Director of Campaign Stewardship & Planned Giving

New Canaan Country School, a Pre-K through Grade 9 co-ed, independent day school, currently serves 555 students from diverse backgrounds living in 21 different surrounding towns/cities in Connecticut and New York. Our mission is to create an active, joyful learning environment where children are challenged to think deeply, question confidently, and act generously so that they may lead lives of impact and purpose. We believe that childhood is an integral part of life to be lived fully and happily. Our talented and devoted faculty engages our students in developmentally appropriate ways, delivering a challenging curriculum that builds intellectual skills and fosters creative and critical thinking. Founded in 1916, the School has been a preeminent leader in early childhood, elementary and middle school education for more than 100 years.

New Canaan Country School seeks an enthusiastic and strategic fundraiser to lead our Stewardship and Planned Giving efforts as part of our new capital campaign. The Director of Stewardship & Planned Giving will work closely with the Director of Advancement, the Associate Director of Advancement, the Director of Alumni Affairs & Advancement Events and all members of the Advancement Team to engage and steward key constituents, grow our school-wide culture of philanthropy and raise critical funds across all fundraising channels, with emphasis on capital campaign initiatives. This position starts as early as February 2025 and lasts the duration of the campaign, which is expected to conclude in June 2030. 

Responsibilities

• Develop and improve systems to support donor and volunteer stewardship and recognition, both as part of the campaign and across all fundraising channels.
• Maintain a portfolio of prospects across constituencies, building relationships and helping to support the Annual Fund and create a strong major gifts and campaign pipeline.
• Collaborate with members of the Advancement team and Marketing & Communications to design, maintain, and refresh Advancement publications and stewardship materials (Campaign Materials, Bulletin Magazine, Newsletters, Insider, Donor Report, and Donor Profiles & Spotlights).
• Work with the Director of Advancement to create personalized stewardship plans to ensure consistent and meaningful contact with campaign and major donors. 
• Oversee the Acknowledgement Letter process, ensuring donors receive timely tax receipts and meaningful thank you letters, personal notes, and calls.
• Research and report on named endowed funds, student and faculty prizes, and awards annually.
• Manage the installation and tracking of donor recognition, named spaces and plaques. 
• Oversee strategy and process for sending personalized gifts and notes to community members to express gratitude, condolence and to celebrate life milestones.
• Lead Planned Giving strategy and manage Welles Society engagement and recognition efforts.
• Formalize and grow a consecutive-year giving program to build a Planned Giving pipeline.
• Partner with the full Advancement team on stewardship event design, strategy, and execution.
• Take on other departmental writing, event, and project management responsibilities, as needed.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree and significant professional fundraising experience preferred
• Experience managing projects and people toward collective goals
• Proficiency in fundraising databases, Raiser’s Edge (and NXT) preferred
• Strong interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills
• Ability to easily network and establish rapport with individuals and groups
• Commitment to confidentiality, discretion, and customer service mindset 
• Comfortable working independently and collaboratively in a fun and fast-paced environment
• Demonstrated self-awareness, cultural competency, and inclusivity, with the ability to work with colleagues and stakeholders across diverse cultures and backgrounds
• This position will require some evening and weekend work, as well as occasional travel