Chief Development Officer

St. Andrew's School

Richmond (VA)

On-site

USD 100,000 - 110,000

Full time

14 days+

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Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Retirement plan

Paid time off

Professional development

Tuition-free school model

Job summary

St. Andrew’s School in Richmond, VA, seeks a Chief Development Officer to lead all aspects of its development strategy, including annual giving, major gifts, and donor stewardship.

The role requires strong fundraising leadership, strategic planning, and collaboration with the Head of School and the board to grow unrestricted revenue. The successful candidate will manage a small advancement team, cultivate major donors, and develop innovative fundraising initiatives aligned with the school’s

Qualifications

Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree preferred.
Minimum 5 years operating an annual giving program.
Demonstrated fundraising success across multiple streams.
Leadership experience representing an organization to external audiences.
Ability to partner with board and senior staff on engagement and development.
Strong strategic planning and project/budget management skills.
Strong data fluency including donor segmentation and CRM proficiency.
Excellent verbal and written communication; passion for St. Andrew’s values.

Responsibilities

Lead all aspects of the school’s development strategy, including annual giving, major gifts, donor stewardship, and campaign planning.
Manage board engagement, institutional partnerships, and long-term fundraising strategy.
Oversee reporting to finance and leadership; ensure donor materials reflect consistent branding.
Mentor a small advancement team and support professional development.
Partner with the Head of School and board on donor visits and fundraising strategy.

Skills

Fundraising leadership

Donor stewardship

Board engagement

Strategic planning

Data analytics

Communication

Relationship building

Team leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree (preferred)

Tools

Bloomerang

Job description

Salary Details

Why St. Andrew's School? St. Andrew's offers a distinctive environment for leaders who want their work to matter. We offer: - Fully employer-paid health, dental, and long-term disability insurance for full-time employees - Eight weeks of fully paid dependent care leave at 100% of salary - An expanded benefits network including telemedicine, mental wellness support, fertility support, musculoskeletal care, gym membership discounts, and weight loss programs - Three weeks of paid time off to start, increasing with tenure - A generous holiday calendar including spring, Thanksgiving, and winter breaks, plus reduced summer hours - Retirement plan with employer contribution - Professional development budget and support for senior staff - Free, scratch-cooked lunch every day, prepared fresh by our in-house culinary team - A tuition-free school model that removes financial barriers for every family we serve - A close-knit, mission-driven community where employees are known, valued, and supported

Details

Posted: 12-Jun-26

Location: Richmond, Virginia

Type: Full Time

Salary: $100,000 - $110,000

Categories Development/Fund Raising

Salary Details

Preferred Education

Masters

St. Andrew’s School Overview

St. Andrew’s School has operated on a simple, radical premise for more than 130 years: every child deserves access to an educational experience rooted in academic excellence, whole-child development, and a deep commitment to equity and opportunity. As one of a small number of tuition-free independent schools in the country, SAS provides a full scholarship to every student it serves, and funds that promise almost entirely through philanthropy.

The Chief Development Officer will join the organization at a pivotal and exciting moment in the school’s trajectory. As St. Andrew’s enters a strategic planning year and looks toward its next chapter of growth, this role presents a unique opportunity to help shape the future of the institution and build the long-term development strategy that will sustain that vision for years to come.

This is a role for a builder who is energized by the opportunity to create, strengthen, and reimagine what is possible.

The successful candidate will bring strong fundraising expertise while also serving as a strategic thought partner to the Head of School, helping translate vision into a sophisticated and sustainable development strategy. This is an opportunity for a leader who is energized by both honoring a strong institutional foundation and helping define what the next chapter of growth, sustainability, and impact can look like.

School Overview

St. Andrew’s School (SAS) is a tuition-free, independent Episcopal day school serving students in Kindergarten through 5th grade in Richmond, Virginia. Established in 1894, SAS is one of a small number of schools in the country that provides an independent school education to children from families living at or below 200% of the federal poverty level through a full scholarship for every child. With 96 students across six grade levels, we employ a whole-child approach to education that integrates academics, family engagement, graduate support, social-emotional learning, visual and performing arts, and wellness and nutrition.

St. Andrew’s is an equal opportunity employer. Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), immigrants, women, and LGBTQ+ candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

Essential Functions

Reporting directly to the Head of School and serving as a member of the senior leadership team, the Chief Development Officer will lead all aspects of the school’s development strategy, including annual giving, major gifts, donor stewardship, campaign planning, board engagement, institutional partnerships, and long-term fundraising strategy. The ability to lead collaboratively, build trust across the leadership team, and guide fundraising activity at the executive level is essential.

Strategy, Board and Leadership

As a member of the Leadership Team, partner closely with senior staff and the Development Board Committee to lead the creation, implementation and evaluation of a comprehensive annual advancement plan that enables sustainable short- and long-term philanthropic growth. This targeted advancement plan and calendar will provide concrete metrics and goals for fundraising, outlining regularly scheduled donor communication and opportunities for cultivation and stewardship.
Attend board meetings and board committee meetings and report on development activities as needed, in coordination with the Head of School.
Serve as an ambassador and spokesperson for the organization and articulate the school’s mission to external constituents.
In partnership with the Head of School, educate, energize, and train board members and senior staff in donor cultivation and professional fundraising techniques and best practices.
Collaborate with members of the business office to develop and produce regular reports that synthesize the financial progress, impact and trends of fundraising activities.
Partner with the Head of School and Board members, as appropriate, on solicitation visits.

Fundraising

Oversee and effectively manage areas including (but not limited to) annual fund, capital fundraising, campaign fundraising, grant writing and reporting, volunteer management, gift processing, donor database management, special events, and marketing efforts tied to fundraising activities, as appropriate.
Lead efforts to meet and grow the current fundraising budget of $1.9 million annually, with a clear mandate to increase revenue year-over-year through individuals, foundations, and corporate funding.
Identify and implement new revenue streams, with a focus on increasing sustainable unrestricted revenue.
Lead the creation and growth of a new framework for individual giving to include planned giving.

Internal Management and Infrastructure

Manage departmental resources (human and financial) in a way that efficiently produces optimal results, and achieves stated financial objectives for revenue and expense management.
Ensure that accurate and thorough records are maintained, including timely gift processing, donor records, mailing lists, contact and call reports, giving history, biographical data, etc.
Manage and mentor a small advancement team, with the opportunity to shape and grow the department over time.
Effectively manage the development department’s day-to-day operations, budget and income forecasts.
Inform and provide oversight to all donor materials to ensure consistent messaging and branding of donor and external stakeholder communications.
Partner with the business office to sustain efficient, effective and transparent financial tracking and reporting processes.
Develop clear processes and collaborate within the organization to create an understanding of and appreciation for the impact of the advancement function. Foster an environment of cohesiveness, transparency and collaboration.

Required

Bachelor’s degree
Minimum 5 years operating an annual giving program, including personally soliciting funds and motivating others to solicit
Demonstrated fundraising success across multiple giving streams
Leadership experience representing an organization to external audiences and developing successful partnerships
Experience partnering with board and staff leadership on engagement and development activities
Strong strategic planning and project and budget management skills
Strong data fluency, including donor segmentation, trend analysis, and CRM platform proficiency
Ability to communicate and present effectively both verbally and in writing
Passion for social justice and the values of St. Andrew’s School

Preferred