Career Center

Friends Community School (FCS) is a progressive co-ed Quaker K-8 day school serving a diverse student body from the greater Washington, D.C. area. FCS offers a challenging curriculum imbued with strong values of equality, integrity, community, environmental stewardship, simplicity, and peaceful conflict resolution, rooted in our Quaker heritage. Faculty and staff are highly engaged and enjoy flexibility, autonomy, and creativity. FCS’s LEED-certified building is situated on 17 acres surrounded by Greenbelt National Park, nine minutes from the University of Maryland, College Park, and thirty minutes from Washington, D.C.

FCS seeks a Director of Major Gifts to create a vibrant culture of philanthropy at Friends Community School. The Director of Major Gifts is outward-facing designing programs and donor events that ensure maximum gift support for the school, identifying and soliciting major donors and foundations, and pursuing grants.

The Director reports to and works closely with the Director of Advancement.

Responsibilities include:

• Collaborating with the Director of Advancement to establish and execute forward-thinking strategies for successful endowment and capital campaigns, legacy gifts, and planned giving.
• Preparing and publishing the School’s annual report.
• Researching and analyzing prospects in the immediate school community and beyond for gift cultivation for fundraising campaigns including planned giving.
• Identifying corporate and foundation funding opportunities and writing grant applications.
• Developing and executing a planned giving strategy.
• Organizing donor cultivation and appreciation events. 
• Managing fundraising data and maintaining accurate records and files in conjunction with the Director of Advancement. 
• Assisting with the School’s annual auction, donor events, Grandfriends’ Day, and the 8th Grade Gift.
• Appreciating Quaker values and practices and ensuring they are reflected in strategy, programming, and fundraising.
• Performing other duties as assigned by the Director of Advancement or the Head of School.

Qualifications

• A bachelor’s degree required, a master’s degree preferred
• Five plus years in the nonprofit sector and in fundraising
• Independent school experience preferred
• Proven success in directly soliciting and securing charitable gifts
• A strategic thinker and problem solver
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Strong organizational skills
• Strong interpersonal and cultural competency skills and an ability to work with individuals from diverse backgrounds
• Ability to maintain confidentiality 
• Extensive knowledge of fundraising data software and database management software such as Blackbaud and Raiser's Edge

To Apply

Please send a cover letter, resume, and the names and contact information of three professional references to Angela G. Garcia, Head of School, at angelag@friendscommunityschool.org.

FCS is committed to building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive educational community and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, religion, gender, gender identity, color, sexual orientation, or national or ethnic origin.