Director of Leadership Giving at The Peddie School in Hightstown, New Jersey

Job Description:

The Peddie School in Hightstown, N.J., is seeking an experienced, creative, team-oriented fundraising professional to lead the next chapter of evolution for our philanthropy and engagement team. In a newly designed position at Peddie, the Director of Leadership Giving will be responsible for leading a team of frontline fundraisers and research/prospect management professionals as well as leading the philanthropic arm of our team. The ideal candidate will have a contagious excitement about and strategies for unifying and aligning fundraising efforts across The Peddie Fund, gift planning, capital giving and endowment giving, including designing, implementing and optimizing best practices for prospect management and fundraising efforts. This is a unique opportunity to build on the momentum from the historic One Peddie Campaign. As a result, Peddie is eager to find a leader who finds joy in being a compassionate and results-oriented leader who is also highly creative and collaborative.

Founded in 1864, The Peddie School is an independent, coeducational, college preparatory school of 535 students, grades 9 through post-graduate. Peddie is primarily a boarding school with over 60 percent of students and 90 percent of the faculty living on campus and a strong emphasis on admitting a diverse community of students who demonstrate the highest degrees of excitement, curiosity and character. Peddie's extraordinary resources include the highly professional, collaborative and dedicated faculty, an innovative and rigorous curriculum and an attractive, 280-acre campus with exceptional facilities located 25 minutes east of Princeton and about an hour from both New York City and Philadelphia.

Thanks to the generosity of Ambassador Walter H. Annenberg '27 and other donors, Peddie now ranks among the most highly endowed independent schools in the nation. Its $455 million endowment enables the school to offer more than $10 million in financial assistance to 35-40 percent of the student body.

We have recently completed a $106M campaign and the momentum is palpable. We are creating this new position in an effort to align and evolve our fundraising efforts in a more intentional way. This chapter will be focused on strengthening our fundraising practices for The Peddie Fund, gift planning, capital needs and ongoing endowed funding priorities. Reporting to the Assistant Head for Development, the ideal candidate must possess a deep commitment to Peddie's mission, demonstrate excellent listening and fundraising skills, have demonstrated success as an exceptional relationship builder and team player while also exemplifying strategic acumen to design, lead and execute ambitious fundraising efforts. This position will offer excellent professional development for the frontline fundraising team with Plus Delta and we are committed to providing growth opportunities at Peddie.

Essential Leadership and Fundraising Responsibilities:

Lead, manage, provide coaching to team of frontline fundraisers and prospect management professionals;

Exemplify emotional intelligence, empathy, and active listening skills to build meaningful personal connections with colleagues and donors;

Spearhead unified fundraising strategies to provide colleagues and donors with a cohesive, impactful giving experience;

Nurture and steward a portfolio of leadership and major gift-level donors through tailored cultivation, engagement and solicitation strategies based on shared needs and passions;

Work collaboratively with colleagues to create tailored invitations for support to inspire increased and recurring giving;

Design, implement and utilize best practices for Peddie in prospect management, research and moves management in order to maximize philanthropic revenue;

Partner with colleagues in engagement, gift planning, events, and marketing and communications to design integrated engagement and cultivation efforts;

Foster a collaborative environment that shares donor strategies, information, and fundraising best practices among colleagues;

Design ambitious yet achievable goals and strategies to help the team achieve them.

Qualifications:

Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree or certification in fundraising, nonprofit management, or related field preferred.

Minimum of 7 years of progressive experience in frontline fundraising roles, with a proven track record of increasing gifts from repeat donors and securing leadership ($2,500 - $49,999) and major gifts ($50,000-$1M) from individual donors.

Effective at leading by example, with strong coaching and mentorship abilities.

Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build relationships and interact compassionately with diverse colleagues and constituents.

Strong project management skills including the ability to develop and implement strategic fundraising plans for oneself and a team.

Commitment to ethical fundraising practices and adherence to industry standards and regulations.

Ability to travel as required for donor meetings and events. Hybrid work may be considered.

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