Director of Development, Maret School

Maret School; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 210,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive benefits package

Job summary

Maret School in Washington, DC, seeks a Director of Development to lead its comprehensive philanthropy program—annual giving, leadership gifts, alumni and parent engagement, planned giving, stewardship, and operations.

The Director partners with the Head of School and the Board to shape strategy and build durable systems for sustained growth. A successful candidate will manage major gifts and report progress to leadership.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree welcome.
• Significant progressively responsible advancement experience in multiple organizations.
• Independent school experience valued; experience in higher education or a comparable nonprofit with a sophisticated donor base will be considered.
• Familiarity with the Washington, D.C. philanthropic community is desirable.
• High proficiency with Raiser’s Edge or comparable donor management systems, and with standard productivity applications.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and motivational leadership for Maret’s comprehensive philanthropy program.
• Personally manage a portfolio of major and principal gift prospects and close gifts.
• Lead and develop the development team, set and report against program goals.
• Build systems for prospect research, capacity screening, moves management, and board reporting.

Skills

Fundraising Craft

Program Building

Leadership and Partnership

Education

Bachelor's degree

Advanced degree welcome

Tools

Raiser’s Edge

Job description

ABOUT THE POSITION

THE OPPORTUNITY

This is a rare opportunity to build at a school whose community has already demonstrated extraordinary generosity. Maret has raised more than $130 million since 1987, completed the largest campaign in its history, and sustains participation rates most schools would envy. The School now seeks a leader who will match that generosity with an equally strong program around it—a compelling case for support, well-informed cultivation and solicitation, stewardship that deepens loyalty over decades, and the systems that allow a program to grow.

The next Director of Development begins in tandem with a new Head of School, a new strategic plan, campus master planning underway, and a Board that is engaged, willing to solicit, and ready for partnership. The Director will be called on to shape the structure of the office, the discipline of the program, and the case Maret takes to its community in its next campaign.

Job Summary

The Director of Development provides strategic and motivational leadership for Maret’s comprehensive philanthropy program—annual giving, leadership and major gifts, the Scholarship Gala, alumni and parent engagement, planned giving, stewardship, and advancement operations—in support of the School’s mission and strategic objectives.

As Maret’s principal fundraising professional, the Director personally manages a portfolio of major and principal gift prospects and closes gifts, while partnering with the Head of School and the Board of Trustees on the School’s most significant relationships. The Director leads and develops the development team, sets and reports against program goals, and builds the systems—prospect research, capacity screening, moves management, pipeline discipline, and reliable board reporting—on which sustained growth depends.

PRIORITIES FOR THE NEXT DIRECTOR

Maret comes to this search from a position of strength. The School’s finances are sound, its community is loyal and generous, and its philanthropic record over four decades is among the more impressive in the Washington area. The next Director of Development inherits genuine assets and an unusual amount of latitude—the opportunities below describe where their energy can most productively be directed.

• Partner with new leadership at a defining moment.
• Lead the School’s major and leadership gift work.
• Shape a compelling case for support.
• Strengthen the infrastructure to support the advancement program.
• Convert strong alumni engagement into alumni philanthropy.
• Deepen parent engagement across all three divisions.
• Partner with a Board that gives and solicits.
• Build and lead the team.

CANDIDATE QUALIFICATIONS AND ATTRIBUTES

The successful candidate will be an experienced advancement leader who is as comfortable in front of a donor as in front of a spreadsheet—a confident, externally oriented fundraiser who also brings sound business judgment, builds durable internal systems, and develops a strong team.

Maret seeks a Director of Development who demonstrates:

• Fundraising Craft
• Program Building
• Leadership and Partnership

PERSONAL QUALITIES

• Cultural fit with Maret.
• Integrity and discretion.
• Commitment to equity, inclusion, and belonging.
• Flexibility and resilience.
• A genuine interest in schools.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree welcome.
• Significant progressively responsible advancement experience in multiple organizations, including management of a comprehensive program and a professional team.
• Independent school experience valued; experience in higher education or a comparable nonprofit with a sophisticated donor base will be considered.
• Familiarity with the Washington, D.C. philanthropic community is desirable.
• High proficiency with Raiser’s Edge or comparable donor management systems, and with standard productivity applications.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

The projected good-faith salary range for this position is $210,000 – $250,000 annually. Final compensation within this range is determined based on individual skills, experience, and internal equity parameters. Maret School offers a comprehensive benefits package for full-time employees.

Maret School stands firmly behind the principle that the admission of students, the employment of faculty, the operation of programs, and the governance of the school be open to all who are qualified, regardless of race, ethnicity, color, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, or creed. We believe that this principle is both firmly grounded in the spirit of American democracy and in keeping with the civil responsibilities of an independent school.