Director of Advancement: Transformational Fundraising Leader

Diocese of San Jose; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Sacred Heart Nativity Schools in San Jose seeks a Director of Advancement to lead fundraising, donor engagement, communications, stewardship, and operations to sustain the school’s mission.

You will develop annual fundraising strategies, supervise staff and contractors, and collaborate with the President to meet annual goals across giving programs and campaigns. This exempt, full-time role emphasizes strategic donor relations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred.
• Five or more years of progressive responsibility with nonprofit fundraising experience.
• Demonstrated success securing major gifts and institutional funding.
• Experience leading annual fundraising strategies and campaigns.
• Strong grant writing and donor communication skills.
• Experience supervising staff and managing cross-functional projects.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Proficiency with donor database systems and fundraising software.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement a comprehensive annual advancement plan aligned with organizational priorities.
• Lead annual giving, major gifts, institutional giving, stewardship, and donor engagement initiatives.
• Oversee communications, events, and donor relations across fundraising programs, budget, and analytics.
• Guide staff and contractors; monitor performance and professional development.
• Manage portfolio strategy, moves management, and donor pipeline for major gifts.
• Identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward foundation, corporate, and institutional funders.
• Ensure timely acknowledgments, impact reporting, and donor recognition.

Skills

Major gifts strategy

Grant writing

Donor engagement

Staff development

Strategic leadership

Fundraising analytics

Education

Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred

Five+ years nonprofit fundraising experience

Tools

Donor database systems

Fundraising software

Job description

Sacred Heart Nativity Schools in San Jose seeks a Director of Advancement to lead fundraising, donor engagement, communications, stewardship, and operations to sustain the school’s mission.

You will develop annual fundraising strategies, supervise staff and contractors, and collaborate with the President to meet annual goals across giving programs and campaigns. This exempt, full-time role emphasizes strategic donor relations.