Director of Advancement, St. George's School / Directeur.rice du développement

St. George's School of Montreal is seeking an experienced and relationship-driven Director of Advancement to join its leadership team at a pivotal moment in the School's history. Reporting to the Head of School and serving as a key member of the leadership team, the Director of Advancement will play a central role in advancing the School's strategic priorities through philanthropy, community engagement, and relationship-building.

As St. George's approaches its centennial year and prepares for a transformative capital campaign, the Director of Advancement will help lead the next chapter of the School's growth and impact. Working closely with parents, donors, volunteers, alumni and the broader community, they will build meaningful connections, help to create and foster a culture of philanthropy unique to St. George’s, and inspire others to invest in the future of the School.

More than a fundraiser, the Director of Advancement is a community builder and ambassador for St. George's, helping to deepen engagement across generations of students, families, alumni, and friends of the School.

The School

St. George’s School of Montreal is a community of learners, dedicated to excellence and committed to continuous improvement. Our employees are aligned with our School’s Vision, Mission and Values and work together to ensure everyone feels a sense of belonging.

Founded over 90 years ago by a group of dedicated parents, St. George’s School of Montreal offers a child-centred, progressive educational approach that cultivates intellectually curious, passionate lifelong learners. Our collaborative and experiential learning community fosters the development of complex thinking skills and empowers students to grapple with real-world challenges while demonstrating empathy and social responsibility.

Inspired by innovative researchers in education, our School is an extension of the world where each student feels empowered and confident to create, explore, and contribute as their authentic selves. As an independent, English co-educational, non-denominational school, we take pride in cultivating the unique identities of our students, while preparing them for a dynamic future.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Serve as a key member of the School's leadership team, contributing to institutional planning and strategic decision-making.
• Develop and implement a comprehensive multi-year advancement strategy to help realize the School's mission, vision, and priorities.
• Advise the Head of School, Board members, and volunteers on advancement initiatives.
• Co-create and foster a unique culture of philanthropy across the School community that resonates with the St. George’s culture and community.
• Build, direct and evaluate the Advancement office team while fostering a shared sense of teamwork and collaboration that sparks creativity, innovation and a commitment to philanthropy and alumni engagement.
• Lead all fundraising initiatives and projects, including the capital campaign, major gifts, annual giving, planned giving, sponsorships, and special initiatives.
• Build upon the strong foundation established by the School's existing Annual Fund program, providing strategic direction while empowering the team member responsible for this portfolio to effectively execute fundraising, stewardship, and engagement activities.
• Grow and actively manage a pipeline of donors and prospects, from cultivation to gift solicitation and stewardship, ensuring a strong and sustainable base of support for the School's priorities.
• Identify, develop, and implement strategies to achieve and exceed annual fundraising goals.
• Ensure a donor-centred approach that emphasizes relationship-building, stewardship, and long-term engagement.

Relationship Building & Community Engagement

• Serve as an ambassador for St. George's, participating actively and regularly in School events and activities in the community to build meaningful relationships with alumni, parents, grandparents, donors, volunteers, and friends of the School.
• Develop strategies to increase engagement, participation, and volunteer involvement throughout the School community.
• Cultivate meaningful relationships with our engaged parent and Board leadership.
• Partner with colleagues across the School to identify and share compelling stories that showcase the impact of philanthropy.
• Lead the strategic planning, design and creation of the School's upcoming centennial capital campaign.
• Working in partnership with campaign volunteers and School leadership, lead capital campaign execution .
• Collaborate closely with Communications and Marketing to develop and implement a capital campaign communications plan.
• Inspire the community around a shared vision for the future of St. George's and encourage broad participation in campaign initiatives.
• Play a lead supporting role in planning and executing the associated centennial celebrations.

Stewardship & Advancement Operations

• Develop and implement a comprehensive donor recognition and stewardship program that reflects the School's values and strengthens its culture of philanthropy.
• Ensure all donors and volunteers are acknowledged in a timely manner and recognized and stewarded in meaningful and impactful ways.
• Collaborate with the Communications team to ensure an integrated and cohesive approach to the School’s various communities around philanthropy.
• Ensure the effective management of donor information, prospect tracking, and advancement systems.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a related field.
• Minimum of seven years' experience in philanthropy, advancement, or fundraising, with a strong preference for candidates with major gift fundraising experience.
• Proven track record of building donor relationships and closing gifts in the $100,000+ range.
• Demonstrated success in identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding donors and prospects.
• Proven ability to build authentic, long-term relationships with donors, volunteers, alumni, parents, and community stakeholders.
• Proven track-record developing and executing strategic fundraising plans and managing a robust donor pipeline.
• Experience successfully supporting or leading capital campaigns, comprehensive annual campaigns, or other significant fundraising initiatives is considered a strong asset.
• Ability to partner with senior leaders, boards, and volunteers to advance organizational priorities and fundraising goals.
• Proficiency in managing donor databases, prospect pipelines, and fundraising analytics; experience with Raiser's Edge considered an asset.
• Exceptional written and oral communication skills in English, and ability to communicate in French.
• Experience within independent schools, higher education, non-profit organizations, or other mission-driven institutions is considered a strong asset.
• Experience strategizing with academic leadership, CFRE Certification, self-motivation, curiosity and analytical thinking, statistical literacy, change management, entrepreneurial mindset are considered strong assets.