Director of Major and Planned Giving

Position: Director of Major and Planned Giving 

Start Date: Immediate 

School Type: Grades 3-12 independent school for boys 

Address: 6101 Wilson Lane 

Bethesda, MD 20817 

Landon is an independent school for boys in grades 3–12, located on a beautiful 75-acre campus in Bethesda, Maryland. Our mission is to prepare talented boys for productive lives as accomplished, responsible, and caring men whose actions are guided by the principles of perseverance, teamwork, honor, and fair play.  Since its founding in 1929, Landon has encouraged boys to become their best selves with our commitment to a teacher-coach-mentor model of instruction, our caring and dedicated faculty, and our robust co-curricular program 

The Director of Major and Planned Giving, reporting to the Director of Development, will lead and implement a major gifts program to identify, cultivate, solicit and steward prospects with the ability to make $50,000+ gifts to Landon School in support of its current campaign and beyond. The individual will personally manage a portfolio of up to 150 prospects and partner with all program areas of Development (alumni relations, annual giving, constituent relations, advancement services, and communications), the Head of School, and Trustees. The Director will help to develop, and lead and execute, the School's planned giving strategy.  

 Essential Job Functions: 

• Manage a personal portfolio of 125-150 major gift prospects, which may include current parents, alumni, parents of alumni, and grandparents 
• Secures both revocable, irrevocable, and outright, non-cash gifts to achieve a personal annual fundraising goal of $5 million from prospects 
• Builds relationships with donors and prospects via phone calls, personal visits, ongoing written contact, and events; Responsible for 50-75 visits and 100-120 moves annually. 
• Develops and implements a comprehensive planned giving program that engages current and prospective donors on the importance and advantages of long term philanthropic planning 
• Oversee requests for individual donor research from volunteers and continue to enhance the rating and tracking system for major gift prospects 
• Identify prospects through research, records, referrals, etc. as appropriate 
• Craft proposals, talking points, contact reports, and cultivation/stewardship correspondence as needed and in partnership with the Director of Development 
• Develop and execute a comprehensive plan, including specific goals and timetables, to market, solicit and steward deferred and planned gifts through estates, trusts, charitable annuities, real estate, and other financial vehicles 
• Collaborate with the business office, financial estate planners, and attorneys to ensure accurate gift documentation and reporting to align with the needs of the School and the donor 
• Recruit, train, guide, and support major gift fundraising volunteers to conduct well-developed solicitation strategies in and out of campaigns 
• Assist in the identification of annual giving leadership prospects in partnership with annual giving and alumni relations 
• Develops a clear and compelling web presence for major and planned gifts 
• Produce the 1929 Legacy Society newsletter twice annually 
• Execute with the alumni office strategic regional alumni events 
• Other duties as assigned by the Director of Development  

Qualifications: (Skills, experience, education/certification, etc.) 

• Bachelor's degree, with a masters degree, preferred 
• Minimum 6+ years of development/advancement experience and major gift work 
• Deep knowledge of, and experience with, planned giving strategies and vehicles 
• Exceptional writing and communication skills 
• Collaborative and inclusive decision-making style 
• Computer fluency (Raisers Edge, Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, at a minimum) -- familiarity with web content management  
• Enthusiasm for becoming part of a vibrant, diverse, and inclusive 3-12 boys prep school  
• Sense of humor a must, with an appreciation for building strong relationships with colleagues, alumni, parents, and other members of the school community 

 For further information about our School, please visit our website at https://www.landon.net/ Interested candidates should email a letter of interest, résumé, and three references to: 

Peter J. Gallo, Ph.D. 

Director for Development 

Peter_gallo@landon.net