in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and Word.
• Experience using Raiser’s Edge, RE NXT, and Givecampus.
• Ability to travel locally, regionally and nationally (when necessary) and participate in occasional evening and weekend activities.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality at all times.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to think strategically and ability to handle multiple activities simultaneously.
• Strong interpersonal skills.
• Ability to exercise discretion and independent judgment.
• High level of initiative, creativity, flexibility, and motivation.
• Candidates should understand the priorities of St. Christopher’s School and must be able to articulate the case for philanthropic support.
• A clear commitment to diversity, community, and inclusion in school communities, as expressed in the St. Christopher’s Diversity and Inclusion Statement

Physical Requirements:

Effective October 22, 2021, School policy requires all employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The School offers an interactive process to assess whether a reasonable accommodation can be made to individuals seeking a medical and/or religious exemption. Requests for reasonable accommodation can be submitted via e-mail to Laura Dick, Human Resources Manager, at [email protected].

Additional Information:

Candidates interested in pursuing this position should send a cover letter, resume, and reference contact information to: [email protected]. Please include Director of Annual Giving in the subject line.

School Information:

Established in 1911, St. Christopher’s School is a JK-12 all-boys day school in Richmond, VA. The School’s single-campus location consists of 43 contiguous acres and 23 buildings with over 300,000 square feet. With over a century of rich history in the education of boys, St. Christopher’s has a reputation as a national and international leader in the education of boys. Our work with the International Boys’ Schools Coalition and our very own Center for the Study of Boys, supports our new strategic plan, Momentum 2025, setting a bold path forward for the entire St. Christopher’s community.

St. Christopher’s School is committed to fostering, in broad and meaningful ways, an inclusive school community in which all members feel respected, welcomed, and valued. As such, St. Christopher’s School is an equal opportunity employer. St. Christopher’s School provides equal employment opportunity to all employees and job applicants without regard to an individual’s race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a veteran, marital status, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions including lactation, age, disability, genetic information or any other factor prohibited by applicable law.

Mission Statement:

St. Christopher’s School knows, loves, and celebrates boys, promotes their pursuit of excellence, and prepares them for lives of honor and integrity, service, and leadership.

St. Christopher’s School offers a comprehensive and competitive employee benefits package.

Why Richmond?

Richmond, the capital of Virginia, is one of America’s oldest major cities. Richmond’s budding food, music, and cultural scene put it on the map as one of the hottest places to live. Richmond was recently featured in both the New York Times and Forbes as one of the coolest U.S. cities to visit.

Richmond combines big-city amenities with Southern charm. History buffs will enjoy visits to St. John’s Church where Patrick Henry gave his famous “Give me Liberty or Give me Death” speech. Museums include the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, The American Civil War Museum, the Virginia Museum of History & Culture, the Children’s Museum of Richmond and the Virginia Holocaust Museum. Music and dance enthusiasts will enjoy the Richmond Symphony, Richmond Ballet and Virginia Opera.

Major colleges, University of Richmond, Virginia Commonwealth University, Virginia Union University and Virginia State University, are cultural hubs and host theatre events, music performances and impressive sports teams.

Richmond’s appealing climate and location (2 hours to the beach, the mountains and Washington D.C.) make it an enjoyable and exciting city in which to work and live.