The Thacher School is one of the most selective and highly regarded boarding schools in the nation. Founded in 1889 by Sherman Day Thacher, the School serves academically talented students from over 20 states and close to 10 countries in a rigorous college preparatory experience. More than 54% of students identify as people of color. The faculty and students live and work closely together on a 427-acre campus nestled in the foothills of the Los Padres National Forest in Ojai, California (85 miles north of Los Angeles). Honor, fairness, kindness, and truth are the cornerstones of School life. Together, the School community commits to the belief that demands in the academic classroom, when combined with those of mountains and horses, of sports and the arts, produce independent minds, strong bodies, and powerful character. The School enrolls 250 students, has an operating budget of $25 million, and an endowment of $180 million.

The Thacher School provides equal opportunities to all individuals regardless of race, color, religion, ethnic or national origin, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, veteran’s status, or any other factor that is a prohibited consideration under applicable law.

Thacher’s track record of fundraising is exceedingly impressive. In 2021, the School completed a $195 million campaign adding a new dining hall, a new academic STEM center, and increasing the endowment. The annual giving and events programs are very strong—in recent years, 56 percent of alumni and 95% of parents supported the school. Thacher is among the most supported schools in the nation, raising $5 million in the annual fund for the 2021-2022 school year. Thacher alumni are dedicated, engaged, and involved. In recent years, the School has concluded an investigation into historic sexual misconduct in an effort to learn from the past to live up to the values of honor, fairness, kindness, and truth. The alumni office will lead an effort to work with alumni from historically marginalized communities to continue to learn and grow as a community.

The Director of Annual Giving and Parent Relations is responsible for the design, strategy and implementation of The Thacher School’s annual fund and parent relations programs. The Director will work closely with key staff, trustees, and other volunteers to implement a strategic annual fund program to maximize community philanthropy in support of the School’s mission. The Director will continue to lead short term strategies as well as the long-term vision for one of the nation’s highest performing annual fund programs. The Parent Relations program plays a key role in Thacher parent experience and engagement with the School and encompasses on-campus events, regional events, and virtual events.

Additionally, the Director leads the Annual Fund Team, which is responsible for developing sustainable and creative solutions to meet the growing needs of the diverse Thacher community. The Director works closely with the Alumni Relations team to sustain and grow the support from and the connection between our alumni and The Thacher School. The Director also works closely with the Director of Leadership Giving to sustain and grow leadership Annual Fund support among all constituency groups, and with the Director of Development Operations to create and analyze reporting metrics in order to make informed strategic decisions. This position reports to the Director of Development.

Major Functions and Responsibilities: 

• Develop, manage and implement an annual fund program including all goals, objectives and tasks for the Annual Fund team.
• Manage Annual Giving team.
• Create an annual revenue budget and provide projects for the Director of Institutional Advancement and the Board of Trustees.
• Determine annual giving goals and donor targets by constituent groups and strategy.
• Work effectively with the leadership giving team to build strategies for moving donors to higher giving levels.
• Develop annual giving communications strategy by method and constituency to achieve maximum ROI.
• If experience and interest allows, manage a prospect pool with annual goals for personal visits and advancing relationships. Oversee the support of reunion giving activities
• Partner with director of stewardship and donor relations to manage annual recognition efforts and stewardship opportunities
• Develop and manage metrics to measure the effectiveness of annual strategies, working closely with the Development Operations team to build and analyze donor lists and reports.
• Oversee and implement the two major spring giving challenges for young alums and the broader community.
• Develop and execute a highly effective and sustainable volunteer component (Class Reps/Class Agents/Parent Annual Fund Volunteers) within annual giving.
• Provide strategy and oversight for all parent events, including on-campus events, regional events, and virtual events.
• Partner with the Parent Association Chairs to increase engagement among current parents and with the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to oversee family affinity groups
• Contribute to the leadership and management of the Alumni and Development Department.

Qualifications: 

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Five years of fundraising and/or educational experience required.
• Strong managerial, leadership and supervisory skills necessary.
• Demonstrated organizational and communication skills as well as ability to work with and motivate other development professionals and volunteers.
• Ability to work independently and cooperatively within a team environment.
• Willingness and ability to travel (up to 25%) and to work nights and weekends, as required.
• Understanding of database management, gift processing and donor relations.
• Openness to new ideas and their implementation. Ability to react and adapt to changing situations appropriately.
• Demonstrated analytical and fund-raising skills with the ability to recognize opportunities, identify critical, high pay-off activities and prioritize them to attain goals.
• Ability and interest in managing, developing, motivating, and mentoring staff.
• Ability to establish rapport quickly with donors.
• Familiarity with boarding school culture a plus and willingness to be a part of a close-knit community.
• Alignment with School’s focus on DEI work
• Project management skills, including planning, budgeting, and the ability to balance multiple tasks and projects while delivering quality work on schedule
• Trust, accountability, discretion, honesty, and teamwork

Salary Range: 

Salary Range is $85,000-$110,000. Final salary will depend on several factors, including a candidate’s qualifications, skills, competencies, experience, and internal equity and may fall outside of the range shown. Thacher offers a competitive total rewards package, which includes a 403(b) match, healthcare coverage, and a broad range of other benefits. This position does not include on-campus housing.

Thacher School does not discriminate on the basis of age, gender, religion, race, color, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, disability, or national or ancestral origin in the administration of its educational policies, scholarship and loan programs, athletic and other School-administered programs, or in the administration of its hiring and employment practices. The above information on this description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees assigned to this job.