Director of Annual Giving

Careers At Sidwell Friends School

Welcome to the Human Resources Department at Sidwell Friends School. Sidwell Friends prides itself in offering a high quality educational experience to those who will lead the next generation. To that end, we are seeking qualified individuals with the knowledge, skills and abilities to enhance the student experience at Sidwell Friends. We encourage you to review the job postings below and to contact us for additional information.

Director of Annual Giving Department: Office of School Advancement Location: Washington, DC
Position Start Date: Immediately
Status: Full-Time


REPORTS TO: Senior Director of Individual Giving

Sidwell Friends, a coeducational Quaker day school, seeks a full-time Director of Annual Giving to work with the Advancement Department, located on its DC campus. The Director of Annual Giving is responsible for providing strategic leadership for an ambitious multi-million-dollar Annual Giving program, which is an essential priority in the School’s comprehensive capital campaign.

The Director will have expertise in developing a comprehensive annual giving plan for achievement of both unrestricted and restricted annual giving goals; setting and achieving goals for donor upgrades, retention, and acquisition; and analyzing and utilizing data to make decisions about growth opportunities and resource deployment. The Director of Annual Giving has responsibility for soliciting Annual Fund leadership donors and qualifying prospective major gift donors. The Director of Annual Giving strengthens volunteer solicitor opportunities for all community members and works collaboratively as part of the Individual Giving team on the comprehensive capital campaign.

The Director leads the conceptualization and planning of all appeals, including direct mail fundraising strategies, and collaborates with the Advancement Services, Engagement and Communication teams on audience segmentation, message development and distribution. This position manages the Assistant Director of Annual Giving and reports to the Senior Director of Individual Giving.

Qualifications include 7+ years of fundraising experience as well as proven leadership skills. Experience working with a $4M+ Annual Fund. The successful candidate will possess demonstrated capability in strategic planning and orchestration of extraordinary annual giving growth. The candidate will be responsible for inspiring volunteers and colleagues. It is essential that the Director work independently and as a collaborative team player.

Specific Responsibilities include:

• Develop and implement annual giving strategies to reach the budgeted goals for gifts for current operations
• Orchestrate and oversee a collaborative and engaging Reunion Giving program and explore Affinity Giving programs for growth opportunities
• Recruits, trains, and supports volunteers who help advance the Sidwell Friends Annual Fund including Parent Volunteers, Giving Day Volunteers, Class Agents, Reunion Volunteers and Grandparent Volunteers.
• Manage the solicitation of leadership annual giving prospects, including multi-year campaign solicitations as appropriate, and participate in individual giving moves management meetings to qualify prospective major gift donors
• Create segmented appeal structures to meet annual goals for acquisition, retention, and upgrades
• Working with the Senior Director of Advancement Services, analyze data, volunteer feedback and donor analytics to inform strategic decisions for the Annual Fund
• Working with the Senior Director of Engagement, incorporate the Annual Fund in constituent and alumni activities
• Demonstrate a commitment to best practices and innovations in annual giving

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• A disciplined, results-oriented, self-starter, demonstrating initiative and the ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
• Outstanding listening and analytical skills.
• Demonstrated experience using data to guide fundraising efforts
• Sophisticated understanding of digital communications strategies to include fundraising software, email-based solicitations and social media.
• Focused and disciplined administrator able to formulate an achievable timeline, establish and communicate priorities, and execute an effective strategy for a complex annual giving program.
• Strong presentation skills with the ability to be knowledgeable and articulate in sharing the School’s greatest needs and priorities
• Ability to appropriately manage highly confidential information.
• A creative, good-natured member of a team with demonstrated collaborative and proactive manners.
• Exceptional organization skills and attention to detail.

As a condition of employment, all employees hired after August 1, 2021 are required to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 and able to provide proof of such vaccination. To make application for a medical or religious exemption, please contact the Human Resources Department.

Candidates should upload a resume, cover letter, and contact information for three professional references via our online application.