Summary:

The LSMSA Foundation seeks an enthusiastic, mission-driven, experienced professional with exceptional fundraising abilities to serve as its Assistant Director of Development. Reporting to the Executive Director of the LSMSA Foundation, the Assistant Director will manage and execute a comprehensive annual giving and donor engagement program to meet the strategic goals of LSMSA and the LSMSA Foundation. The Assistant Director will identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward leadership annual giving donors ($1,983 – $5,000) while increasing participation from all constituencies through strategic engagement with alumni, parents, grandparents, families of alumni, faculty, staff, and friends of the School. The Assistant Director should demonstrate a strong understanding of annual giving best practices and strategies to acquire, retain, and upgrade individual donors. The Assistant Director should also be a results-oriented and data-driven individual with a proven ability to exceed ambitious goals.

Responsibilities: 

• Create, implement, and evaluate an integrated annual giving and donor engagement program to foster a culture of philanthropy and achieve established goals.
• Develop and execute a multi-channeled, segmented communications plan for annual giving. Prepare all communications materials for direct mail, email, phone, social media, and web. Coordinate with colleagues, key stakeholders, and vendors to meet project deadlines. Use data analytics to inform strategies and evaluate performance.
• Actively manage a portfolio of leadership annual giving prospects. Develop and execute effective strategies to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward members of the 1983 Society. Utilize the donor database for portfolio management, ensuring all activities and communications are tracked accurately and recorded promptly.
• Oversee the acknowledgment, stewardship, and recognition of all annual giving donors; personally acknowledge all gifts from assigned prospects.
• Recruit, train, and manage alumni and parent volunteers in activities that support annual giving, reunion giving, and donor engagement. Serve as the staff liaison to the Foundation’s Development Committee.
• Assist in the supervision and training of 5-7 work service students who make phone calls to prospective donors and write thank you notes to current donors on behalf of the Foundation. Facilitate ongoing training, develop scripts and templates, make call assignments, and monitor overall progress.
• Plan and attend on- and off-campus meetings and events throughout the year.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Required Education & Experience: 

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university
• 3+ years of relevant experience

Required Skills & Abilities: 

• Excellent interpersonal and organizational skills
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• A self-starter who can work independently as part of a decentralized team
• Ability to prioritize multiple projects and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment
• Willingness to demonstrate enthusiasm for the School and Foundation’s mission, vision, and values

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Development/fundraising experience in an independent school or university environment
• Experience with Raiser’s Edge/NXT or other CRM databases
• Volunteer management experience

Work Environment Requirements: 

• Ability and willingness to travel and occasionally work evenings and weekends

The LSMSA Foundation is an equal opportunity/equal access employer. The Foundation does not discriminate against nor tolerate discrimination against any employee or applicant for employment on any legally recognized basis including, but not limited to: race, color, creed, disability, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, political affiliation, disability, citizenship, or age. This policy applies to all personnel matters including recruitment, hiring, training, promotions, compensation, benefits, transfers, layoffs, termination, recreational and social programs, and professional contracts.