Director of Development and Alumni Relations

King School has partnered with Lindauer, a global search and talent firm, to conduct this search.

To apply, please submit your resume on the Lindauer website:

Please reach out to the Lindauer team leading this search if you have any questions: Terri Rutter, Assistant Vice President :
The Opportunity King School serves students across Fairfield County, Connecticut, and Westchester County, New York, and nurtures a lasting love of learning through an inquiry-based PreK-12 program.

A rigorous academic curriculum based on a research-focused pedagogy encourages critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

This commitment to academic excellence is complemented by a strong sense of community where differences and similarities are valued and celebrated.

Beyond academics, King School offers a wide range of options for artistic exploration and athletic competition. Students can further discover their passions through extensive co-curricular offerings, independent study, and certificates of distinction. King School equips students for success in complex environments.

The school's emphasis on inquiry, global education, service, and community prepares students as socially responsible citizens ready to contribute to arapidly changing world.

Led by Head of School Carol Maoz, King School is a premier independent school in the region.

King School is seeking a Director of Development and Alumni Relations to lead an accomplished development and alumni team through an ambitious capital campaign and beyond.

The Director will bring experience working with highly committed board members, parents, and alumni along with a proven track record of successfully closing six- and seven-figure gifts.

The person in this role will have an appreciation for the unique nature of independent schools and a desire to contribute to a learning community, preparing students to thrive in college and beyond.

King School:

A Legacy of Excellence King is the convergence of three founding schools — Low-Heywood, King, and Thomas — that, from the beginning, shared similar educational missions.

By 2008, the merged entity, King Low Heywood Thomas School, was known by its nickname, King, and the rebranding as King School was completed in Throughout its evolution, King School has remained committed to high academic standards and a student-centered approach to education.

King prioritizes teaching inquiry-based learning; through research, project-based learning, and collaborative and interdisciplinary work, students deepen their understanding, open their minds, and learn to think courageously.

King's academic program is built on a strong foundation of rigorous liberal arts courses.

Flexibility within this program for acceleration and the ability for students to pursue individual passions creates a dynamic learning environment.

The arc of King's academic program — as well as its approach to student-centered learning — spans from pre-kindergarten through the upper-school years.

Department chairs, directors of teaching and learning, and program directors thoughtfully craft the curriculum across the school, enabling King students to develop robust skills and deep understanding that prepare them for a lifetime of learning.

Hallmarks of King's cross-divisional approach include STEM immersion, particularly a commitment to mathematical literacy and inquiry-based skills; critical thinking as developed through process-oriented instruction in reading, writing, and speaking; and a belief that human expression and creativity through the arts, athletics, and scholarship are crucial for a healthy learning community.

In addition to its academic program, King has an extremely strong athletic program and, for a relatively small school that often plays much larger schools, has achieved great success in league sports.

There also is an excellent arts program — visual, instrumental, choral, and performing arts — supported by updated arts studios and the modern Performing Arts Center.

Digital media has become an important part of the King arts culture, and students in all three divisions are creating impressive products in this field.

In addition to its academic program, King has an extremely strong athletic program and, for a relatively small school that often plays much larger schools, has achieved great success in league sports.

There also is an excellent arts program — visual, instrumental, choral, and performing arts — supported by updated arts studios and the modern Performing Arts Center.

Digital media has become an important part of the King arts culture, and students in all three divisions are creating impressive products in this field.

Learn more by reviewing the King School Admission Viewbook.

Director of Development and Alumni Relations The Director of Development and Alumni Relations is the school's chief development officer.

The Director is responsible for the leadership, management, and overseeing all activities and events related to fundraising and community engagement initiatives.

The Director oversees all aspects of development from strategic planning to execution.

Central to this effort is the development of strong relationships with all constituent groups:
administrators, alumni, donors, faculty and staff, parents, and trustees. The Director and the development staff promote the school's philanthropic initiatives effectively to all school constituencies.

The Director reports directly to the Head of School, is a member of the school's Leadership Team, and works closely with the Associate Head of School for Advancement and the Director of Strategic Marketing and Communications to ensure strategic alignment between the offices of Admission, Development, and Marketing and Communications.

The Director works closely with the Development Committee of the Board, the Trusteeship Committee of the Board, and the Parents' Association.

This high-visibility role is ideal for a frontline fundraiser who excels and has a proven record of success both as a fundraiser and a manager of staff and who also enjoys working closely with faculty, staff, alumni, parents, volunteers, and trustees.

Responsibilities Fundraising and Engagement Programs

• Serve as the chief fundraising officer of King School.
• Cultivate, steward, and solicit major donors to the Annual Fund, Major Gift initiatives, and the Capital Campaign.
• Plan, organize, manage, oversee, and execute all fundraising and community engagement activities.
• Ensure that the school maximizes fundraising opportunities from all constituencies, including current and former parents and families, alumni, foundations, corporations and other institutional sources, and other friends of the school.
• Implement best fundraising practices, policies, activities, and strategies.
• Improve current mechanisms and develop additional mechanisms for appropriate and meaningful cultivation of all school constituencies.
• Provide leadership, foster initiative, and offer clear feedback to staff in setting the direction for all fundraising, advancement services, alumni relations, archive, and parent relations activities and events.
• Create and implement a three- to five-year plan to meet the development needs of the school.
  Trustees
• Educate, support, collaborate, and consistently communicate with Trustees regarding the roles and responsibilities of trustees in the school's development efforts.
• Provide support, help develop strategies and agendas, and disseminate information to various Board committees including Development and Trusteeship.
• In collaboration with the Head of School, nurture and solicit members of the Board.
  Volunteers
• Manage and oversee all volunteer involvement in the school's development activities, including the Development Committee of the Board of Trustees, Capital Campaigns, Major Gift efforts, the Annual Fund, Parents' Association programs, and Alumni initiatives.
• Ensure that there is an effective system in place to identify and cultivate effective volunteer leadership for the future.
• Set and maintain high standards for the involvement and stewardship of volunteers in the development programs.
  Administrative
• Serve on Leadership Team. Share ideas, provide leadership and solutions.
• Collaborate with the Associate Head of School for Advancement and the Director of Strategic Marketing and Communications to ensure strategic alignment in institutional advancement.
• Oversee the implementation of solutions that impact the development office.
• Develop and implement annual development goal setting, strategy, and agenda.
• Contribute to setting all-school annual goals and agenda as well as the implementation of that agenda.
• Work closely with the Parents' Association (PA) to ensure alignment and collaboration between the PA, the school's leadership, and the Board.
  Policies
• Review regularly, revise/update and create when needed, and implement operational policies associated with the development office.
• Assist Leadership Team with the development of all school operational policies.
  Leadership
• Supervise, support, and evaluate employees in the development office.
• Manage accurate and complete records and accounts related to gifts and donors and other fundraising constituents.
• Oversee and manage the development budgets.
• Work closely with the current alumni and development staff to ensure that the staff have the training and necessary skills to successfully achieve the goals of the office.
• Work with the Chief Financial Officer and the Business Office to ensure the accuracy or financial records related to all fundraising for the school. Lindauer, a global search and talent firm, has been retained to conduct this search on behalf of King School. Consideration of candidates will continue until the position is filled. If you are interested in applying for this position, please submit a resume through the Lindauer website.

If you have any questions or would like to nominate someone for this position, please contact the Lindauer team leading the search:

Terri Rutter, Assistant Vice President:
. Prior to submitting your resume for this position, please read it over for accuracy. Lindauer does verify academic credentials for its candidates, and our clients frequently conduct background checks prior to finalizing an offer.
Requirements

• Minimum of 10 years in development work, preferably with significant leadership and managerial experience — either running an office or leading a particular initiative in a larger organization/foundation.
• Bachelor's degree is required.
• Candidates should be familiar with and committed to supporting the mission and virtues of King School.
• Experience in the education sector is helpful but not required.
• A high level of integrity and strong work ethic.
• Strong management and leadership skills, including a proven ability to mentor colleagues and work collaboratively to achieve team goals.
• Strong written and oral communication skills; the ability to articulate the values and needs of the school in a compelling way and to draft detailed proposals.
• Excellent organizational and strategic thinking skills; vision and interest in being involved in the strategic planning process.
• Knowledge and experience with successful annual giving, major gift, capital campaign, and planned giving solicitation for alumni, parents, and friends of a top national independent school and/or college or university program.
• Familiarity and facility with using databases.
• Demonstrated cross-cultural competence, ability to value, work within, interact with, and incorporate diverse and multiple perspectives. Ability to negotiate and facilitate a shared understanding and common goals across cultural differences in a professional setting.
• Ability to work in an environment that reflects our diverse community, including but not limited to diversity in race, ethnicity, gender identity, socio-economic status, ability/disability, belief, sexual orientation, and national origin.

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