What are the responsibilities and job description for the Chief Development Officer position at Girls Preparatory School?
Join one of the South's premier independent schools for girls as Chief Development Officer at a defining moment in Girls Preparatory School's 120-year history. Reporting directly to the Head of School and serving on the Senior Leadership Team, this executive will lead the School's philanthropic strategy, guide its most ambitious comprehensive campaign to date, and cultivate transformational relationships that will shape the future of GPS. This is a rare opportunity for an accomplished fundraising leader to partner with visionary leadership, inspire a culture of philanthropy, and make a lasting impact on generations of young women.
Primary Responsibilities
- Lead and execute the School's comprehensive fundraising strategy, aligning philanthropy with institutional priorities and long-term goals.
- Personally cultivate, solicit, and steward principal, major, planned, and campaign gifts from high-capacity donors.
- Provide strategic leadership for the School's comprehensive campaign, partnering with trustees, volunteers, and senior leadership to maximize fundraising success.
- Serve as a trusted advisor to the Head of School, Senior Leadership Team, and Board of Trustees on fundraising strategy and donor engagement.
- Lead, mentor, and strengthen the Development Office while fostering collaboration across the School community.
Desired Qualifications
- Ten or more years of progressive fundraising experience, including success securing six- and seven-figure gifts.
- Demonstrated experience leading comprehensive campaigns or similarly complex fundraising initiatives.
- Proven ability to cultivate and close transformational gifts while managing relationships with high-capacity donors.
- Experience partnering effectively with executive leadership, governing boards, and influential volunteers.
- Exceptional communication, strategic thinking, leadership, and relationship-building skills with an appreciation for the mission of independent schools and girls' education.
Why Girls Preparatory School?
- Join a nationally respected independent school with more than 120 years of excellence in educating and empowering young women.
- Partner directly with an innovative Head of School and senior leadership team during a period of exceptional institutional momentum and transformational growth.
- Lead the School's most ambitious comprehensive campaign while building a lasting culture of philanthropy that will benefit future generations of GPS students.
Lindauer, a global search and talent firm, has been retained to conduct this search on behalf of Girls Preparatory School. Consideration of candidates will continue until the position is filled.