Job Description

THE OPPORTUNITY

Kents Hill is on a remarkable trajectory. Under the leadership of Head of School Dr. Molly MacKean, the school is embracing a 200-year-old legacy and accelerating a bold and exciting vision for the future. Kents Hill is reshaping not only what it teaches but how, where, and when. The school is reimagining spaces to bring creativity, innovation, and collaboration to life, as well as rethinking how the school can use time throughout the entire calendar year to foster growth.

Kents Hill is leaning into this moment with imagination and resolve. A forthcoming comprehensive campaign--significantly larger than any the school's history--will depend on a strong, growing Kents Hill Fund that sustains the school's operating budget, expands access, and underwrites the excellence of the Kents Hill experience. The Director of the Kents Hill Fund will be a central partner in making that possible.

As Director of the Kents Hill Fund, you will be responsible for leading Kents Hill's $1M+ annual giving program to new levels of impact. Partnering closely with Chief Advancement Officer Erin Fogg, you will design and execute strategies that increase participation, deepen donor engagement, and grow annual giving as a key pipeline into major gifts and campaign support.

In the early years, this role will be heavily focused on doing the work yourself: planning and executing appeals, building segmentation and stewardship plans, coordinating volunteer efforts, managing leadership annual giving prospects, and directly communicating with donors. You'll have support and help from Advancement Operations and Marketing & Communications. Over time, as the program grows, this position will evolve into a player-coach leadership role with responsibility for managing a small team and continued strategic oversight of the Kents Hill Fund.

This role is ideal for someone who loves both strategy and execution: someone who is as comfortable crafting a multi-channel campaign calendar as writing an appeal, calling a donor, or jumping into the data to refine a segment.

This role reports to the Chief Advancement Officer and plays a key leadership role within a growing Advancement team that values adaptability, creativity, courage, and disciplined follow-through.

IN THIS ROLE, YOU WILL

LEAD THE KENTS HILL FUND STRATEGY

? Design and implement a comprehensive, year-round annual giving strategy.

? Develop and manage a detailed annual calendar of Kents Hill Fund activity, including direct mail, email, social media, texting, phone outreach, giving days, and special campaigns.

? Build and refine segmentation strategies to deliver more personalized and strategic appeals.

? Establish clear goals and metrics for dollars raised, participation, leadership annual giving, and donor retention and reactivation.

? Collaborate closely with colleagues in communications and marketing to ensure that Kents Hill Fund messaging is compelling, consistent, and integrated across channels.

BUILD A STRONG LEADERSHIP ANNUAL GIVING PROGRAM

? Design and grow a leadership annual giving program serves as a bridge between the annual fund and major giving.

? Create clear giving levels and recognition strategies that encourage donors to deepen their engagement and move up the giving ladder over time.

? Manage a portfolio of annual giving prospects.

? Partner with the Director of Major and Planned Giving (once in place) to ensure a smooth pipeline between annual giving and major gift portfolios.

EXECUTE CAMPAIGNS AND DONOR COMMUNICATIONS

? Plan and execute multi-channel appeals, including concepting, writing, and coordinating production of print and digital campaigns.

? Create and manage special initiatives such as giving days, reunion giving efforts, parent and family campaigns, senior class or young alumni challenges, and other targeted drives.

? Develop stewardship and impact communications for annual donors that express gratitude and demonstrate the tangible difference their gifts make.

? Use data and testing to continuously improve campaign performance.

ENGAGE AND SUPPORT VOLUNTEERS

? Recruit, train, and support volunteers (such as class agents, reunion committee members, parent volunteers, young alumni leaders, and students) to serve as ambassadors and peer-to-peer fundraisers.

? Provide volunteers with tools, talking points, and timely data to make outreach easier and more effective.

? Recognize and celebrate volunteer contributions, nurturing long-term engagement and leadership.

STRENGTHEN SYSTEMS, DATA, AND COLLABORATION

? Partner with Advancement Operations to ensure accurate tracking of annual fund results within the CRM (Raiser's Edge NXT) and related systems.

? Develop clear, usable reports and dashboards.

? Collaborate with colleagues in Major and Planned Giving, Alumni and Parent Engagement, and Communications & Marketing to ensure a coordinated, relationship-centered experience for donors.

? Serve as a thought partner to the Chief Advancement Officer on annual revenue forecasting and the role of the Kents Hill Fund in campaign strategy.

BUILD AND, OVER TIME, LEAD A TEAM

? In the near term, function as a highly hands-on, solo or small-team practitioner responsible for planning and executing much of the work yourself.

? Over time, help define the staffing structure and/or vendors needed to support a growing annual giving program.

? Play a key role in recruiting, onboarding, and coaching future team members as resources allow.

? Evolve into a player-coach leader, balancing continued direct work with team management, mentoring, and program oversight.

WHO YOU ARE

You might see yourself in some of the following:

? You are an experienced annual giving professional who has helped grow a program and is ready to take ownership of a school-wide annual fund.

? You are a builder and a do-er--comfortable writing the appeal, pulling the list, talking to the donor, and then stepping back to analyze what worked and why.

? You are a player-coach by nature: you're comfortable doing the work yourself now and excited by the prospect of leading and mentoring others.

? You have a strategic mind and a marketer's instincts: you understand segmentation, storytelling, and how to meet donors where they are.

? You are data-driven and highly analytic in your approach to strategy, and are always looking for ways to test, learn, and improve.

? You bring a collaborative spirit, humility, and a sense of humor to your work.

? You believe deeply in the transformative power of schools like Kents Hill and enjoy inviting others into that story through philanthropy.

QUALIFICATIONS

? Bachelor's degree

? 5-8+ years of progressive experience in annual giving, development, nonprofit fundraising, or a related field; experience in independent schools, higher education, or educational nonprofits is a plus.

? Demonstrated success in planning and executing multi-channel annual giving campaigns and in meeting or exceeding revenue and participation goals.

? Experience with segmentation, data analysis, and donor lifecycle strategies (acquisition, retention, upgrades, and reactivation).

? Familiarity with leadership annual giving and the role of the annual fund in building a pipeline for major gifts and campaigns.

? Strong writing and storytelling skills, with experience creating compelling appeals and donor communications across print and digital channels.

? Demonstrated experience with modern CRM systems (Raiser's Edge experience a plus), reporting tools, and standard productivity software.

? Experience working in a growing or evolving advancement operation, with demonstrated comfort operating without a large existing team or fully built-out systems.

? Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines.

? Willingness and ability to work occasional evenings and weekends and to participate in events, meetings, and activities that support the Kents Hill Fund.

? Ability and willingness to travel domestically and internationally, as needed.

WORK LOCATION

The ideal candidate will be office-based at Kents Hill School. Considerations for some remote work will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

This is a 12-month, exempt role that reports to the Chief Advancement Officer. Kents Hill School offers a competitive salary commensurate with experience and qualifications, and a comprehensive benefits package.

TO APPLY

Please send a cover letter and resume to hr@kentshill.org with the subject line "Director of the Kents Hill Fund.."

Kents Hill School is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to maintaining a work and learning environment free from discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, pregnancy, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital/civil union status, ancestry, place of birth, age, citizenship status, veteran status, political affiliation, genetic information or disability, as defined and required by state and federal laws. Additionally, we prohibit retaliation against individuals who oppose such discrimination and harassment or who participate in an equal opportunity investigation.

Job Type: Full-time

Benefits:

403(b) Dental insurance Health insurance Health savings account Life insurance Paid time off Vision insurance
Work Location: In person