Head of Development

Regina Dominican High School; Wilmette (IL); On-site; USD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Regina Dominican High School in Wilmette, IL, seeks a Head of Development to lead a three-person team and design a comprehensive fundraising program that advances the school’s Catholic all-girls mission.

You will partner with the President and Board, drive annual giving, major gifts, and campaigns, and foster donor engagement across alumnae, families, and community partners.

Qualifications

• Minimum 7–10 years of progressive development experience, preferably in independent schools, nonprofits, or educational settings.
• Proven track record in major gift fundraising and campaign leadership.
• Exceptional interpersonal, communication, and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to lead a small, high-performing team with vision, empathy, and accountability.
• Strong analytical skills, data literacy, and comfort with donor management software.
• Passion for and commitment to the mission of Catholic all-girls education.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership and planning for multi-year development strategy aligned with the school’s mission and capital campaign goals.
• Lead a three-person development team with clear goals, timelines, and performance metrics.
• Oversee annual fund strategy, donor stewardship, and engagement of parents, alumnae, and community partners.
• Collaborate with Marketing/Enrollment to ensure consistent messaging and donor communications.
• Expand giving opportunities with foundations, corporations, sponsorships, and legacy gifts.
• Represent Regina at internal and external events and build partnership across departments.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Communication skills

Relationship building

Strategic thinking

Team leadership

Analytical skills

Tools

Donor management software

Job description

Company Description:

Regina Dominican High School is a premier all girls, Catholic, private institution. Regina offers academic excellence in a confidence building, opportunity rich and faith-led environment. Known for launching generations of inspiring and successful graduates, Regina Dominican's mission is: Rooted in the Dominican tradition, the school challenges young women to be independent thinkers, relentless truth-seekers, and confident, compassionate leaders.

Role Description:

Reports to: President

Supervises: VP Legacy Gifts, Director of Development, and Development Office Manager

Position Overview:

The Head of Development at Regina Dominican High School is a key member of the school’s senior leadership team and is responsible for designing and implementing a comprehensive development program in support of the mission of Regina Dominican. Leading a department of three, the Head of Development provides strategic direction for all fundraising that strengthens the culture of philanthropy across the school community.

This leader champions the value of Catholic girls’ education, collaborates across departments and builds meaningful relationships with donors, trustees, alumnae, families and community partners.

Strategic Leadership and Planning

• Serve as a strategic thought partner to the president on growth strategies for the school.
• Develop and execute a multi-year development strategy aligned with the school’s mission, strategic plan and capital campaign goals.
• Provide visionary leadership for fundraising initiatives including annual giving, major gifts, capital campaigns, planned giving and institutional partnerships.
• Serve as a thought partner to the President and Board of Trustees on development opportunities, revenue goals and donor engagement strategies.
• Prepare and manage the development budget, revenue forecasts and regular reports to the Board.
• Collaborate with the President to develop and lead a 5 year strategic plan for institutional development.
• Meet and/or exceed annual fundraising goals.
• Collaborate with the marketing and enrollment teams to ensure consistent messaging themes and language to all constituencies.

Team Management & Department Operations

• Provide mentorship, oversight and professional development to a three-person development team.
• Establish clear goals, work plans, timelines and performance metrics for all development staff.
• Provide professional development and training for staff. Revise current job descriptions and roles for better use of staff.
• Maximize use of accurate and efficient donor databases, gift processing systems, financial reporting for President and Board review.
• Work with other departments to develop meaningful event calendar management and utilize best resources of staff, skills and time management.
• Oversee the creation and execution of the annual fund strategy, ensuring strong parent, alumnae, alumnae parent and community participation.
• Guide the development of campaign materials, case statements, and donor communications.
• Ensure a robust stewardship program that communicates impact and deepens donor commitment.
• Maintain and grow a personal portfolio of major gift prospects and donors; conduct cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship activities.
• Collaborate with President on her portfolio of key donors - provide support needed to ensure consistent stewardship and cultivation.
• Expand giving opportunities for foundations, corporations, sponsorships, and legacy gifts.

Community & Alumnae Engagement

• Strengthen alumnae networks and programming with a focus on affinity, mentorship, lifelong connection to the school, and philanthropic giving.
• Build collaborative partnerships across academic, enrollment, and communications teams to support events, messaging, and community engagement.
• Represent Regina at internal and external events.

Communications & Collaboration

• Create a comprehensive strategy for donor communications. Revise the giving circles and donor recognition to highlight major gifts.
• Work closely with the Communications/Marketing team to coordinate messaging, branding, and development-related content.
• Support the President with donor briefings, speeches, and cultivation strategies.
• Partner with senior leadership to highlight mission-driven stories that demonstrate the impact of girls’ education with Catholic, specifically Dominican, values.

Qualifications

• Minimum 7–10 years of progressive development experience, preferably in independent schools, nonprofits, or educational settings.
• Proven track record in major gift fundraising and campaign leadership.
• Exceptional interpersonal, communication, and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to lead a small, high-performing team with vision, empathy, and accountability.
• Strong analytical skills, data literacy, and comfort with donor management software.
• Passion for and commitment to the mission of Catholic all-girls education.

Personal Attributes

• Strategic thinker with strong execution skills.
• Enthusiastic ambassador for the school’s mission and values.
• Willing to roll up their sleeves and do all levels of work.
• Collaborative and collegial leadership style with a willingness to coach and develop others.
• Creative, flexible, and able to thrive in a demanding environment with a small team.