Director of Major Gifts

Brookstone School | Columbus, GA

Director of Major Gifts Opportunity Statement

About the School

Founded in 1951 in the Judeo-Christian ethic, Brookstone School is Columbus, GA’s only three-year-old through 12th grade independent college preparatory program. With an unwavering commitment to academic excellence, Brookstone offers a first-rate college preparatory experience to more than 800 students in five divisions.

Position Summary

The inaugural Director of Major Gifts is a key member of the Advancement team who will play an essential role in growing philanthropy at Brookstone School. In the first year of a historic $35M comprehensive capital campaign, supporting an ambitious strategic vision for 2025–2030, the School has already secured $13M toward its goal two years into the campaign, reflecting strong community confidence and momentum. Brookstone seeks a proven relationship-driven, donor-centric fundraiser who can both work independently to achieve ambitious goals and collaborate effectively with the Advancement team to ensure success across all areas of development.

Qualifications

• Education/Certification: Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree or CFRE certification preferred.
• Experience: Minimum of three years of major gifts fundraising experience (independent school or higher education preferred) with a proven record of cultivating, soliciting, and securing gifts of $100,000 . Experience securing major gifts from individual donors rather than foundations is strongly preferred.
• Fundraising Knowledge: Strong understanding of major gift fundraising best practices, donor-centered approach.
• Constituent Engagement: Demonstrated ability to build and sustain relationships across a diverse community including parents, alumni, trustees, faculty/staff, and grandparents.
• Skills & Abilities: Excellent written, oral, and interpersonal communication skills. Strong organizational, analytical, and project management abilities. Capacity to manage a large, diverse portfolio independently while also collaborating effectively in a team setting. Ability to mobilize and motivate volunteers, and to engage donors throughout the giving cycle.
• Personal Attributes: High integrity, discretion with sensitive information, positive and energetic presence, adaptability, team player.
• Technical Proficiency: Computer fluency (Microsoft Office or Google Workspace); database experience strongly preferred (Raiser’s Edge a plus).
• Work Environment: Ability to handle multiple priorities, meet deadlines, and travel or work occasional evenings/weekends as needed.

How to Apply

Brookstone School has engaged DovetailED to lead this search. Interested candidates should email a cover letter (addressed to Assistant Head for Institutional Advancement, Ed Martin), a resume, and a list of at least three professional references consolidated as a single PDF document to Zack Lehman at zack@dovetailedsourcing.com and Alison Moore, Senior Recruiter, at alison@dovetailedsourcing.com.