Director of Development

Association of Fundraising Professionals; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 140,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Benefits eligible

Job summary

Georgetown Day School seeks a strategic, relationship-driven Director of Development to lead and grow the school’s philanthropic program. Reporting to the Chief Advancement Officer, the role focuses on advancing annual giving, growing major gifts, and guiding the development team to transform donor engagement.

The Director of Development oversees the Hopper Fund strategy, collaborates with volunteers and school leadership, and ensures data-informed fundraising with strong execution.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• At least 7 years of experience in development or fundraising.
• Experience in an independent school, higher education, or education-related non-profit environment preferred.
• At least 3 years experience managing staff and volunteers, with the ability to lead, prioritize, and develop team members.
• Demonstrated success in closing major gifts and managing annual giving.
• Experience using donor databases such as Raiser’s Edge or similar CRM systems.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement a comprehensive annual development plan aligned with the school’s priorities.
• Strengthen the Hopper Fund through donor segmentation and leadership giving strategy.
• Lead and manage the development team and fundraising operations.
• Cultivate and solicit major donors and manage a high-capacity donor portfolio.
• Design donor stewardship programs and engage volunteers and alumni in fundraising
• Collaborate with school leadership on donor engagement activities and events.

Skills

Relationship building

Strategic thinking

Donor engagement

Communication skills

Project management

Evening/weekend availability

Education

Bachelor’s degree required

7+ years development experience

Experience managing staff and volunteers

Tools

Raiser’s Edge / CRM systems

Job description

About the School

Georgetown Day School opened its doors in 1945 as the first integrated school in a segregated city. GDS was founded by seven changemaker families who envisioned a school committed not only to academic excellence and educational innovation but also to respect and care for others. Believing that diversity is a critical foundation for the most transformational learning, they established a school where all children would be welcomed, celebrated, and challenged to be their best selves.

Today, the School’s philosophy and programs strongly reflect its roots. GDS fosters a community of belonging while lifting up every student’s unique gifts, building in each the capacity for compassion, leadership, and creating positive change. 1125 engaged and talented PK-12 students across three divisions love to learn and learn to change the world in GDS’s exciting urban campus with its outstanding facilities. Recognized as one the most dynamic educational institutions in our capital city and nation, GDS today is in a uniquely attractive position, with a deeply-felt and lived history, clear mission, and genuine openness to the possibilities that lie ahead.

About the Position

DEPARTMENT: Advancement

REPORTS TO: Chief Advancement Officer

SUPERVISES: Director of Individual Giving

FLSA: Exempt

TYPE OF ROLE: Full-time, 12-months

COMPENSATION: $140,000 - 160,000 annually, based on experience

BENEFITS: Eligible

Note: Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Georgetown Day School seeks a strategic, relationship-driven, and results-oriented Director of Development to help lead and grow the school’s philanthropic program. Reporting to the Chief Advancement Officer, the Director of Development is responsible for advancing the school’s annual giving program, strengthening the pipeline of major gift donors, and managing the team to transformational success. Serving as lead and manager for the development team, this role plays a crucial role in fostering a culture of philanthropy across the GDS community. The Director of Development combines strategic approach with strong execution, bringing a data-informed and relationship-centered approach to all aspects of fundraising. The Director of Development directly manages the Director of Individual Giving, indirectly manages the Advancement Associate of Annual Giving, and may have the potential for additional direct reports in the future as dictated by program growth and needs.

Essential Responsibilities

Development Strategy and Planning

• Partner with the Chief Advancement Officer to create and implement a comprehensive annual development plan aligned with the school’s strategic priorities.
• Support staff in strengthening the Hopper Fund through thoughtful donor segmentation, leadership giving strategy, and peer-to-peer engagement.
• Implement strategies that support sustainable philanthropic growth and long-term donor engagement.
• In partnership with the Director of Advancement Operations, monitor and evaluate fundraising performance, using data and trends to inform strategy and decision-making.

Annual Giving Leadership

• Support the Director of Individual Giving in devising and executing Hopper Fund strategy, including alumni, parent, alumni parent, grandparent, and community giving.
• Identify opportunities to increase both donor participation and leadership-level giving.
• Collaborate with volunteers and school leadership to expand engagement and strengthen donor relationships.
• Monitor and analyze giving trends to guide strategy and improve outcomes in partnership with the Director of Advancement Operations.

Major Gift Development

• Identify, cultivate, and solicit prospective major donors in partnership with the Chief Advancement Officer and school leadership.
• Develop and manage a portfolio of high-capacity donors, with clear goals for cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship activity.
• Create and execute individualized engagement strategies to move prospects through the donor pipeline.
• Partner with the Chief Advancement Officer on leadership-level gift strategy and key donor relationships.

Donor and Community Stewardship and Engagement

• Design and oversee a comprehensive donor stewardship program that ensures timely, personalized, and impact-driven recognition and communication.
• Ensure donors experience meaningful connection to the mission, students, and programmatic impact of GDS.
• Collaborate with the Director of Community Relations to create thoughtful donor engagement opportunities through events, communications, and campus experiences.
• Partner with the Director of Community Relations to strengthen relationships with alumni families and community supporters.
• In partnership with Chief Advancement Officer and Advancement colleagues, engage and support volunteers, including parent leaders and Board members, in fundraising strategy, outreach, and peer-to-peer engagement.
• In collaboration with the Director of Individual Giving, establish clear structures and expectations that enable volunteers to be effective partners in building a culture of philanthropy.

Team Leadership and Management

• Provide day-to-day leadership and management of the Director of Individual Giving ensuring strong performance, accountability, and professional growth.
• Establish clear goals, priorities, and workflows to support effective execution of development operations, data management, and reporting.

Development Operations, Data, and Performance Management

• Partner with advancement operations to ensure accurate portfolio management, donor tracking, and pipeline reporting and to track fundraising progress and develop accurate revenue forecasts.
• Collaborate with the Director of Communications to develop compelling messaging that communicates the impact of philanthropy.

Additional Duties and Responsibilities

• Accomplish all tasks as appropriate. Other duties outside this description may be assigned as necessary.

Qualifications

Education and Experiences

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• At least 7 years of experience in development or fundraising required.
• Experience in an independent school, higher education, or education-related non-profit environment preferred.
• At least 3 years experience managing staff and volunteers, including fundraisers, with the demonstrated ability to lead, prioritize, and develop team members is required.
• Demonstrated success in closing major gifts and managing annual giving are required.
• Experience using donor databases such as Raiser’s Edge or similar CRM systems is required.

Key Competencies

• Strong strategic thinking and organizational planning skills.
• Exceptional relationship-building and communication skills.
• Strategic fundraising and donor engagement.
• Data-informed decision making.
• Relationship building and donor stewardship.
• Volunteer leadership and community engagement.
• Planning and project management.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with team leadership, school leadership, volunteers, and colleagues.
• Professional communication and representation of institutional priorities.
• Ability to work evenings and weekends, as needed, in support of events and donor engagement.
• Motivation to use a range of resources that represent diverse cultures, experiences and viewpoints.

Americans with Disability Specifications

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools or controls; reach with hands and arms; climb stairs; balance; stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl; talk, see or hear. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.

Work Environment

Work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is exposed to weather conditions prevalent at the time. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

Benefits

For faculty and staff that are contracted to work in a permanent or long-term sub capacity (90 calendar days or more) for at least half-time: A summary of employee benefits are available on the GDS website: https://www.gds.org/about/careers-at-gds

As an inclusive school devoted to preparing our students to live, work, and lead in an increasingly globalized and multicultural society, GDS is particularly interested in professionals with demonstrated interest and experience in working in such a school setting and is driven by the core charge of working to enhance and bring joy to every student’s individual learning experience in equitable and meaningful ways.