Director of Major Gifts and Planned Giving

GENERAL SUMMARY

Thayer Academy seeks an experienced, strategic, and relationship-oriented Director of Major Gifts and Planned Giving to lead and grow its major gifts and planned giving programs. Reporting to the Chief Advancement & Engagement Officer, the Director will play a key role in Thayer’s upcoming $60 million comprehensive campaign and 150th anniversary.

With an eye on deepening donor engagement, the Director will develop and execute strategies that will help all frontline fundraisers identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward donors and prospects in a manner that inspires transformational giving. Additionally, the Director will manage their own portfolio of 80 to 100 prospects capable of making donations above $25,000, focusing on building meaningful relationships and securing upwards of $ 1 million annually in cash and commitments.

The ideal candidate will be a highly motivated and collaborative development professional with a demonstrated record of success securing major and planned gifts, exceptional relationship-building skills, strong strategic judgment, and a deep appreciation for the mission of independent school education.

This is an exciting opportunity to join a talented, fun, and hardworking team and a mission-driven community at a time of momentum and growth, as Thayer moves forward with an ambitious strategic plan, finalizes plans for its next comprehensive campaign, and prepares to celebrate its 150th anniversary.

• In partnership with the Chief Advancement and Engagement Officer, frontline fundraisers and volunteers to develop and execute comprehensive strategies to identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit, and steward major gift prospects and donors.
• Manage a portfolio of ~100 major gift prospects, maintaining consistent and meaningful personal contact and developing individualized moves-management strategies, prioritizing in-person visits both on and off campus.
• Build strong, authentic relationships with alumni, parents and past parents, grandparents, faculty/staff, friends, and other members of the Thayer community to understand their philanthropic interests and align those interests with the Academy’s priorities.
• Develop and present compelling proposals for major gifts, including multi-year, endowed, capital, programmatic, and unrestricted opportunities.
• Work closely with frontline fundraisers to ensure that prospects are appropriately assigned, qualified, cultivated, solicited, and stewarded. Regularly reviewing portfolio performance and prospect activity to ensure that the major gifts pipeline remains healthy, active, and appropriately focused.
• Identify opportunities to increase donor engagement and giving through upgrades, special opportunities, challenge gifts, matching gifts, and comprehensive multi-year commitments.
• Engage and support volunteers in identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding major and planned gift prospects.
• Collaborate with the Advancement Services team to ensure that prospect information, contact reports, moves, and next steps are accurately and consistently recorded in the Raiser’s Edge database.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Chief Advancement & Engagement Officer.
• Willingness and ability to travel and work occasional evenings and weekends.

• Working closely with Thayer’s existing Director of Major Gifts & Planned Giving, who is moving to part-time this fall, lead and expand Thayer Academy’s planned giving program, developing strategies to increase awareness, participation, and future commitments, including a comprehensive communications and outreach plan.
• Build relationships with prospects across all constituencies who may have an interest in creating a legacy through planned giving, and maintain relationships with those already in Thayer’s Southworth Society through meaningful stewardship and recognition opportunities.
• Cultivate and solicit bequests, charitable gift annuities, charitable trusts, beneficiary designations, life-income gifts, and other appropriate planned giving vehicles. Working with donors and their advisors to ensure their intentions are aligned with the Academy’s policies and priorities.
• Collaborate with Advancement Services to document, track, and appropriately acknowledge planned gifts.
• Develop strategies to increase the number and value of documented planned gifts and build a sustainable pipeline of future legacy donors.

Management & Collaboration 

• As the campaign progresses, the Director will have the opportunity to continue to build, lead and mentor a team of frontline fundraisers focused on major gifts and campaign giving. Fostering individual growth through structured feedback, goal alignment, and skill development to ensure the team consistently delivers exceptional results in support of fundraising priorities. 
• Share knowledge, best practices, and expertise with colleagues to strengthen the overall fundraising program.
• Serve as a collaborative member of the Advancement & Engagement leadership team and contribute to the overall success of the Academy’s fundraising program.

Campaign & Strategic Fundraising

• Collaborate with the Chief Advancement & Engagement Officer and Advancement & Engagement leadership team to help develop campaign strategies, priorities, prospect pipelines, volunteer structures, and solicitation plans.
• Work with senior leadership and volunteers to identify, cultivate, and develop strategies for securing transformational gifts in support of the priorities of the Forever Forward strategic plan and its corresponding campaign.
• Assist in developing compelling cases for support, proposals, gift opportunities, and other materials for major and planned gift prospects.
• Collaborate with Annual Giving, Alumni Relations, Parent Engagement, Communications, Advancement Services, and Special Events to ensure a coordinated donor experience.

• Develop and implement thoughtful, personalized stewardship strategies for major-gift and planned-giving donors.
• Partner with colleagues across the Academy to demonstrate the impact of philanthropic support and provide donors with meaningful updates on the use of their gifts.
• Ensure that donors receive timely and appropriate acknowledgment and recognition for their contributions and commitments.
• Work closely with frontline fundraisers to ensure donors are consistently recognized and honored for their contributions, including in print materials, on campus signage, and at special events.
• Build long-term relationships with donors beyond the solicitation cycle to create opportunities for continued engagement with Thayer.

• Partner with the Director of Advancement Services to identify and evaluate prospective major and planned gift donors using appropriate research, wealth screening, engagement, and philanthropic data.
• Maintain accurate and timely records of donor interactions, strategies, proposals, solicitations, and commitments in the Raiser’s Edge database.
• Collaborate with Advancement Services to establish appropriate reporting and metrics for major and planned giving activity and results.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience required.
• Seven+ years of professional fundraising experience, working with senior leaders, trustees, volunteers, and high-capacity donors. With demonstrated success in major gifts and planned giving, experience in an independent school, college/university, or similarly complex nonprofit environment preferred.
• Proven track record of cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding significant individual gifts.
• Experience developing or managing a planned giving program strongly preferred.
• Experience supporting or participating in a successful comprehensive campaign strongly preferred.
• Strong understanding of fundraising principles, moves management, prospect development, and donor stewardship. Demonstrate ability to handle confidential information with discretion and sensitivity.
• Strong strategic thinker, including the ability to translate the institution's priorities into philanthropic opportunities. Written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to develop compelling proposals and articulate an organization’s mission and case for support.
• Exceptional interpersonal and relationship-building skills and the ability to establish trust with a diverse range of constituents.
• Experience with relationship databases required; Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge experience strongly preferred. Proficiency with Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, and other technology platforms commonly used in fundraising.

• Demonstrated success in major gift fundraising and donor development.
• Excellent listening skills and the ability to understand and respond thoughtfully to donor interests and motivations.
• Strong solicitation skills and comfort engaging donors in conversations about significant philanthropic commitments.
• Ability to work independently in a self-directed manner while collaborating effectively as part of a team.
• Highly organized, with attention to detail and accuracy and the ability to manage projects and a complex portfolio and multiple priorities simultaneously.
• Ability to analyze information and use data to inform fundraising strategy and decision-making.
• Demonstrated ability to exercise mature professional judgment with integrity when working with donors, prospects, volunteers, and confidential information.
• Ability to work effectively with individuals from diverse backgrounds and perspectives.
• Exceptional follow-through and ability to meet deadlines, fundraising goals, and performance expectations.
• Exceptional customer service and donor relations skills.

COMPENSATION

• $170,000 - $180,000 annually
• Commensurate with experience and qualifications

APPLICATION INFORMATION

• Please click here to complete an application and upload your resume, cover letter, and the names and contact information for three to five references, including two present or past supervisors.
• Equal Opportunity Act: Thayer Academy is an equal opportunity employer. The Academy complies with and adheres to all state and federal anti-discrimination laws with respect to its employment practices. Thayer Academy does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, national origin or ancestry, age, or disability, or any other category protected under state or federal law. This policy extends to recruiting, hiring, compensation, benefits, assignment, working conditions, promotions, transfers, termination, re-employment, education, tuition assistance, employee treatment, and all other terms, conditions, and privileges of employment. All employment-related decisions are made on a nondiscriminatory basis so as to further the principle of equal employment opportunity.
• Americans with Disabilities Act: Thayer Academy complies with all aspects of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and state disability laws. This means that we will not discriminate against qualified individuals with a disability in any phase of the employment relationship including application for employment, hiring, promotions and/or advancement opportunities, termination, compensation, training, and any other conditions or privileges of employment.