Major Gifts Officer, Independent School

Oak Knoll Principal and Major Gifts Officer 

 Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child is coeducational from PK to grade 6 and girls only in grades 7- 12. We are part of the global Holy Child Network of Schools, which includes nine schools across the U.S. and 13 overseas. Oak Knoll is Judeo-Christian in heritage, Roman Catholic in teaching and worship, where we believe that each person is created by God for an intended purpose. An Oak Knoll education guides students to discover that purpose and make a significant, positive impact on the world.

Oak Knoll is an equal-opportunity employer where diversity is celebrated and cultural competency
is required. As a Holy Child school, we work for Christian principles of justice, peace, and
compassion in every facet of life. We know that we can build a better world by learning from each
other and embracing differences, and we are committed to making Oak Knoll a truly inclusive place to work and learn.

 Role Summary:

 In collaboration with the Director of Institutional Advancement, the Principal and Major Gifts Officer will be responsible for helping Oak Knoll reach its fundraising goals by identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding major gifts of $25,000+. This individual will manage a portfolio of 100-150+ Oak Knoll donors (including Trustees, alumnae/i, current and/or former parents and other supporters) and be responsible for the design and execution of tailored cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies that will maximize philanthropy and strengthen long-term donor relationships.

 This role adds critical capacity to the institutional advancement team to enable a targeted focus on major gifts fundraising for the annual fund as well as in alignment with the upcoming capital campaign. The Principal and Major Gifts Officer will play a vital role in helping scale fundraising results and cultivating a culture of philanthropy throughout the Oak Knoll community.

 Primary Responsibilities:

 PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT AND MAJOR GIFT SOLICITATIONS

• Manage a portfolio of 100-150 major gift donors and top prospects (including: current and former parents, current and former Trustees, Alumnae/i ) who have the capacity to make multi-year commitments of $25,000 and above.
• Develop and execute tailored cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies for each prospect in line with Oak Knoll’s annual and campaign priorities and prospect’s interests.
• Provide tactical hands-on support to the Head of School, Director of Institutional Advancement, Trustees, and other High-Level Volunteers to strategize, prepare, executive and follow-up on successful donor briefing and solicitation meetings.
• Solicit major and principal gifts at the $25,000+ level in support of Oak Knoll’s annual, special, and campaign funding priorities.

• Work towards the achievement of benchmarks for success including quarterly and annual revenue goals as well as activity targets, including conducting a minimum of 8-10 personal ‘visits’ monthly for the purposes of cultivation, briefing, solicitation and/or stewardship.

 DONOR CULTIVATION AND PIPELINE DEVELOPMENT

• In collaboration with members of the Institutional Advancement team, identify, expand, and cultivate a significant prospect pipeline as part of the school’s evolving long-term fundraising
• Attend internal and external events, including travel as needed, for the purpose of prospect and donor cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
• Collaborate across Departments (ie. Marketing, Upper and Lower School Administration, Enrollment, Finance ) to identify potential new or underleveraged prospects as well as possible challenges and/or opportunities.

 REPORT AND DATABASE MANGEMENT

• Effectively utilize Raiser’s Edge to maintain records of all donor and prospect
• Maintain accurate and easily accessible reports for internal strategy and updates for key OKS leaders (Head of School, Advancement Committee, Campaign Committee etc.)
• Consistently evaluate composition, performance, and key metrics of portfolio and adjust strategy and approach as needed.
• Prepare written proposals, gift agreements, and other materials needed to define, secure and document major gifts.

 OVERALL DEPARTMENT STRATEGY AND SUPPORT

• Support the Director and Associate Director of Institutional Advancement with overall Department strategy and goal setting.
• Provide support to Department colleagues as is appropriate on special fundraising initiatives, proposals, appeals, and events.
• Additional tasks and priorities as

EDUCATION/CERTIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree, Master’s degree and/or CFRE preferred.

         START DATE:

• July 1, 2023

        Contact: Cynthia L. Prewitt, Director of Institutional Advancement, Oak Knoll School

cynthia.prewitt@oakknoll.org with cover letter and resume. All inquiries and nominations are kept confidential.