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Director of Development

The Leelanau School is seeking a Director of Development responsible for planning, organizing, and directing all of The Leelanau School’s fundraising activities including the major gifts program, annual fund, planned giving, special events, alumni relations, and capital campaigns. The Director works closely with school administration, faculty, and the Board of Directors in all development and fundraising endeavors. The Director of Development is an essential part of the leadership team and reports directly to the Head of School.

The Leelanau School is an independent boarding and day high school that is committed to meeting the educational and emotional needs of each of our students. Its beautiful and historic campus is situated within the Leelanau Peninsula on the shores of Lake Michigan. Our staff and faculty view the school community as an extension of their own family and are willing to do the great work of educating the next generation of leaders by making connections with students and helping them hone their natural strengths.

The mission of The Leelanau School is to ignite a passion for learning in a boarding school where students thrive by engaging academically and by celebrating everyone’s unique learning style in a culture of acceptance, leading to successful and meaningful lives in college and beyond.

Responsibilities:

  • Represent the philosophy and mission of the School to prospective supporters, community partners, alumni, and current families.
  • Understand the Leelanau student experience, the social climate, and objectives of the school’s Academic and Residential programs.  
  • Meet development goals and objectives. 
  • Enact policies and procedures to ensure integrity, confidentiality, and transparency in all development processes.
  • Collaborate with our marketing director on communication strategies, methods, and materials to advance the school, including print, web and digital platforms.
  • Establish and maintain strong relationships with alumni, parents, businesses and philanthropic organizations.
  • Plan and implement events and programs that introduce The Leelanau School to current and prospective partners. 
  • Direct and grow the Annual Fund program, including mailings and annual fundraising drives.
  • Oversee grant seeking including research, proposal writing, and reporting requirements.
  • Assist with Major Gifts program including qualification, cultivation, and stewardship of prospects.
  • Build and implement Planned Giving program.
  • Oversee fundraising database and tracking systems.
  • Coordinate with the CFO on the collection and retention of all necessary development documentation.
  • Build and oversee gift recognition programs.
  • Communicate professionally and enthusiastically to all constituencies as a representative of The Leelanau School.
  • Keep relevant statistics on all aspects of development.
  • Serve as a liaison to the Board of Trustees regarding development and alumni relations.
  • Attend board meetings and prepare and present reports with pertinent data.
  • Create and manage the development budget. 
  • Engage with current students, parents, and faculty as an active and visible participant in the educational experience at The Leelanau School.
  • Participate as an administrative team member, contributing to all aspects of school administration and decision-making.
  • Assume responsibility for other projects as assigned by the Head of School.

Requirements:

  • Respect for learners and a passion for their social, emotional, and intellectual development.
  • Experience in communicating with parents, alumni, and community partners.  
  • Prior experience with development/fundraising/advancement in a non-profit organization.
  • Ability to work independently to ensure quality at every level of the development process. 
  • Bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 3-5 years of related work experience.
  • Effective verbal and nonverbal communication skills.
  • Proven experience attaining short and long term development goals.
  • An understanding of the independent school world.
  • Experience with effective use of CRM systems (Salesforce preferred) and productivity software (e.g Microsoft Office, Google Suite).
  • A high degree of self-motivation, attention to detail, and effective organizational skills.
  • An outgoing, charismatic, and sales-oriented presence.
  • Successful clearance of FBI and local background checks.

Please send letter of interest and résumé to rhansen@leelanau.org, or 1 Old Homestead Rd., Glen Arbor, MI. 49636. 

We will collect applicants through March 1, 2020, at which point we will begin a screening/interview process.