Leadership Annual Gift Officer

Leadership Annual Gift Officer

The Taft School is a private, coeducational grade 9-12 day and boarding school located in Watertown, CT. The sprawling campus is comprised of authentic architecture, state of the art classrooms and impressive athletics facilities. Internationally recognized as a top middle-sized boarding school, Taft is set on a beautiful 220-acre campus. The school has approximately 250 employees and nearly 10,000 alumni. The Annual and Parent's Fundraising efforts set it highest among peer schools.

Job Purpose:

The Leadership Annual Gift Officer will be instrumental in advancing Taft's mission by managing a portfolio of leadership-level prospects, with a focus on the discovery, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of prospects and donors in support of the Taft Fund's annual goals. In addition to frontline fundraising responsibilities, the Leadership Annual Gift Officer will manage class reunion giving efforts – partnering with volunteers to design and implement strategies that inspire increased engagement and philanthropic support from alumni celebrating milestone reunion years. Success in this role requires strong collaboration with colleagues across the Alumni & Development team, a systems-minded approach to donor engagement, and a deep commitment to building lasting relationships that advance Taft's mission, values, and long-term vision.

Position Requirements:

• Manage a portfolio of alumni, parents, and friends with the capacity to give at or above $1,890+ level annually.
• Build and strengthen relationships through personalized engagement, regular contact, and strategic cultivation.
• Conduct donor outreach primarily by Zoom, phone, email, direct mail, and occasional in-person visits, (limited travel required).
• Collaborate on the management of fundraising efforts for milestone class reunions.
• Recruit, train, and manage reunion class agents/volunteers to serve as class fundraising leaders and ambassadors.
• Collaborate with colleagues on reunion class communications, events, and other engagement activities.
• Monitor progress toward reunion giving goals, providing regular updates to internal stakeholders and volunteers.
• Maintain detailed records of donor and volunteer interactions and strategies in the school CRM/database (Raiser's Edge).
• Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Desired Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree and 2+ years of experience in annual giving, fundraising, or relationship management, preferably in education or non-profit settings.
• Proven track record of cultivating and soliciting individual donors, especially at the leadership annual giving level. Experience using data to evaluate and plan is essential.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills; comfortable engaging alumni and parents across generations and geographies.
• Self-motivated, organized, and able to manage multiple priorities and deadlines independently.
• Strong ability to collaborate effectively, contribute to team goals, and work well in a group setting.
• Willingness to participate in events both on and off campus, including Alumni Weekend, Commencement, and more, as part of the Alumni & Development team.
• Commitment to the mission and values of The Taft School.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in annual giving and/or managing reunion or volunteer-based giving programs.
• Familiarity with independent school fundraising or boarding school culture.
• Proficiency with fundraising databases (e.g., Raiser's Edge, Salesforce), Microsoft Office Suite, and Google Workspace applications.

The Taft School is an affirmative action-equal opportunity employer in accordance with regulations adopted by the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities. It is the policy of The Taft School to provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified individuals without regard to age, gender, race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, actual or perceived disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran's status, genetic predisposition or any other class protected by law.