Director of Advancement
Overview
Beaumont School seeks an accomplished, relationship-driven Director of Advancement to lead the School's comprehensive Advancement program with a primary focus on major gifts, campaign leadership and transformational philanthropy.
Reporting to the President, the Director of Advancement will serve as Beaumont's senior fundraising professional and principal development officer. This individual must be mission-driven and inspired by the Ursuline tradition of educating young women for life, leadership and service.
The Director will be an active and visible fundraiser, not simply a manager of fundraising activity. A significant portion of the role will be devoted to building relationships with high-capacity donors, developing individualized cultivation and solicitation strategies, securing major and principal gifts, and building a sustainable pipeline of future philanthropic leadership.
The successful candidate will personally cultivate, solicit and steward a portfolio of the School's most significant donors and prospects while providing strategic leadership to a comprehensive Advancement program encompassing major gifts, campaigns, planned giving, annual giving, alumnae engagement, foundation and corporate relations, grants and events.
The Director will partner closely with the President, Board of Directors, Advancement Committee and volunteer leaders to advance Beaumont's strategic priorities and strengthen the culture of philanthropy throughout the School community.
The Opportunity
Beaumont is entering an important new chapter in its 176-year history. With its largest campaign well underway, and significant opportunities to invest in student experience, the School is building a stronger culture of major and transformational philanthropy.
The Director of Advancement will play a central role in this work. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to:
• Personally lead cultivation and solicitation strategies for Beaumont's highest-priority donors and prospects.
• Secure significant gifts in support of the comprehensive Heart of Beaumont 175 campaign.
• Build and strengthen Beaumont's major-gift pipeline for the future.
• Partner with the President on the School's most important donor relationships and solicitations.
• Engage trustees and volunteers as ambassadors, connectors and fundraising partners.
• Lead and develop a professional Advancement team.
• Strengthen the systems, strategies and culture necessary for sustained philanthropic growth.
Core Responsibilities
1. Major Gifts — Primary Responsibility
• Personally manage a portfolio of approximately 30–50 qualified major-gift prospects and donors.
• Develop and execute individualized strategies for cultivation, solicitation and stewardship.
• Conduct regular face-to-face donor visits and meaningful engagement with prospects and donors.
• Identify new prospects and develop strategies to move donors from annual giving and event participation into major-gift relationships.
• Maintain a disciplined moves-management process and accurate documentation of donor activity.
• Partner with the President and volunteer leaders on the School's most significant solicitations.
• Establish clear major-gift pipeline, with visit, solicitation and revenue goals.
2. Campaign Leadership
• Provide professional leadership for Beaumont's comprehensive and capital fundraising initiatives.
• Develop campaign prospect strategies, solicitation plans and timelines.
• Identify and prioritize campaign leadership prospects.
• Prepare the President, trustees and volunteers for major donor meetings and solicitations.
• Coordinate campaign activity across the Advancement team.
• Ensure that campaign fundraising is integrated with the School's broader donor-development strategy.
3. President and Board Partnership
• Serve as a trusted thought partner to the President on major donors, fundraising strategy and philanthropic opportunities.
• Meet regularly with the President to review the major-gift portfolio, donor strategies, upcoming solicitations and campaign priorities.
• Provide trustees and Advancement Committee members with clear opportunities and tools for meaningful fundraising engagement.
• Coach and prepare Board members and volunteers for donor cultivation and solicitation.
• Help build a culture in which fundraising is understood as an institutional responsibility and an expression of Beaumont's mission.
4. Advancement Team Leadership
• Lead, inspire and develop a high-performing Advancement team.
• Establish clear goals, priorities, accountability and performance expectations.
• Oversee annual giving, alumnae relations, planned giving, grants, foundation relations, events and donor stewardship.
• Ensure that these programs support, rather than compete with, the School's major-gift strategy.
• Develop systems and processes that create a strong pipeline from annual and community engagement into major philanthropy.
• Manage the Advancement budget and resources effectively.
5. Donor Stewardship
• Develop meaningful, personal stewardship strategies for major and transformational donors.
• Ensure that donors understand the impact of their philanthropy.
• Build long-term relationships that lead to increased giving, legacy commitments and continued engagement.
• Partner with School leaders and students to create meaningful donor experiences.
What Success Looks Like
During the first several years, success will be measured not simply by overall Advancement revenue, but also by the strength and sustainability of Beaumont's philanthropic pipeline.
Success will include:
• Increased number and value of major gifts.
• Successful six- and seven-figure solicitations.
• A growing pipeline of qualified major-gift prospects.
• Increased donor upgrades and retention.
• Strong campaign performance.
• Growth in planned and legacy giving.
• Increased engagement of trustees and volunteers in fundraising.
• A high-performing Advancement team.
• Stronger relationships with Beaumont's most committed philanthropic partners.
• A culture in which major philanthropy is central to the School's future.
Ideal Candidate
The ideal candidate is an experienced development professional who is personally energized by major-gift fundraising.
This individual will:
• Be inspired by Beaumont's mission and the Ursuline tradition of educating young women.
• Have a demonstrated track record of personally securing significant philanthropic gifts.
• Enjoy spending time with donors and learning what inspires their generosity.
• Be comfortable asking for transformational gifts.
• Possess the confidence and judgment to work with individuals of significant wealth and influence.
• Know how to turn institutional priorities into compelling philanthropic opportunities.
• Be a collaborative leader who can manage a team without allowing management responsibilities to displace personal fundraising.
Qualifications
Education: Bachelor’s degree required
Experience
Minimum of seven years of successful experience in fundraising, including a proven ability to manage a team and work collaboratively across departments, with leadership and Board members.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
The successful candidate is a proven development officer who possesses exceptional verbal and written communication skills. This person will also have the ability to interact successfully with individuals of affluence and influence to build relationships that ultimately develop into philanthropic returns to the school. The Director must be organized and comfortable managing diverse and sometimes changing assignments as well as lead an Advancement Team successfully through assignments. Leadership, accountability, communication and follow through are critical skills. Understanding of general principles and practices of accounting and finance is helpful.
As a Catholic, mission-driven school, the successful candidate must have some understanding of Catholic faith and respect for the Ursuline tradition.
Physical Demands
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to listen, physically direct, and speak. The employee is required to sit, stand, stoop, lift, bend, walk, push, pull, use hands to finger, handle, or feel and reach with hands and arms, and other physical exertion (including but not limited to travel by car). Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision (including but not limited to reading and computer use), color vision, distance vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.
Employee may also be required to periodically lift and carry moderately heavy materials weighing up to approximately 25 pounds. Physical demand requirements are in excess of those for sedentary work.
Work Environment
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. General office environment. Work is primarily, but not exclusively, in a climate-controlled with minimal safety/health hazard potential or work hazards; however, there are sometimes stressful conditions. Working conditions will require working in front of a computer for several hours. Occasionally working outside, standard working days or hours is required. Frequent in-person meetings for individuals or groups, tele-meetings, and phone calls. Travel to meetings with alumnae. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderately quiet; however, variations in noise level may occur during school announcements or when the employee attends school functions. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Beaumont School is a smoke-free and weapons-free property.
Salary and Benefits
1. Salary is commensurate with experience
2. Medical, dental and vision benefits
3. 403(b) plan
4. Tuition remission for eligible employees
Beaumont School is an equal opportunity employer. Our intent is to recruit, hire, and train, all persons in all job groups in accordance with the law, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, marital status, disability, national origin, sexual orientation and/or gender identity, or any other protected status.
Application Process
Please apply online at https://www.beaumontschool.org/about/employment where you can submit a letter of interest, resume, and references in .pdf format.
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