Major Gifts Officer

At The Mount Vernon School, students are empowered to discover, explore, learn, design, create, and effect change. With a commitment to Identity, Diversity, Equity, and Action (IDEA), we welcome the opportunity to engage in honest, vulnerable, and courageous conversations that challenge our biases and assumptions. Our goal is to design a better world, so we choose to equip students with the knowledge, skills, attributes, and relationships they need to be impact-ready.

The Team

Community Giving and Impact Team focuses on fostering a culture of philanthropy and service by engaging parents, grandparents, and alumni through volunteerism and giving, as well as expanding partnerships through corporate and foundation investments. We provide opportunities for the gifts of time, talent, treasure, and trust. As a team, we are committed to building strong, trusting relationships, operating with high emotional intelligence, exemplifying professionalism and nimbleness, providing excellent customer service, and achieving results through disciplined and sound processes. 

The Role

The Mount Vernon School is seeking a dynamic Major Gifts Officer to join our team and help drive transformational philanthropy. This role focuses on building meaningful relationships with leadership donors to support the School’s mission, annual giving objectives, capital priorities, and innovative programming. The ideal candidate is a strategic relationship-builder with a passion for education, a track record of securing significant gifts, and a talent for inspiring others to invest in bold ideas. Join us in designing a better world —one generous partnership at a time.

Responsibilities 

• Manage a portfolio of approximately 100-150 major gift prospects, guiding them through the full donor lifecycle from identification to stewardship
• Be an ambassador and strategic partner for annual and capital campaigns including the Let’s Do This campaign
• Partner with the Executive Director of Community Giving & Impact  to execute thoughtful, personalized cultivation and solicitation strategies
• Design and implement creative engagement plans based on prospect research, analytics, and donor interests
• Conduct at least 12-15 monthly prospect visits targeting 150 visits annually; including other Mount Vernon representatives as appropriate
• Upgrade existing donors through intentional stewardship and data-informed outreach
• Collaborate with academic and administrative leaders to articulate funding priorities and create inspiring donor experiences
• Maintain accurate and timely records of donor activity, proposals, and communications using the School’s CRM system
• Represent Mount Vernon at key events and in the community with professionalism, warmth, and integrity

Core Competencies 

• Understands & contributes to the School culture, mission/purpose
• Ability to cultivate respectful and affirming environments 
• Builds relationships & culture through effective communication
• Demonstrates quality, accuracy, and professionalism
• Aligns resources & processes with organizational priorities
• Familiarity with CRM and learning new platforms

• Bachelor’s degree, experience in education, event management, nonprofit administration, or related fields preferred
• 2+ years of relevant experience in administrative coordination, advancement, or event planning
• Strong organizational and project management skills with exceptional attention to detail
• Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills
• Ability to work occasional evenings or weekends for school events

Start Date | July 2025

This job description is intended to describe the basic elements of the job and should not be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, skills, efforts or working conditions associated with the job. This job description does not constitute a contract. It may be modified or amended at any time as determined in the School’s discretion.

The faculty and staff of The Mount Vernon School believe the fair and equitable treatment of employees is critical to fulfilling its mission and purpose. It is the policy of The Mount Vernon School to conduct business and provide equal employment opportunity to all persons without regard to race, color, age, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.