Development & Alumni Partnerships Lead

Scottish Council of Independent Schools; Musselburgh; Remote; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Loretto School in Musselburgh near Edinburgh seeks a Development Manager to establish and lead the Development Office, building a sustainable culture of philanthropy across the School community.

You will design a comprehensive fundraising strategy, manage donor stewardship, legacy giving, events and corporate partnerships, and work with the Head and Governors to secure bursaries and capital projects.

Qualifications

• Degree-level qualification or equivalent professional experience.
• Proven experience in fundraising, development, advancement, stakeholder engagement or business development.
• Experience of building and managing high-value relationships.
• Track record of delivering measurable income, partnership or engagement outcomes.
• Experience of managing databases and CRM systems.
• Experience of planning and delivering successful events.
• Strong project management and organisational skills.
• Experience preparing reports and presenting to senior stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement a Development Strategy aligned with the School's strategic plan.
• Create and deliver annual and multi-year fundraising plans with agreed income targets.
• Develop compelling cases for support focused on bursaries, capital projects and educational enrichment.
• Build and maintain a pipeline of prospects across annual giving, major gifts and legacy supporters.
• Lead fundraising campaigns and appeals, ensuring clear objectives, timelines and success measures.
• Monitor and report progress against agreed KPIs, income targets and return-on-investment measures.
• Prepare regular reports for the DFO, Head, Development Committee and Board.
• Identify, cultivate, solicit and steward major donors and prospective supporters.
• Develop strong relationships with alumni, parents, former parents, former staff and friends of the School
• Coordinate donor meetings involving the Head, Governors and senior staff
• Deliver a structured donor stewardship programme ensuring supporters are appropriately thanked, recognised and informed.
• Maintain confidentiality and professionalism when handling donor information and philanthropy discussions.
• Support the establishment and growth of an endowment and legacy giving programme.
• Establish and grow corporate partnership opportunities aligned with the School's values and strategic priorities.
• Secure sponsorship, in-kind support and partnership funding.
• Develop relationships with local businesses, alumni-owned organisations and strategic partners.
• Identify opportunities for corporate matched giving and employee engagement schemes.
• Ensure appropriate due diligence is undertaken on prospective partners.
• Develop an annual programme of development and engagement events including an annual giving day
• Deliver cultivation, stewardship, reunion, networking and fundraising events.
• Work closely with Marketing and Admissions colleagues to ensure events support wider School objectives.
• Evaluate events against defined objectives including donor cultivation, stewardship, engagement and income generation.
• Manage event budgets and ensure excellent stakeholder experiences.Governance, Compliance and Data Management
• Ensure all fundraising activity complies with relevant legislation, GDPR requirements and sector best practice.
• Maintain accurate records using the School's CRM and donor management systems.
• Key Performance IndicatorsThe Development Manager will be assessed against agreed annual targets

Skills

Fundraising

Donor relations

Stakeholder engagement

Event planning

Strategic thinking

CRM systems

Education

Degree-level qualification

Tools

CRM software

Job description

Loretto School in Musselburgh near Edinburgh seeks a Development Manager to establish and lead the Development Office, building a sustainable culture of philanthropy across the School community.

You will design a comprehensive fundraising strategy, manage donor stewardship, legacy giving, events and corporate partnerships, and work with the Head and Governors to secure bursaries and capital projects.