Director of Advancement

Nativity Jesuit Academy

About Nativity Jesuit Academy:

Nativity Jesuit Academy is a K4-8 coed Catholic, Jesuit, urban school serving young men and women in Milwaukee, WI. We prepare our students, in partnership with their families, for Christian leadership and service in high school, college and life.

Through a holistic education program, Nativity Jesuit strives to form leaders who are religious, loving, seeking intellectual excellence, committed to justice and open to growth. Like Christ, who came “not to be served, but to serve” (Mark 10:45), Nativity Jesuit transforms students to become men and women for and with others.

http://www.nativityjesuit.org/


Position Details

Director of Advancement
Job
Full-time
12/20/2019
Southeast Wisconsin
Milwaukee, WI

The advancement function at Nativity Jesuit Academy encompasses traditional resource development as well as other mission-critical functions and processes necessary to effectively compete for philanthropic support and volunteer leadership. The Advancement Director seeks to forge stronger partnerships and deeper relationships between the institution and all of its stakeholders—students, faculty, alumni, parents, community partners, media, parishes, foundations, business partners, and friends. The focus of all activities must be consistent with the Mission and Vision of the school.

Effective development processes and activities establish market awareness of the school’s competitive strengths and identity and create broad and deep relationships leading to increased philanthropic funding and increased strategic partnering. The outcome will secure the long-term health of the institution and provide increased annual and capital funding. These crucial alternative resources buffer the school’s reliance on student tuition and fee increases to cover increasing costs of operations and program enhancements.

The Director, in collaboration with the President, assumes primary responsibility for the overall direction and leadership of the Advancement functions. The Director serves as a member of the school’s Advancement Committee and is encouraged to belong to appropriate professional and community organizations.

Position Responsibilities:

  • Responsible and accountable to the President for the overall direction of advancement at Nativity Jesuit Academy and the specific disciplines of: all Annual Giving programs, the Major Gift program, Planned Giving program, grant-writing, and database management.
  • Belongs to the institution’s senior administrative team.
  • Manages other key functions including marketing and communications, operations and the advancement office database.
  • Supervises the Assistant Advancement Director and Advancement and Finance Office Coordinator.
  • Becomes involved in the community and understands the value of building strategic community and business partnerships that can be leveraged for the benefit of the school.
  • Works closely with the President, Advancement staff, Advancement Committee and is responsible for the creation, regular updating and execution of the Advancement Department’s strategic action plan.
  • Works collaboratively with all support groups and all clubs and other related groups and organizations within the school.
  • Works closely with and guides the President in executing all phases of the major gift and planned gift process: identification, research, involvement, solicitation, follow-up and stewardship.
  • Actively leads, supervises and supports all Advancement Department initiatives, processes and convenes meetings, sets agendas, supports and influences the activities of the board Advancement Committee.
  • Prepares and distributes various internal and external reports, publications, and communication vehicles including the annual report to donors.
  • Meets regularly with all Advancement Department members to develop a strong team spirit and a willingness to work together on complex projects.
  • Assists each department member in her or his professional development.
  • Creates and manages the departmental budget, working closely with the school’s director of finance in tracking departmental revenues and expenses.
  • Handles other responsibilities and tasks as requested.

Required Competencies and Attributes:

  • Personal commitment to the mission of Nativity Jesuit Academy and to Catholic education.
  • Self-motivated, strong interpersonal skills, personal integrity and maturity.
  • Action-oriented with a sense of urgency in implementing departmental strategies.
  • Three to five years of progressive management experience and professional experience with proven effectiveness in the areas of communications, marketing, public relations, fundraising or sales.
  • Effectiveness in dealing with people in difficult/challenging situations. 
  • Effective leadership and communication skills—speaking, listening and processing, writing.
  • Strategic orientation with a vision for the future.
  • Ability to work as a member of a team and to lead by example.
  • Ability to create strategic departmental plans, with clear objectives, goals, tactics and benchmarks and to coordinate complex projects involving many stakeholders and deadlines.
  • Creative and forward thinking, with an ability to successfully implement new ideas.
  • Ability to analyze and prioritize time and resources under direct control and supervision.
  • Comfort in meeting with and speaking with a variety of people in a variety of professional and social situations.

Position Qualifications/Characteristics:

  • Bachelor’s degree required
  • At least two years of experience in fundraising, marketing, communications or event management
  • Ability to speak Spanish would be an asset
  • Strong track record as a project manager and an implementer 
  • Strong writing/editing and verbal communication skills
  • Excellent organizational abilities and attention to detail
  • Demonstrated ability in drafting, editing and proofreading documents with advanced proficiency in Word, Excel and PowerPoint
  • Deadline-driven and goal-oriented 
  • Self-starter and able to work independently
  • Energetic, respectful, flexible, collaborative and proactive with the ability to work with others within the department and the school
  • Commitment to the mission, goals and objectives of the school
  • Optimistic and positive attitude

Competitive salary and benefits.



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