Job Title: Director of Development

Reports to: Head of School     

Reporting Calendar: Year-Round

Start Date: Summer 2025 

Position Summary

The Director of Development will lead a passionate, collaborative Development Team working together to reach ambitious philanthropic benchmarks at a premier independent school located in Englewood, New Jersey. Situated on an idyllic campus of 30+ acres, Dwight-Englewood School prides itself on being a diverse community of learners – parents, students, alumni, faculty, and staff – working together to meet the challenges of a changing world and make it better.

Reporting to the Head of School and working closely with the Associate Head of School, Senior Leadership, and Board volunteers, this position is responsible for developing, executing, and measuring a comprehensive strategic fundraising plan to support Dwight-Englewood School’s strategic and financial goals. At present, these priorities include building a robust and growth-oriented annual fund alongside a burgeoning major gifts program with significant opportunity for growth, and a “lynchpin” capital project.

The role oversees all giving activities and collaborates closely with the Admissions and Communications division leaders. Responsibilities include managing a diverse portfolio of fundraising programs, including oversight of the annual campaign, management of any capital and endowment campaigns, and donor stewardship. The Director of Development supervises a four-person Development and Alumni Relations team and serves on the school’s Leadership Team, contributing to the overall strategic vision, fostering a culture of philanthropy, and achieving annual and long-term fundraising goals.

Essential Functions

The essential duties and responsibilities of this position include, but are not limited to, the following:

School Leadership

• In partnership with the Head of School, Associate Head of School, Senior Leadership, Board, and Senior Leadership, engage in formulating and executing the school’s comprehensive strategic vision.
• Build relationships throughout school to aid in building a culture of community engagement and philanthropy.
• Create and manage the Development division’s annual budget, with corresponding metrics.

Development Division Management

• Develop, plan, manage, and execute a comprehensive Development strategy and program for all fundraising activities that secure financial resources from individual donors, foundations, and corporations to support Dwight-Englewood School.
• Achieve fundraising goals as identified by the Head of School and Board of Trustees. This includes annual efforts, as well as major gifts and future campaigns.
• Assess, update and maintain current systems, policies, and procedures for Development efforts including: cultivation, stewardship, gift/pledge processing, fund reporting, acknowledgments, tracking and reporting.
• Lead, manage, coach, and support division staff to set and achieve the goals of the division and ensure they achieve their professional goals and are provided the opportunity to grow in their roles.
• Work with Dwight-Englewood School’s Senior Leadership, Division Heads, Principals, Faculty, Admissions Team, and Communications Team to integrate Development into marketing efforts create a whole community approach to messaging, marketing, and philanthropy

Gift Solicitation & Donor Relations

• Achieve annual fundraising goals developed in collaboration with the Head of School, Board, and Chief Financial Officer.
• Develop, implement, and manage the execution of major gift strategies. Support and collaborate with the Head of School, Board, Senior Leadership Team, and Division Heads to solicit and close high level donors. 
• Work with the Head of School, Board, Senior Leadership Team, and Division Heads to identify and engage new prospects.
• Regularly engage and solicit a portfolio of approximately 75-100 major donors.
• Develop and manage the execution of a planned giving strategy.
• Provide strategic planning and support for annual giving, alumni engagement, stewardship, events, and volunteer efforts managed by the division staff.
• Oversee and maintain CRM (Raiser’s Edge NXT), data entry, reporting and overall accuracy of databases.
• Coordinate with the Business Office to reconcile donations and funds, monitor expenditures and prepare financial reports.

Board of Trustees Support & Engagement

• Attend Board of Trustees meetings. Foster increased collaboration with key members of the Development Committee, Finance Committee, and Major Gifts Committee. 
• Provide ongoing education and leadership to the Board to increase their understanding of fundraising best practices and engage them in Dwight-Englewood School’s work to enhance their ability to bring resources to the organization.
• Report regularly to the Board of Trustees regarding Development strategies, programs and outcomes.
• Work with the Head of School and Senior Leadership Team to build and cultivate a culture of community engagement and philanthropy among Dwight-Englewood School’s trustees, staff, current students, alumni, and current and former families.

Qualifications

• Strategic leader with proven project and people management skills. Adept at mentoring and cultivating a strong team. Skilled at managing multiple projects at once and has the ability to thoughtfully manage up to school leadership.
• Strong fiscal management skills, excels at implementing and coordinating data-driven fundraising strategies. 
• Demonstrated success in managing the full fundraising cycle, including donor engagement, cultivation, and relationship-building with current and prospective donors, in a $4M plus/year fundraising environment.
• Self-directed, collaborative, and values teamwork, building meaningful relationships while respecting differing opinions and demonstrating high emotional intelligence.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills. Strong presentation and public speaking skills. A skilled storyteller.
• Ability to work on-campus, with occasional opportunities to work off-campus to support project completion and related tasks. Ability to work flexible hours, including occasional evenings and weekends. 
• A colleague who can find joy and fun in the work
•  A believer in the beauty that all types of diversity and perspectives bring to a community and the desire to develop all community members into prospective donors 
•  A highly skilled decision maker who can discern the need for individual action versus broad input
• A lifelong learner committed to continuous improvement and reflection both personally and professionally
•  A thought leader with the knowledge and expertise to work with all school constituencies, including community volunteers, faculty and staff, leadership, trustees, families, and alumni, in order to create a comprehensive and compelling case for support

Education, Experience, and Certifications

• Required: Bachelor’s Degree. Master’s Degree preferred.
• 7-10+ years of relevant work experience in fundraising with an emphasis on major gifts, campaigns, and event fundraising.
• School based and/or non-profit Development experience preferred.
• Experience with data collection and analysis. Must possess a record of increasing and diversifying financial support. 
• Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge knowledge preferred. 

This is a 12-month position with a salary range of $200,000 to $225,000. Dwight-Englewood offers a comprehensive benefits package including, health, dental, and vision insurance, 403(b) plan, life insurance, and a generous time-off policy.