The Development Director works in close partnership with the Head of School, as the Head of School is the Chief Advocate for the Nolan Catholic mission. The Development Director partners with the Head of School as they collaborate and focus on engaging and soliciting major gift prospects. Each will maintain a portfolio of individual prospects/donors and they will, as often as possible, manage and solicit these individuals together.
The Development Director will also work closely and guide the School Chaplain, Athletic Director, Alumni Director, and when necessary other faculty/staff to participate in solicitation visits. The Development Director will request when appropriate the Bishop, the President of the Advancement Foundation, the Superintendent and other Priests/Pastors to partner for these visits. Development efforts are focused as much as possible, on the sphere of influence that can be utilized to successfully engage, steward, solicit and close gifts to Nolan Catholic.
Fundraising And Donor Development Deliverables
- Develop and execute an annual, capital, asset giving/planned gifts and special strategic fundraising plan with measurable financial targets in accordance with the mission of the school and as approved by the Head of School and the various advisory councils/Board.
- Establish and review with leadership typical gift charts for each funding initiative.
- Utilize major gift challenge matches and monthly/recurring gifts across campaigns to spark response from donor community and in each personal visit discuss giving options including asset-based (plan ned/structured ) giving.
- Participate in giving days and move toward having a special unique Nolan Catholic Giving Day in the spring of academic year.
- Assist the Head of School in establishing and cultivating relationships and soliciting funds from major gift prospects; identify targeted donors, track donor contacts, and update donor profiles on a regular ( weekly/bi-weekly ) basis.
- Coordinate and execute fundraising and donor cultivation events; maintain an annual calendar of events ( see attachments ) consistent with annual and capital fundraising goals and strategic plans while also being disciplined to prioritize the Master Facility Plan accordingly.
- Coordinate the school’s annual appeal and additional major gift solicitations, and plan and implement any endowment or capital campaigns as approved by leadership and the Diocese of Ft. Worth Superintendent and the Advancement Foundation leadership.
- Coordinate visits between the Head of School and major donors and prospects; host and tour prospects and donors on campus whenever it may be possible. Optimally, campus visits allow potential donors to witness first-hand the school operations and students but often their schedules do not allow for this.
- Collaborate, lead and mentor Special Events coordinator and assist with the planning of all fundraising special events.
- Work closely with the Director of Operations and school business office as these events are being planned and participate in the prep meetings for all special events sanctioned by and approved by the Head of School.
- Regularly meet with the volunteer leaders of all special events with a close working relationship with the Viking Club leadership, in particular, because of their unique and impactful funding mission.
- Attend all major events including the Nolan Gala, the Breen Games, the Annual Alumni Golf outings, Homecoming/Hall of Fame, Annual Volunteer/Benefactor event ( Esto Dux ), Grandparent’s Day, and Clay Shoot.
- Maintain a regular presence at athletic events, school plays, speaker series events. Also, attend as many partner schools and other Diocesan-wide events as possible. ( Galas, casino nights, etc .) If time permits, also attend the wakes or funerals of Nolan Catholic families especially if local.
- Research the missions and funding priorities of foundations and other grant-making institutions, while also collaborating with the Advancement Foundation Grants and Foundation Director.
- Making multiple asks of shared Foundations should be avoided so communications in this element are critical. In line with the mission of the school, establish and maintain personal contact and relationship with the foundations and program officers that are open to funding Catholic high schools or the programs that they historically support.
- Attend any local fundraising events that expose Nolan Catholic to these grantors.
- Review and manage the grant proposal process; develop and assist in writing grant proposals if appropriate, persuasively communicating the school’s mission and needs to potential foundations.
- Report to leadership on status of each individual outreach – cold, hot, or warm.
- Report to leadership on status of each proposal/ask.
- Report to leadership on status of all appropriate and necessary follow-up to proposal outcomes.
- Meet in early June to determine fundraising goals with leadership – set into plan for upcoming year.
Communications And Public Relations Deliverables
- Work with the Head of School and members of the Leadership Team to develop and execute the school’s overall marketing, communication, and PR strategies across various target audiences.
- Review the design of all school marketing materials, ensuring that all communications and all marketing materials from every department in the school are consistent and of high quality. This includes parent newsletters and other communiques to potential students, parish partners, Pastors, and the broader Ft. Worth market.
- Review the content and design of the school’s website, video outreach, and social media accounts and submit recommendations.
- Review the production of e-newsletters, mailings, promotional materials, etc.
- In consultation with the Head of School, Director of Operations, review all public relations, including press releases and other efforts that ensure the school publicity through all media sources.
Office Management And Leadership Deliverables
- Assist in the management of the alumni, alumni parent, friend/benefactor/prospect development database, ensuring that all information remains current.
- Meet regularly ( weekly ) with the staff including alumni director, gift processor, Director of Operations.
- Daily contact with development gift processor/ data coordinator to ensure the timely, accurate and systematic acknowledgment of contributions and event follow-up letters, interest letters, thank you notes and any other special case donor letters. Also, work closely with the business office on the timely distribution of annual tax acknowledgments for donors.
- It should also be expected that regular contact is made with Head of School on any matters having to do with portfolio management. Advise as to issues that may impede progress with any individual or group of donors.
- Collaborate with the Controller and Director of Operations to implement a three-year plan to centralize Viking ( booste r) Club contributions. Work with the head of School and the Director of Operations to coordinate all school fundraising while maintaining the integrity of the school’s major funding activities so as not to water-down or interfere with major gift initiatives.
- Review and manage the production of the school’s Annual Report by working closely with the Alumni director, the business office, marketing and communications directors and staff. Encourage collaboration and cooperation by other school staff for articles, stories, and information for the annual report. Report progress on production to the Director of Operations for timely distribution to Nolan Catholic constituents.
- Analyze development data and prepare regular reports for the Head of School, Superintendent, Advancement Foundation President and Advisory Council, Strategic Development Committee Leadership, and the Director of Operations.
- Work closely with the Development Committee of the Advisory Council to set, review, and achieve on-going metrics; attend all meetings of the Development Committee, the Alumni Committee, and Hall-of-Fame committee.
- Represent the school at meetings of other development officers in the Diocese of Ft. Worth.
- Design and implement the appropriate, (best practices), analytical evaluation of all external relations outreach. Evaluate fundraising success and establish following year goals and objectives, measuring dollars raised but also increased size of gifts. For example, I Give Catholic 2023 had fewer donors but larger gifts. A thorough study of various typical fundraising metrics will help school leadership focus on the 2024-25 development plan.
- Other responsibilities and duties as assigned by the Head of School, Superintendent or Diocesan COO.
- Expected to be a visible leadership presence on campus and at all leadership meetings as requested by Head of School unless there is a conflict with donor visits
- Expected to submit weekly reports to Head of School and to upload reports for data tracking
Additional Skills And Expectations
- Flexibility, energy, stamina, integrity, and foresight to successfully navigate inevitable challenges.
- Demonstrated ability to connect with families who desire an education at Nolan Catholic
- Strong collaboration with others and the ability to systematically gather input prior to developing strategies and solutions. Utilize current technology as it pertains to the outcomes of raising philanthropic dollars to support the mission of Nolan Catholic. Technology may include but not be limited to Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge, other donor software, research software ( Wealth Engine, Blackbaud Analytics, I-Wave, etc .) Develop a proficiency to use with individual tenacity and creativity and research and prioritize the strategic outreach to engage and secure donors.
- Openness to feedback and to using feedback to inform professional practice.
- Ability to think critically and reflectively and to prioritize effectively.
- Strong written and oral communication skills.
- Ability to prioritize multiple projects and requests and be prepared to willingly, and sacrificially perform any other appropriates duties or tasks assigned by leadership.
