The White Mountain School Director of Advancement

Introduction

The White Mountain School, an independent boarding and day high school nestled in a charming New England setting within the White Mountain National Forest, seeks a creative, mission-driven Director of Advancement to lead, strengthen, and deliver a best-practice fundraising program while laying the groundwork for a future capital campaign. This is an exciting time to join the next generation of leaders advancing the school’s strategic priorities, and fostering a culture of inquiry and purposeful engagement that prepares and inspires students to lead lives of curiosity, courage, and compassion.

Known as a transformational school where students benefit from a 6:1 student to teacher ratio, White Mountain offers a rich college preparatory curriculum with an extensive array of programs designed to develop and enrich the whole student. Taking advantage of a beautiful 250-acre campus, White Mountain’s diverse student population of up to 140 thrives in an environment that encourages health and wellness, sparks student-driven inquiry through experiential learning, and promotes equity, justice, and belonging. Additionally, the spectacular Northern New Hampshire surroundings connect students to the natural world, leading to lifelong stewardship of the environment.

Over the years, White Mountain has graduated national-caliber climbers, snow sports enthusiasts, artists, and change agents. In addition to its academic, outdoor, and sports programming, the school offers an array of arts and cultural programs, including ownership and operations of a full dance studio with three annual performances.

Values

• Community

• Inquiry and Engagement

• Experiential Learning

• Sustainability

• Equity, Justice and Belonging (EJB)

An Enduring Legacy of Innovation in Education

The White Mountain School was founded in 1886 as St. Mary’s School, an Episcopal school for girls located in Concord, New Hampshire. Fifty years later, Headmistress Dorothy E. McLane, outlined her plan to move the school campus to the mountains. “Aunt Dot” understood the importance of academic and athletic challenge and envisioned a beautiful, natural environment where girls could thrive – in a mountain setting that would help develop their humility and vision, “surrounded by things greater than ourselves.”

In 1935, the school operated for a year on a private estate in the town of Sugar Hill, New Hampshire. A year later, in 1936, Headmistress McLane relocated what was then St. Mary’s in the Mountains to its current home in Bethlehem. Forwardthinking leadership continued to evolve the school over the decades. In 1970, White Mountain embraced co-education, admitting boys; and two years later, changed its name to The White Mountain School.

An illustration of the original St. Mary’s School in Concord, New Hampshire

The White Mountain School

Today: A Thriving, Diverse Community

Today’s White Mountain School is a genderinclusive, college-preparatory boarding and day school for students grades 9-12. Its purpose remains true to the development of mind, body, and spirit, and to its Episcopal heritage which serves as the foundation for celebrating the unique worth of each individual and welcoming students from diverse backgrounds and faiths from across the country and around the world. Student enrollment is diverse with one-third represented by students of color. About 15 percent of the student body is international. There is a small day-population but the majority of students are boarding. Tuition is $71K and $38K for boarding and day, respectively; offset by financial aid received by 71% percent of students at an average of $32.7k per student.

In 2019, The White Mountain Scholars Program was created to increase educational equity. Open to identifying students from low-income backgrounds across the United States, this highly competitive program provides an

empowering, engaging, and affirming environment, as well as specific programming for Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC). Beyond eliminating or significantly reducing the tuition burden for Scholars and their families, the program offers financial assistance beyond the cost of tuition.

Innovative Academic Programs Drive Curiosity

and Success

Innovative and inspirational, The White Mountain School is considered “transformational” in its ability to facilitate academic success across all types of learners, including those may have struggled to thrive in other school settings. It is a point of pride that each year, 100% of seniors are accepted to a wide range of well renowned colleges across the country.

White Mountain’s Unique Attributes:

• Student Driven Inquiry. White Mountain has shown national leadership in Student-driven Inquiry , an approach to teaching and learning that takes students away from the passive, traditional classroom model to one that fosters active engagement. In recent years faculty and administrators have shared their expertise through national education conferences and journals.

• Intentionally Small. Throughout its history, White Mountain has remained intentionally small. With a student to teacher ratio of 6:1, faculty are better able to help students explore areas of interest and assist them if they need additional academic support.

• Independent Learning. All students are required to complete an independent project through the LASR Capstone Program to explore their passions and questions with creativity and rigor. An acronym for the general categories of Leadership, Arts, Service, and Research, LASR encourages students to think about ways to add value to the world. Their efforts are showcased in written and oral presentations.

• Green School Leader. A long-time leader of the of the Green Schools movement, White Mountain was the first high school in the country—private or public—to establish a sustainability graduation requirement . Students can select from a wide range of classroom, field courses, and co-curricular activities, underscoring the critical role of sustainability in today’s world.

• Committed to the Arts. The visual and performing arts are an integral part of academic and student life at The White Mountain School with offerings in studio art, ceramics, photography, dance, music, and theater. Opened in 2014, the Catherine Houghton Arts Center is one of the most beautiful and versatile arts facilities in New England and houses studio art, music, and dance facilities.

• Experiential Learning, Field Course. Students at White Mountain immerse themselves in a week-long, off-campus Field Course each semester. These unique programs—offered in local, national, or international settings— allow for in-depth, academic exploration of a specific topic. Each year, 24 courses are developed to give students a unique perspective of the world; these are offered in an array of areas such as “Poverty, Homeless, and Hunger” in Maine, “Geology of the Sierra Nevada Mountains” in California, and language/ cultural immersion programs in France and Quebec, Canada.

To read the many compelling stories of a White Mountain experience, please visit the the school’s Echoes Magazine archive.

Student Life at White Mountain: Respecting Individuality and Supporting Community

The White Mountain School has designed and implemented an impressive array of programs that help students respect the individuality of others while experiencing the joy of a tight-knit community.

• White Mountain believes that every community member must learn about systems of oppression and has embedded social justice into the fabric of its student life programs. Students are encouraged to participate in the School’s extensive Equity, Justice, and Belonging (EJB) offerings by participating in affinity groups, clubs, co-curriculars, and conferences. Students can also become Equity and Inclusion Student Delegates to ensure student voices are represented in the School’s EJB efforts.

• Alumnae/i, current students, faculty, and staff often point to the School’s “Uniquely White Mountain” attributes as their favorite parts of the School experience. These include the regular occasions when the whole community comes together, such as Morning Meetings, New Semester Orientation, Community Weekend, Mountain Day and Beach Day, and Sustainable Community Day.

• Research has shown that students who have strong relationships with their teachers are more likely to succeed. At White Mountain, teachers and students intersect throughout the day in multiple dimensions, from dorm life to work jobs, from our athletic and co-curricular programs to the classroom.

Opened in the fall of 2019 in collaboration with the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth, the I^3 Lab is home of White Mountain’s FIRST Robotics team and space for all students to build and explore.

Eighty five percent of faculty live on campus, including in the four dormitories. Through Advisory Program , faculty members typically have five students as advisees each year and check in with them on a frequent basis.

• During most meals, students are free to sit where and with whom they wish. However, White Mountain offers structured meals to build community and forge new, positive relationships between students, their peers, and adults, including Family-Style meals, Advisory Dinners, and Community Dinners. International Night celebrates the cultures and cuisines of the international students. The Cultural Event Series aims to connect students and the surrounding communities through the exploration rich cultural and performing arts productions.

• Students are required to participate in one sport per semester. They can select from adventure sports like whitewater kayaking or snowboarding, traditional team sports like soccer or lacrosse, or other team-oriented activities like robotics or farm and forest. At White Mountain, every student plays, and every student becomes an integral part of the team.

• There are many leadership opportunities for students on campus, both formal and informal. These opportunities include Student Council, Citizenship Committee, Social Committee, the Admissions Ambassadors Program, the Equity and Inclusion Student Delegates Program, proctors, crew supervisors, work job supervisors, athletic and co-curricular captains, and more.

• Students have numerous interestspecific clubs to choose from ranging from electronics, to astronomy, to skating, to LGBTQ.

• Finally, a great benefit of learning and working at White Mountain is experiencing its extraordinary campus on a daily basis. Highlights include a brand new dorm, constructed and opened in 2020; the Catherine Houghton Arts Center, which includes two dance studios, a music recording studio, and an art room; the Fred Steele Science Center; an impressive fitness center with a 3,500-square-foot climbing wall; a “black box”-style theater; a small, organic farm; and the hub of campus— the McLane Building.

The organic farm produces vegetables, fruits, and berries and includes two additional indoor growing spaces. There is also a Sugar Shack where students tap maple trees each spring turning it into some of the best maple syrup around!

Leadership

Interim Head of School Donald Ball

An experienced educator who is completing his doctorate in Leadership and Learning in Organizations from Vanderbilt University, Donald Ball brings to The White Mountain School a rare combination of academic experience coupled with a strong business sense. He began his tenure as Interim Head of School last August and will lead the school until 2024.

A graduate of Princeton University where he received his A.B. degree in Intellectual History, Ball was granted an M.A.L.S. from Dartmouth College and an E.M.B.A from the Drucker School of Management at Claremont Graduate University where he was inducted into the Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society.

With extensive independent school experience, he previously served as Division Director of Miami Country Day School, where he oversaw a division of 450 students and 60 faculty. Prior to his time in Miami, Ball was Dean of Academic Affairs of Innovation at Baylor School, where he led program design, development, and evaluation of faculty. He began his teaching career at the Webb Schools in Claremont, California, serving for 15 years and chairing the History Department while teaching, coaching, and creating strategic programs.

White Mountain Board of Trustees

In addition to completing short- and longterm strategic planning for the School, White Mountain’s Board of Trustees sets day-to-day policy and reviews the implementation of these policies for the School. The Board is made up of 13-15 members, including Honorary Trustees, who are alumnae/i, parents, educators, and professionals in multiple fields—all volunteering their time to advance White Mountain’s mission. Trustees are carefully selected based on demonstrated service to the School and a clear commitment to its goals and philosophy.

White Mountain Philanthropy

The White Mountain School has maintained a comprehensive philanthropy program for decades with a range of options for donor engagement. These include:

• Annual Fund: The Fund for White Mountain with two leadership giving societies— The Head’s Circle and the Fund for Young Alumnae/i Leaders, designed to encourage a tradition of giving among recent graduates.

• Planned Giving: The Bishop Niles Legacy Society, Donor-advised funds and charitable IRA roll-overs .

• Major Gifts.

• Corporate/Foundation Relations.

Annually, total philanthropic giving to the school is approximately $1 million with about half generated through annual giving. Giving for the 2021-2022 year was $936,241. The school’s most recent campaign—a three-year comprehensive campaign that included adding a new dormitory—was completed in 2019, raising $7.3 million.

Key internal constituents—including trustees, administration, and faculty— believe the school could increase its giving capacity through enhanced strategic communications and visits with alumnae/i, many of whom have not been cultivated or solicited. Parents of current and former students represent another constituency that could be readily engaged, many of whom could support the school through giving or through strong, specific, and articulate testimonials on the ways White Mountain impacts students’ lives.

The Office of Advancement has a threeperson team—the Director, Annual Fund/ Database Manager, and Associate Director of Alumnae/i Relations. The team has potential to expand in tandem with a capital campaign. The Director’s role is a highly visible position in which this individual serves as a front-facing, authentic ambassador of the White Mountain mission—its positive impact on all learners, commitment to diversity, and innovative student enrichment programs.

Director of Advancement

Position Description and Qualifications

The new Director of Advancement will build on a legacy fundraising program, elevating and expanding current practices while laying the groundwork for an upcoming capital campaign. Reporting to the Head of School, the Director will bring vision and a results-driven orientation to bolstering philanthropic support and engagement across the school’s constituency groups, and in particular to unlock the potential of current parents and alumnae/i.

As an integral member of White Mountain’s leadership team, this individual will have an impactful role in shaping the school’s future, working closely with the Head and Board of Trustees to design and define a fundraising strategy and plan that broadens the donor base and strengthens the prospect pipeline thereby ensuring continual annual giving and fueling future capital and endowment support.

Responsibilities to Encompass:

Leadership

• Design and implement a results-oriented fundraising strategy that increases dollars raised and improves engagement in all giving areas—annual fund, major/planned gifts, short- and longer-term campaigns, corporate and foundation relations, and alumnae/i/ parent relations.

• Establish annual plans for each of the above specified areas.

• Create an Advancement Metrics Report and provide a monthly dashboard to the Head and Board of Trustees to track progress toward identified goals.

• Working with campaign counsel, design and execute capital campaigns, including solicitation materials.

• Collaborate with the Director of Marketing and Communications on content and brand strategy, integrating into fundraising initiatives.

Front-Line Fundraising and Relationship Management

• Collaborate with the Admissions Office in onboarding and stewarding incoming families.

• Lead advancement staff in effective donor cultivation, leveraging all available touch points (e.g., events, gatherings, communications opportunities).

• Ensure the highest level of database administration to support prospect research and management, gift accounting and acknowledgements, pledge collection, and ongoing reconciliation with the Business Office.

• Collaborate with trustees, alumnae/i class agents, faculty/staff, and parent volunteers in planning and supporting fundraising efforts.

• Proactively manage a portfolio of leadership and major gift prospects/donors and staff/ support the Head’s portfolio. Develop highly personalized proposals in line with donor interests and programmatic priorities.

• Develop and write grant proposals to foundations and corporations.

• Coordinate visit/tour requests with stakeholders.

• Develop/contribute multimedia content (e.g., website, social, key publications, monthly e-newsletters, e-blasts, events, community presentations).

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate is a mission and values-driven, engaging, entrepreneurial, and highly motivated fundraising manager with superb communications, persuasiveness and organizational skills, high integrity, and work ethic. The Director must be a person with enthusiasm and initiative experience motivating and working closely with volunteer leaders and sophisticated, affluent donors. This individual must have the confidence and expertise to guide and advise the Head of School and the Board through all phases of the development process, backed by a dedication to strengthening White Mountain’s culture of philanthropy and advancing its mission. A strong operational focus, bias for action, results-orientation are paramount, as is a demonstrated record of success as a collaborator and change agent. The person who will fit best in the White Mountain community is one who values being an active, contributing member of a community and enjoys what mountain living has to offer.

Qualifications

• BA/BS degree and 8-10 years progressive fundraising experience with a track record of success developing and advancing a fundraising program with measurable, reportable success.

• Comprehensive knowledge of fund development, particularly pipe-line building for transformative giving, earned in innovative and highly-collaborative organizations.

• Demonstrated success building fundraising initiatives using digital communications and data analytics to drive results. (Experience with digital marketing and/or web content management, preferred.)

• Exceptional oral and written communications skills.

• A passion for and/or deep appreciation of White Mountain’s mission and offerings.

• Ideal attributes: an aspirational, inspirational leader who is an authentic, collaborative, community-oriented contributor who brings empathy and compassion to their work.

This is a retained search of Exceptional Executive Search. For more information contact: info@eesrecruit.com .

Bethlehem, New Hampshire Area

With roots dating back to the late 1700s, the historic town of Bethlehem is a popular tourist destination with inns, restaurants, shops, and art galleries. Many who visit the town are outdoor enthusiasts looking to take advantage of the area’s year-round sporting opportunities. There are many, many miles of hiking trails, including the Appalachian Trail, and there are more than 100 miles of mountain bike trails. There are also abundant opportunities for cross country skiing and rock climbing, and within a half-hour drive there are two of the best ski mountains in New England, Cannon and Bretton Woods.

Just two miles from Bethlehem is the larger Littleton , a picturesque town offering a wide array of recreational opportunities, shopping, dining, nightlife, cultural amenities, and entertainment options.

The Hill House Dormitory