Director of Planned Giving and Leadership Giving Officer

Position Classification: Administrative; 12-month, full-time salaried exempt 

Hours: 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.  Monday-Friday, Summer: 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. 

Monday-Thursday and 9:00 a.m. - Noon on Friday

Some weekend and evening work, special event attendance expected

Reports to: Director of Development

Position Summary:

St. Christopher’s School seeks a Director of Planned Giving and Leadership Giving Officer to play a key role in the success of the development operations of the School. This Director will be responsible for the cultivation and solicitation of planned gifts and leadership endowment and capital gifts. This position provides leadership in planning, developing, and implementing a comprehensive planned giving program and is responsible for possessing the knowledge and skills to cultivate, solicit, close, and steward complex planned and leadership gifts.  

St. Christopher’s is the largest all-boys school in Virginia and one of the largest and oldest boys’ schools in the Mid-Atlantic region. Serving nearly 1,000 boys in grades JK-12 in Richmond, Virginia, St. Christopher’s prides itself on being a community devoted to bringing out the best in every boy. Our Episcopal foundation is at the center of what we do, and we care most about developing young men who possess honor and integrity. 

Principal Responsibilities:

• Manage a portfolio of approximately 150 leadership and planned giving donor prospects.

Develop and implement cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies for current and prospective donors. Responsible for 145 donor visits annually. Solicit and close planned and leadership gifts ($25,000 +); solicit and close leadership annual giving gifts where appropriate. Lead planned giving strategy and manage the planned giving program. Oversee planned giving marketing in collaboration with the Communications team. Direct the Charitable Gift Annuity Program; oversee program growth and its management. Manage the 1911 Society, St. Christopher’s planned giving society, in coordination with the Director of Stewardship. Work with the Director of Stewardship to develop effective donor stewardship strategies ensuring communication and involvement of our leadership and legacy donors in the life of the School. Work with the Development team to identify, research, and qualify planned giving and leadership giving prospects. Maintain consistent quality communications with donors in coordination with the Director of Development, Director of Annual Giving and Alumni Affairs, Director of Stewardship and other staff and Board members when appropriate. 

Qualifications & Key Skills: 

Candidates must possess a bachelor’s degree and have a minimum of three years’ experience in fundraising, preferably in an independent school or higher education, or approved combination of education and experience.  Expertise in current trends in fundraising, especially planned and leadership giving. Ability to maintain strict confidentiality.  Excellent relationship building skills. Ability to work effectively with diverse constituents including: faculty, staff, alumni, parents, legal and financial professionals, and friends of the School. Excellent organizational skills, including the ability to prioritize and coordinate tasks and projects with attention to details and deadlines. Proficient computer experience with Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, Raiser’s Edge and PG Calc or comparable databases. Candidates should understand the priorities of St. Christopher’s School and must be able to articulate the case for philanthropic support of those priorities. Must be positive, cooperative, goal-oriented, and supportive.

Additional Information: 

Candidates interested in pursuing this position should send a cover letter, resume, and reference contact information to: careers@stcva.org. Please include “Director of Planned Giving and Leadership Giving Officer” in the subject line.