Assistant Director of Major Gifts

Job Description

Job Description

Position: Assistant Director of Major Gifts

Department: Development & Alumni Relations

Location: Caroline Saltonstall Building, Milton Academy Campus, Milton, MA

Hours: Full-time; generally 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM M-F

Weekend and evening flexibility required, travel required

FLSA: Exempt

Classification: Staff (12-month)

Salary Range: $110,000 - $130,000 annually, based on experience

Milton Academy is an independent college preparatory K–12 school, boarding and day in grades 9–12, located just south of Boston.

Milton Academy cultivates in its students a passion for learning and a respect for others. Embracing diversity and the pursuit of excellence, we create a community in which individuals develop competence, confidence and character. Our active learning environment, in and out of the classroom, develops creative and critical thinkers, unafraid to express their ideas, prepared to seek meaningful lifetime success and to live by our motto, “Dare to be true.”

Summary of Position:

The Advancement Office seeks a driven, strategic development professional to join the front-line fundraising team as Assistant Director of Major Gifts. Working closely with the Advancement team and school leadership, the Assistant Director will play a key role in Milton’s upcoming capital campaign, managing a portfolio of alumni, parents, and friends, and building relationships that inspire meaningful gifts of $100,000 and above. The role calls for experience identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding major gift prospects, along with familiarity with planned and deferred giving strategies.

This is a high-impact opportunity for a motivated development professional ready to grow alongside one of Boston’s preeminent educational institutions at a pivotal moment in its history.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities:

• Advance the success of Milton’s fundraising program by building trust-based relationships with prospective donors, deepening engagement and maximizing philanthropic investment.

• Identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward prospective donors capable of making gifts of $100,000 or more, including solicitation of annual Milton Fund gifts, and major/planned blended gift conversations.

• Manage a portfolio of approximately 150 major gift prospects. Utilize multiple channels of contact and travel as needed to achieve established targets including 10+ substantive visits per month, both via in-person and virtual meetings.

• Master a working knowledge of Milton Academy and its strategic priorities in order to articulate a compelling case for support to all constituents.

• Utilizing Raiser’s Edge NXT, research data, and other resources, identify potential major donors for qualification in order to expand donor pipeline and add new prospects into portfolio.

• Write internal and external-facing executive summaries, proposals, donor briefings, and other communications that move gift conversations forward.

• Enter contact reports, actions, proposals, and other prospect management data into Raiser’s Edge NXT in a timely manner. Maintain proficiency in reading and interpreting donor and gift records in RE NXT.

• In collaboration with other Advancement divisions and institutional partners, contribute to strategies to increase constituent engagement in regional areas as assigned, to enhance Milton’s presence in strategic regions.

• Contribute to stewardship strategies that demonstrate impact to assigned donors.

• Facilitate strategic relationships between major gift prospects and the Head of School and other school leaders to advance philanthropic strategies.

• Represent Milton at local and regional Advancement events, on-campus school events, and community events as required..

• Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

Supervision to be received: Reports directly to the Executive Director of Development

Supervision to be exercised: None.

Education/Certification/Licensure

Required: Bachelor's degree is required

Valid drivers’ license is required

Experience

Required: Successful track record of five and six+ figure solicitations; 3-5 years of experience in major gifts/fundraising/development, or a related field

Preferred: Development experience in an independent school or college environment

Competencies

Required: Strong command of databases, preferably Raiser’s Edge, Microsoft Office suite (word processing, spreadsheets), and Google Suite

Physical Abilities

Required:

• Must be able to work at a computer for up to 8 hours each day in conjunction with OSHA requirements.

• Must be able to move around the Milton Academy campus without restriction.

• Must be able to lift up to 10 pounds.

• Ability to work some evenings and weekends is required.

• Travel is required.

Other required experience and abilities

• Be a genuine, invested, curious, and flexible team player who has a sense of humor and finds joy in the work.

• Ability to lead, motivate, and inspire groups and individuals in internal and external constituencies, including alumni, parents, donors, professional advisors and faculty and staff.

• Ability to manage and balance competing priorities, complex situations and tight deadlines in a fast-paced environment.

• Results-oriented, ability to set and achieve ambitious goals.

• Superb written and verbal communication skills.

• Excellent analytical skills and problem-solving skills.

• Proven ability to work both autonomously and collaboratively

All interested internal candidates must complete an application for promotion or transfer and inform your supervisor as soon as possible.

The essential functions and basic skills have been included in this job description; it is not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all functions, responsibilities, skills and abilities. Additional functions and requirements may be assigned by supervisors as deemed appropriate. This position description is subject to change at any time.

Milton Academy is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of any category protected by federal, state, or local law, including but not limited to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, ancestry , citizenship or nation or ethnic origin.