The Opportunity

Dana Hall School is an independent school committed to fostering excellence in academics, the arts, and athletics within a vibrant, caring community. Dana Hall provides more than 450 day and boarding students in grades 5-12 with a unique opportunity to prepare themselves for the challenges and choices they will face as women and citizens of the world. The school is seeking a self-motivated fundraiser who is able to build effective personal connections with colleagues and supporters, deliver compelling communications, and implement programs that result in significant unrestricted support of Dana Hall.

Reporting to the Chief Advancement Officer, the Director of the Dana Fund will be responsible for the annual giving program, which constitutes the major source of unrestricted private giving to Dana Hall School. The ongoing stewardship of Dana Fund donors receives the direct supervision and leadership of the director, including generating and publishing the Annual Report, e-solicitations, acknowledgment letters, pledge reminders, and matching gift communications. The director is responsible for the professional development and support of the Assistant Director of the Dana Fund, and works closely with the Assistant Director of Alumnae Giving to provide information and assist with solicitation of Dana Fund gifts from their prospects. Please click to learn more about giving at Dana Hall, the strategic plan, and the school community.

The Candidate

The successful candidate will take a comprehensive and collaborative approach to the work, implement best practices in annual giving, and embrace the community values that make Dana Hall a special place in the hearts and minds of its supporters. This position requires superb organization and interpersonal skills as well as computer-based prospect management skills. An ideal candidate will deeply enjoy data analysis and look for creative ways to integrate data with purposeful and strategic communications. The director will possess superior communications skills, a high degree of emotional intelligence, and an ability to anticipate the needs of others. The director will demonstrate personal accountability and operate with integrity, humility, and professionalism.

Responsibilities

• Develop short- and long-range goals and objectives for annual giving that have an impact toward increasing unrestricted gifts to the school both in overall dollars raised and participation by constituent groups.
• Identify, recruit and work closely with annual giving chairs to inspire giving from alumnae, current parents, past parents, grandparents, and faculty/staff.
• Recruit, train and oversee the Parent Dana Fund leadership giving committees.
• Plan and execute a successful Senior Parent Gift Program.
• Work with the Director of Events & Parent Programs to plan and execute appropriate events to launch and acknowledge major gifts to the Dana Fund.
• Supervise, evaluate and work with the Assistant Director of the Dana Fund, particularly to produce annual giving direct mail and e-solicitations and to obtain matching gifts.
• Work with the Assistant Director of Alumnae Giving to help devise strategies and meet stretch goals for alumnae giving to the Dana Fund, including Reunion classes and the Young Alumnae Giving Challenge.
• Work with the Database Manager to ensure accurate gift accounting, gift acknowledgments and pledge reminders, including production of the Annual Report of Giving.
• Benchmark the annual giving performance against local peer schools and all girls’ schools, and provide relevant reports.
• Attend Advancement Committee meetings as necessary.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated ability to strategize, implement, and build annual gift program and activities, along with a talent for motivating a team and volunteers.
• Flexibility and initiative, as well as the ability to work independently, combined with the skills for thriving in a team environment.
• High professional and ethical standards for handling confidential information.
• Ability to organize and complete multiple tasks simultaneously with close attention to detail and prioritization to meet deadlines.
• Excellent written, oral, and interpersonal skills; demonstrated personal solicitation experience.
• Strong computer skills and knowledge of database research and maintenance.
• Ability to work with students, as well as volunteers of all ages.
• Must be able to travel and work evenings and weekends as needed.

Dana Hall School is an Equal Opportunity Employer and seeks to reflect in its faculty and staff the diversity present within its student body. The school invites candidates to join in this process who bring a substantive and varied combination of educational pursuits and lived experiences that demonstrate the capacity to make a meaningful contribution in this role.

Interested candidates, please contact Narwhal Talent Partners:

Peter G. Hamilton | (617) 620-9268
Christian G. Henry | (857) 285-3364

search@narwhaltalent.com

All inquiries are treated as confidential.