Job Summary:

 

The Director of Individual Giving is a dynamic and goal-oriented individual who is a key member of La Salle Academy’s advancement team and essential catalyst assisting the school achieve and exceed its fundraising goals. This is an exciting opportunity for a motivated fundraising professional who can manage multiple projects simultaneously and effectively cultivate and maintain relationships while meeting deadlines and balancing a keen focus on front-line fundraising / portfolio management.

About La Salle Academy:

 

La Salle is a Catholic, Lasallian secondary school serving young women and young men grades 6-12. The organization as a whole encompasses both the De La Salle Middle School (grades 6-8) and La Salle Academy (grades 9-12). 

 

Our mission statement is:

 

La Salle Academy, a Catholic, independent, co-educational, college preparatory school for grades 6-12, provides a rigorous and holistic education to students of diverse backgrounds, with special concern for the working class and the poor, faithful to St. John Baptist de La Salle’s enduring ideals of faith, service, and community.

 

Our school has a rich history within the fabric of the greater Providence, Rhode Island community and has been devoted to educational excellence since its founding in 1871. As a member of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, we maintain a deep-rooted Lasallian tradition that shapes our core identity. 

 

Having recently celebrated both our 40th anniversary of coeducation and 100th anniversary of our move to our current campus, La Salle Academy is poised to enter a new era of strategic growth which will ensure our rich and storied legacy continues for generations to come. 

Core Responsibilities:

 

50% - Manage the La Salle Fund

• After shifting our strategic focus to annual giving, the advancement team has established a growing annual fund campaign that has seen 29% and 22% increase in total dollars over the past two fiscal years respectively. The Director of Individual Giving will manage this program successfully while seeking and implementing new areas of focus ensuring its growth trajectory continues.
• The Director of Individual Giving will manage a multidimensional appeal schedule that utilizes a variety of mediums (e.g., electronic solicitation, direct mail appeals, face-to-face solicitations, phone solicitations, and social media) to communicate with potential and current donors.
• Implement strategies for retaining donors and increasing their giving levels.
• Collaborate with the school's communications team to create messaging and materials that support our fundraising efforts.
• Develop and implement strategies to increase participation amongst young alumni 1-25 years post-graduation.
• Collaborate with the school's communications team to create messaging and materials that support our fundraising efforts.
• Develop and implement strategies to increase participation amongst young alumni 1-25 years post-graduation.
• Maintain and cultivate growth amongst recently established Leadership Giving Societies and La Salle Champions.
• Collaborate with the Director of Alumni Relations to create opportunities to cultivate and engage individuals in the philanthropic needs of the institution, including specific efforts for reunion classes.
• Recruit and train a team of volunteers to solicit for the La Salle Fund and our annual Day of Giving.
• Serve as Team Lead for our Day of Giving - continuing to expand upon recent growth and the building excitement surrounding our DOG.
• Develop strategies to continue increasing Faculty & Staff donor participation.
• Successfully plan and implement a Senior Gift Campaign.
• Oversee and ensure success of all current and future annual fund scholarships in cooperation with counseling, student life and the school’s administration teams.
• Engage in opportunities to participate in new initiatives that align with individual strengths and abilities.

 

35%- Portfolio Management

• Maintain a portfolio of 125-175 prospects spanning all constituency groups, devoting particular emphasis on growing participation from current parents, past parents and grandparents.
• Serve as the first point of contact for external philanthropic related matters and qualify potential donors at various segmentation levels (e.g. annual donor, major gift prospect, leadership gift prospect).
• Focus on a pool of leadership annual fund prospects for all constituency groups, with a strong focus on giving levels from $1,000 - $50,000; identifying prospects and increasing annual giving amounts for current leadership donors.
• Establish, meet and exceed goals for meeting quotas and completion of solicitation cycles for prospective donors within the portfolio.

15% - Stewardship

• Plan and execute thoughtful and personalized stewardship for leadership donors.
• Collaborate with advancement services colleagues to implement and expand upon current stewardship processes.
• Supervise stewardship processes to ensure acknowledgements are timely, accurate and thoughtfully delivered.
• Pursue opportunities to implement new creative stewardship touch points.

 

The Ideal Candidate: 

 

The Director of Individual Giving is a motivated self-starter and polished advancement professional who is focused on establishing and exceeding goals. Working in a small team environment, this individual has exceptional attention to detail, time management skills, and is able to manage multiple projects at the same time. This is an exciting opportunity to join a goal-oriented team on a growth trajectory while advancing an important and fulfilling mission.

 

 

Hours and Expectations:

 

This is a full-time, in-person role. Work is to be performed primarily on La Salle Academy’s campus, except for and in addition to travel associated with in-person meetings with donors and prospects. 

 

Regular working hours are Mon-Fri, 8am - 4pm, with occasional weeknight and weekend hours required as is typical of advancement work.

 

Qualifications: 

 

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field such as communications, marketing, nonprofit management, or business administration.
• A minimum of 5-7 years of fundraising or equivalent experience, including a minimum of 3-5 years of front-line experience with a proven track record of exceeding goals.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to work collaboratively with a wide range of stakeholders.
• Strong organizational and project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines.
• Understanding of and commitment to the mission of a Catholic, Lasallian education.
• A minimum of 3-5 years experience using a CRM with knowledge of RaisersEdge and Blackbaud preferred.
• Ability to commute daily for in-person work based at our campus in Providence, RI.
• Ability and willingness to perform local, regional and national travel as necessary for in-person donor and prospect meetings and to engage in professional development opportunities as they arise.