Major Gifts, Planned Giving, and Campaign Manager

Summary:  Vermont Academy seeks a seasoned professional to lead its major gifts and planned giving programs, and to manage a large-scale campaign. The successful candidate will be a high energy, self-starter who enjoys building relationships between the school and constituents and in working with others to inspire significant giving to the school’s highest priorities. We are looking for someone who is a strong fundraising strategist with outstanding communications skills. The ideal candidate will have a dynamic personality, experience in working effectively with Board members and fundraising volunteers and be results oriented. A strong sense of integrity, ethics, confidentiality, reliability and accountability are a must.  They must have a track record in cultivating and soliciting major gifts. 

Primary Duties & Responsibilities 

• In collaboration with Head of School and campaign counsel, translates campaign plans into actions so that the campaign proceeds on schedule and successfully.
• Updates Head of School and the Campaign Committee regularly on the status of the campaign.
• Staffs campaign committees; manages the assignment of prospects to staff and volunteers, including providing staff support to their efforts in fulfilling their cultivation, solicitation and stewardship responsibilities.
• Plans agendas for committee meetings, provides support materials, and ensures that meeting actions are recorded and distributed
• Manages the Prospect Management and Tracking System for the Capital Campaign and Major Gifts.
• Debriefs staff and volunteers on contacts with prospects and documents.
• Provides analysis of fundraising results.
• Prepares customized proposals, including gathering information to personalize.
• Edits/writes grant proposals to foundations and corporations, including personally contacting program officers for guidance and arranging site visits as appropriate.
• Oversees prospect research on all constituencies.
• Builds long term relationships with constituents and cultivates and solicits major gift and planned giving prospects personally and with administrators, Campaign Committee members and others.
• Implements campaign communications and marketing strategies to educate the internal and external community about the featured objectives of the campaign and impact on the school’s students
• Writes campaign materials as needed, including campaign newsletters and updates.
• Plans and implements events structured to support the campaign, including cultivation events, ground breaking, hardhat parties and building dedication.
• Schedules presentations on the campaign with appropriate community organizations and scripts staff and others on their roles in the presentation.
• Works with donors, their attorneys and financial advisors to create blended gift options to achieve donor’s goals.
• Ensures that the campaign website is updated in a timely manner.