Director of Development

Start Date: July 16, 2022, or until hired

Our Mission

We inspire joyful learning, honor each child, and build connections to empower all students to make a difference.

We honor and enjoy children’s natural curiosity, competence, and exuberance. Using teams of teachers and educational methods tailored to how children learn best, we connect with our students, build trusting relationships, and make learning relevant, memorable, and fun. Asking not “how smart is the child” but “how is the child smart,” we guide our students to see their full potential, and we equip them to pursue it with passion and purpose. We inspire children to make a difference. We value academic excellence, personal integrity, and community action and encourage our students to become informed, engaged, and ethical global citizens.

At Marin Primary & Middle School, we believe that it’s deep connections–between students, with teachers, and with ideas–that help kids know themselves and push through boundaries in school and in life. Every day we strengthen these connections so our students are able to tackle new ideas and challenges, pursue their goals with optimism and courage, and apply all they learn to the world they’ll inherit.

Serving 320 students in preschool through grade 8, Marin Primary & Middle School’s vibrant learning community is located in the town of Larkspur, just 4.5 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge. Taking advantage of both the beautiful outdoor environment of Marin County and the cultural offerings of metropolitan San Francisco, MP&MS asks its students to Be Connected, Be Curious, and Be Courageous.

At Marin Primary & Middle School we make education meaningful, while encouraging pride in self, respect for others, and enthusiasm for learning.

The Director of Development will build and sustain the school’s culture of philanthropy by providing entrepreneurial leadership in fundraising, special events, and trustee and volunteer relations. The Director of Development works closely with the Head of School and the Board of Trustees and sits on the Leadership Team. The Director of Development manages the Development Office and works closely with the Finance, Communications, and Admission departments.

Primary Responsibilities 

• Be an articulate and visible spokesperson of MP&MS’s mission
• Engage the Head of School and Board of Trustees in fundraising goals and initiatives
• Over the next two years, work with the Head of School and Development Committee to develop a multi-year fundraising plan that outlines the timing, case, and execution of a potential capital campaign, a major gifts program, and a strategy for increasing endowment
• Serve as key staff liaison to the Development Committee of the Board
• Increase Annual Fund giving by instilling best practices and more targeted ratings
• Oversee the Parent Association’s annual auction and celebration activities
• Hire, evaluate, and mentor members of the development team
• Work closely with the communications office to ensure consistent and timely messaging about fundraising efforts
• Ensure that all gifts are acknowledged in a timely and accurate manner, and that stewardship of donors becomes a high-touch priority
• Lead other development activities, initiatives, and special events, including the annual welcome event, Grandparents and Special Friends Day, and more
• Enhance the school environment by serving as an active community member

Qualifications

• B.A. degree (advanced degree preferred)
• 7-10 years of leadership fundraising experience, including campaign planning and management, ideally in an independent school, college, or university
• Track record of cohesively integrating the full range of development programs
• Strong understanding of the dynamics of the Bay Area and MP&MS’s niche within it
• Experience in creating departmental budgets and in supervising development and constituent relations administration
• Confidence, patience, discretion, and a sense of humor that complements MP&MS’s culture and mission
• Authenticity and humility
• Ability to be an effective storyteller who can articulate the case for support of MP&MS
• Excellent analytical skills
• Belief in the value of strong collaboration and teamwork
• Excellent communication skills, both oral and written
• Mastery of relational databases

Physical Requirements & Work Environment

Marin Primary & Middle School is in full compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and does not discriminate in regard to applicants or employees with disabilities and will make reasonable accommodation when necessary.

• For the purposes of the ADA, the “Primary Responsibilities” listed are essential job functions
• Work is normally performed in a typical interior/classroom work environment, with typical classroom noise and other disruptions
• Both sitting and standing are required during a regular workday
• Normal vision and hearing abilities are required to interact with students, parents, faculty, and staff, and with school equipment
• Ability to occasionally lift up to 50 lbs
• Ability to work at a desk and computer screen for extended periods of time
• Ability to turn, bend and reach
• Ability to move oneself around the campus
• Ability to drive to other locations for meetings, conferences, etc.
• Position requires adaptability, analyzing, assessing, calculating, decision making, dependability, good judgment, reading, memorizing, social skills, speaking, multitasking, and writing

MP&MS is an equal opportunity employer. All individuals have an equal opportunity for employment based on qualifications and merit, regardless of religion, race, sex, marital status, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, age, color, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, sexual orientation, military service status, or any other factor prohibited by state or federal law. This policy applies to all areas of employment, including recruitment, hiring, training, promotion, compensation, benefits, and other conditions of employment. MP&MS also makes reasonable accommodations for employees with disabilities and for employees who request an accommodation for pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions.