Director of Advancement

Full-time Exempt Position: Director of Advancement

About the Position:

OSA seeks an enthusiastic and collaborative Director of Advancement to lead OSA’s comprehensive fundraising program. This role is also essential in helping to build community and strengthen relationships among the school’s various stakeholders. Responsibilities of the Director of Advancement include: strategic fundraising planning and development, supervising departmental staff and consultants, and the implementation and coordination of funding strategies for annual campaigns. The Director of Advancement is part of the OSA Leadership team, and works closely with OSA’s Executive Director, Senior Administration, Board of Directors and Association of Parents & Teachers (APT) to establish funding strategies, goals and objectives in accomplishment of advancement goals.

Job Responsibilities:

The Director of Advancement is responsible for developing and overseeing a comprehensive

fundraising program for OSA, including: annual giving, major gifts, institutional giving, grant writing for public and private solicitations, constituent relations (parents, relatives, alumni, parents of alumni and friends), donor communications, and events. Primary Responsibilities include:

• Design, implement and oversee multi-year, comprehensive fundraising programs that broadly support the mission and strategic goals of the school in collaboration with other team members
• Develop fundraising policies, best practices and procedures in support of achieving annual fundraising goals
• Create and maintain a shared annual fundraising calendar for all grants, campaigns and major asks (large-dollar individual donations, corporate and foundation support)
• Develop and expand the major gifts program, managing a portfolio of 55+ major donors
• Research new donor prospects and prepare donor profiles
• Write proposals that fall outside of institutional giving in collaboration with other team members
• Develop and oversee all development programs and campaigns including: annual giving,    major gifts, institutional giving, stewardship, and special events
• Oversee office operations, including: donor files and database, gift accounting and acknowledgments, pledge collection, creation of financial records, and compliance with school policy and philanthropic best practices
• Lead the creation and management of the Advancement Office budget
• Hire, train, motivate, manage, and evaluate Advancement team
• Manage a team of direct-reports (2 currently)
• Lead and coordinate the efforts of the Advancement team and volunteers in the identification, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship of donors
• Provide training and support for various stakeholder groups
• Collaborate with Arts Department Chairs and other team members on special events programming and content
• Collaborate with the Senior Administration on strategic school initiatives beyond fundraising (e.g. emergency planning, etc.)
• Oversee the production of all solicitation materials, presentations and publications, including Case Statements and Annual Reports
• Oversee all donor stewardship and processes, ensuring all donors are acknowledged in a meaningful and timely manner
• Organize regular Advancement Committee meetings and attend Finance Committee  meetings
• Attend and present progress reports at monthly board meetings
• Partner with the Advancement Committee to develop and implement longer-term advancement initiatives and engage the Board of Directors in fundraising goals and initiatives
• Work closely with the APT and other parent-led volunteer groups to cultivate community engagement
• Externally represent OSA to current and prospective constituencies
• Promote a culture of equity and inclusion within the development program, communications, and the school community at large

Job Qualifications:

• 5 or more years of fundraising experience or equivalent experience, preferably in an independent school setting
• Experience with Major Gifts and managing major donor profiles
• Experience and familiarity with Institutional Giving (corporate and foundation) 
• Experience or strong interest in managing capital campaigns preferred
• Experience with Marketing & Communication preferred
• Demonstrated organizational, interpersonal, analytical, and verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to prioritize, meet deadlines, and oversee multiple projects simultaneously
• Technical competencies, particularly in Excel, Google Suite, and Adobe
• Experience with Donor Perfect or similar CRM a plus
• Familiarity with the charter and/or public school environment, preferably as an employee or student
• Cultural competency and an observable commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and social justice

Job Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree required
• Some evening and weekend work required
• Ability to interact effectively with all the constituencies of the School community, including the Executive Director, administration, staff, faculty, Board of Directors, alumni, parents, and friends of the School; skilled at building and maintaining relationships across the school community
• Excellent communication skills, both oral and written, and superb listening skills

Please submit your letter of interest and current resume to via EdJoin https://www.edjoin.org/Home/DistrictJobPosting/1426529 

School Description:  

Oakland School for the Arts is a public charter school that prepares its students for college and  career, in and outside of the arts. OSA is a diverse and inclusive 6-12 school that blends immersive, robust arts with comprehensive academics, providing integrated opportunities for collaboration, expression, and personal growth. OSA currently serves nearly 800 students and employs over 100 faculty and staff. Applicants can learn more about OSA at: oakarts.org.  

OSA does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, faith, sex, gender or gender expression, age, ability, sexual orientation, familial or marital status. OSA is actively seeking to create a more culturally diverse school community and as such, we encourage people of color and members of the LGBTIQ community to apply.  

OSA’s salary and benefits are competitive and include medical, vision, and dental insurance and a retirement plan.