Waldorf Teachers.com - Waldorf Employment in Waldorf Schools

The Waldorf School of Philadelphia is seeking the ideal candidate for Director of Development. We are an independent pre-K to8 school with 250 students and a budget over $3 million. Our new Director of Development will contribute to ensuring our financial health is sustainable and supports our strategic plan and vision.

As a full-time employee, the Director of Development will join a small but mighty team of professional administrators, and a community of dedicated teachers, board members and families with an unwavering commitment to the education of children through the transformative philosophy of Waldorf education. As a member of the Administrative Team, the Director of Development shares the vision of working as a servant leader, creating an environment of stability so that the school is able to fulfill its vision and each member of the team can thrive.

The Director of Development contributes to the advancement of the Waldorf School of Philadelphia by energizing and inspiring a culture of philanthropy, stewardship, and solicitation to support the school’s mission and strategic initiatives. Working in conjunction with the Head of School, the Director of Development is responsible for delivering a fundraising strategy through annual, capital, and planned giving, EITC, alumni programming, foundation and other grants, special events, and individual donor - philanthropy to achieve our annual and long-term fundraising goals. The Director of Development oversees the design and implementation of a comprehensive development and fundraising program to engage the donor community and strengthen the long-term sustainability and healthy growth of the school.

The Director of Development will:

Serve as a representative of the school in our school community and the local community.

Lead the Annual Giving Program including developing annual giving appeals, donor solicitations, ongoing stewardship and cultivation, and preparing and publishing the annual report.

Establish, grow, and maintain the EITC Program through dedicated outreach and donor cultivation.

Proactively develop and lead signature fundraising and community events (the Holiday Fair & Craft Bazaar, Annual Benefit, and Grandparents Day), propose new revenue generation opportunities, and meet established fundraising and event budget goals.

Establish and maintain a donor stewardship and cultivation strategy to enhance and deepen donor relationships with the school.

Develop a comprehensive planned giving strategy for the school, to be updated annually.

Educate constituents about the importance of supporting the school, provide guidance and expertise to school leadership for cultivating a school culture of philanthropy.

Maintain and manage the school’s donor database, infrastructure and reporting function that leads to effective maximization of donor opportunities. The Director of Development works with several platforms: entering, auditing, updating, reconciling, exporting and reporting on data related to development and fundraising.

Perform ongoing analysis of fundraising progress to inform strategy including benchmarking projects involving peer schools, year-to-year stats, donor analysis.

Research and apply for grant and foundation support with the goal of growing and developing opportunities in this category.

Contribute to the work of creating, growing and sustaining new fundraising initiatives and giving campaigns

Spearhead and drive alumni engagement in the life of the School. Including cultivation strategies for alumni, including but not limited to reunion activities, college freshmen care packages, senior-to-alumni transition, special occasion gifts.

The Waldorf School of Philadelphia values initiative, collaboration, flexibility, humor, positive energy, and a collegial spirit. Our team is committed to the continuous development, evaluation, accountability, and transparency of our school’s DEI efforts and dedicated to demonstrating leadership in this realm at every opportunity.

The Director of Development is required to commit to the personal and professional work of contributing towards an environment that values and promotes diversity of all. A welcoming climate requires each person to respect diverse perspectives, engage in appropriate conduct, recognize implicit bias, and reduce barriers to participation.

Our ideal candidate is an experienced Development Associate who is ready to take on the next big challenge and to lead development efforts. An authentic communicator, you’ll have a marketing mindset, and strong written and oral communication skills. You’ve proven yourself to be a multi-tasker, with strong prioritization, organization, and planning skills. You’re a collaborator and team player and love to inspire others.

Are you ready for your next step? This is your chance to grow. The role offers you an opportunity to be exposed to all aspects of fundraising and, as a creative thinker with a can-do approach and a growth mindset, you’ll be able to achieve anything you set your mind to in our community. Get in touch. We’d love to hear from you.

We offer a competitive compensation package, including health benefits, 401K retirement plan, and tuition remission. The base salary is commensurate with the experience of the candidate. Each applicant’s resume will be thoroughly and thoughtfully reviewed, with candidates vetted confidentially and respectfully.

If you are interested, please send a cover letter with your resume and contact information for three personal references to Alexandra Borders, Interim Head of School, The Waldorf School of Philadelphia: bordersa@phillywaldorf.com.