Director, Annual Giving & Advancement Operations

Illinois Education Job Bank; Wheaton (IL); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

St. Francis High School in Wheaton, Illinois, is seeking a Director of Annual Giving & Advancement Operations to oversee annual giving programs, donor stewardship, and the Advancement database.

The role focuses on growing philanthropic support, strengthening donor relationships, and ensuring accurate records and reporting. Ideal candidates will possess 3–5 years in fundraising or advancement operations, experience with Raiser's Edge NXT, and strong skills in organization, analytics,

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent relevant experience.
• 3–5 years of experience in fundraising, annual giving, or advancement operations.
• Experience with donor management software, preferably Raiser's Edge NXT.
• Demonstrated ability to manage fundraising campaigns, donor relationships, and financial data.
• Strong organizational, analytical, communication, and project management skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and fundraising reporting.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, maintain confidentiality, and work collaboratively.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute annual giving strategies, fundraising goals, budgets, and campaign calendars.
• Manage annual appeals, Day of Giving, parent and alumni giving programs, and targeted fundraising initiatives.
• Increase donor participation, retention, recurring giving, and overall annual fund revenue.
• Support scholarship fundraising, leadership giving through the St. Francis Society, and other institutional priorities.
• Collaborate with Advancement, Communications, and school departments to coordinate fundraising initiatives and activities.
• Support major gift and capital campaign activities as needed.
• Manage donor acknowledgment, recognition, and stewardship programs.
• Develop fundraising communications, appeals, and donor correspondence.
• Identify opportunities to engage new, existing, and lapsed donors.
• Help coordinate donor recognition events and activities, such as the annual Gratitude & Impact Report.
• Administer the donor database, maintaining accurate records, giving histories, and constituent information.
• Oversee gift entry, pledge tracking, acknowledgments, and gift reconciliation with the Business Office.
• Develop donor lists, reports, dashboards, and analyses to support fundraising decisions, operational reporting, the annual Gratitude & Impact Report, etc.
• Maintain database integrity, donor confidentiality, and consistent gift-processing procedures.
• Support donor prospect research, segmentation, and fundraising pipeline development.
• Coordinate with school departments to maintain visibility into fundraising activities across campus.
• Represent Advancement at school and donor events, including occasional evenings and weekends.
• Build positive relationships with alumni, parents, faculty, staff, and community members.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Vice President of Advancement.

Skills

Fundraising

Donor relations

Analytical skills

Project management

Communication

Excel

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

Raiser's Edge NXT

Job description

St. Francis High School in Wheaton, Illinois, is seeking a Director of Annual Giving & Advancement Operations to oversee annual giving programs, donor stewardship, and the Advancement database.

The role focuses on growing philanthropic support, strengthening donor relationships, and ensuring accurate records and reporting. Ideal candidates will possess 3–5 years in fundraising or advancement operations, experience with Raiser's Edge NXT, and strong skills in organization, analytics,