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.