Director of Development and Alumni Relations

The Walden School seeks a Director of Development & Alumni Relations to join the School’s San Francisco-based administrative team to help lead the School’s annual fund and overall development effort. The ideal candidate is highly collaborative, exceptionally organized, has excellent persuasive written and oral communication skills (including communicating in email/online, letter, telephone, and in-person formats), is an excellent project manager, and enjoys an office environment that is collegial, dynamic, and fun. The position requires enjoying interacting with people of many different backgrounds and age groups. Also required is a sense of humor, flexibility, fine attention to detail, and being a fast learner. Moreover, the position demands someone who takes initiative in order to ensure results. Personal qualities of the successful candidate will include curiosity, warmth, resourcefulness, integrity, discretion, and personal and professional responsibility.

Candidates should be excited by Walden’s mission and programs and be interested in partnering with program staff, the Executive Director, and the Board of Directors in securing resources for the organization and The Walden School’s award-winning programs. An interest in music, music education, youth development, or another related field is desirable. Previous fundraising and development experience are desired.

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Developing and executing the Annual Fund Plan so as to generate $400,000+ annually from a current donor base of approximately 500 donors, corporations and foundations;
• Maintaining and refining annual fundraising strategies, goals, and benchmarks;
• Managing annual fundraising activities, including mail/email/social media appeals, fundraising events, auctions, annual report, donor stewardship, and other donor cultivation/recognition projects, and spearheading new activities, where appropriate;
• Providing staff support and leadership to the alumni network to help achieve development goals, including planning, managing, and implementing alumni reunions and periodic alumni/parent engagement events;
• Compiling and distributing monthly email newsletter and accompanying webpage
• Cultivating new sources of major gifts, and maintaining and developing current relationships;
• Writing and submitting proposals and grant reports to institutional donors, as well as researching and developing new foundation funding opportunities and relationships;
• Specific fundraising tasks include, but are not limited to:
  • Managing event preparations and operations
  • Maintaining donor records
  • Proofreading and editing documents
  • Processing gift acknowledgments and managing donor correspondence
  • Soliciting new donors, lapsed donors, and implementing plans to secure increased gifts from current donors
  • Maintaining an effective and well-organized program for donor recognition and stewardship
  • Keeping accurate files and records for all donors, including both paper and email correspondence
  • Creating social media content for fundraising campaigns, alumni engagement, and event recruitment
  • Supervising fundraising-related activities of office administrative staff, including donor records, mailing projects, and gift receipts;
  • Providing staff support to the Development Committee of the Board of Directors, including presentations of development and fundraising reports at committee and board meetings;
  • Working with and supporting Board of Directors in their fundraising activities, including regular check-ins with individual board members, and guidance of board members’ donor stewardship activities;
  • Preparation of regular fundraising reports for the Executive Director, Board committees, and Board of Directors;
  • Draft, edit, and proofread written communications related to development and fundraising;
  • Learning, maintaining, and updating the fundraising database. Working with the Executive Director, board, and other staff to develop reports and queries used for Walden’s fundraising. Helping take minutes at board meetings and maintaining records of the Board of Directors.
  • Supporting the Executive Director in fundraising tasks and representing The Walden School in a professional and positive manner.
  • Other projects and tasks as assigned.

The Director of Development & Alumni Relations reports to the Executive Director. Some US domestic travel is required, including summer trips to New Hampshire while the programs are in session. Occasional work on evenings and weekends is anticipated, as projects and events require. This is a full-time, exempt position.

Requirements:
Successful candidates must have received a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent. Proficiency with Windows, MS Office (Word, Excel, Outlook) and internet browsers (Chrome, IE, Firefox, etc.) and other applications is required. Familiarity with fundraising databases is essential. Familiarity with Salesforce, MS Access, SurveyMonkey, Constant Contact, and WordPress are preferred. Ability to lift 25lbs required.

Compensation:
Salary, 3 weeks paid vacation (4 weeks after 3 years of service), 10 federal and personal holidays, and a flexible work schedule are offered. Some telecommuting is possible. Medical and other health-related benefits are not currently offered.

To Apply:
Please send a cover letter, current resume and writing sample (donor solicitation, grant application, newsletter sample, or other similar development correspondence), to Seth Brenzel, Executive Director, at jobs@waldenschool.org. Application deadline is March 31, 2021. No phone calls, please. We will review applications from interested candidates and contact you should we wish to interview you. The Walden School is an Equal Opportunity employer. The position is based in San Francisco, California. The position is open until filled, with a target start date during April-May 2021.