Gift Officer for The Putney School in Vermont

Elizabeth Johnson

The Putney School is a progressive secondary boarding school on 600 acres in Vermont. Since its founding in 1935, the school’s character and governance have been based on collaboration and shared values rather than competition. We are a community of people who think for ourselves, invent, design, experiment, compose, write, build, and chase down new ideas. Each employee makes a significant contribution to the school’s success, and it is our expectation that each employee will always have the well-being of the whole school in mind. Building a just and inclusive community is a shared responsibility, and Putney supports all its employees in developing this critical skill set.

Putney is in the midst of its largest comprehensive campaign, Sing It Forward: A Campaign for Putney’s Future. With an overall campaign goal of $35 million and over $25 million already raised, the campaign has just entered its public phase. Putney alumni, parents, and friends have generously supported the school for years, but only recently has there been a more strategic effort to create a culture of philanthropy and elevate fundraising as a way to enrich the student experience. This effort has been met with considerable success and is supported by the professional and volunteer leadership of the school.

Position Summary:

The gift officer will be both a collaborative and independent worker committed to increasing Putney's fundraising capacity through the successful cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of a portfolio of approximately 125-150 prospective donors that include alumni, current and past parents and grandparents. Reporting to the director of development, the gift officer will work closely with the director of development, trustees, head of school and the alumni/development team.

Essential Responsibilities:

● Understand the school’s character, mission, fundamental values, goals, and needs of the campaign, and present them compellingly to all Putney constituents

● Build and advance respectful and responsive relationships with Putney alumni, parents (past and present) and grandparents (past and present) that result in philanthropic contributions while serving as a resource, advocate, ambassador and spokesperson for Putney

● Work creatively and strategically to match donor interests with campaign priorities while negotiating gifts of greatest possible value to Putney

● Successfully manage a portfolio of prospects with $50,000+ capacity through the stages of discovery, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship

● Complete 10-15 productive donor visits per month

● Travel as needed (potentially 40-60%) to meet the school’s development goals and be willing to work outside of the regular work day when events demand

● Ensure timely recording of data and contact reports

● Maintain clear, respectful and responsive communication with prospects

● Collaborate with…

○ the director of development, annual fund and alumni relations colleagues to create programming and events that support and enhance positive relationships with Putney people

○ the director of development and team to create, sustain, and engage a Putney parent/family network

○ the alumni relations manager to cultivate the pipeline of young alumni.

○ the development operations manager and development associate on data, research, and reporting when appropriate

● Maintain an in-depth knowledge of Putney’s campaign and other fundraising priorities, academic, afternoon, evening arts and work programs while cultivating relationships with faculty and administrators

● When possible, attend school functions and connect with the campus community

Qualifications:

● Have 3-5 years of experience working with non-profit organizations, particularly those with diverse and widespread constituencies, development experience preferred

● Possess inspiring communication skills with the ability to connect to a variety of audiences in a clear, succinct, and persuasive way (both written and oral)

● Be a resourceful, goal-oriented individual with a strong work ethic, a high degree of creativity, integrity, flexibility, focus, discretion, and sound judgment

● Work cooperatively and collaboratively with others and be willing to accept direction when appropriate

● Have experience with, and/or be willing to learn current technologies that include Raiser’s Edge, Blackbaud, Google docs, sheets, drive, and more

As this work involves building trust and authentic relationships with all constituents, Putney seeks candidates who feel a sense of alignment with the school's Fundamental Beliefs and who are excited to commit to the work at hand. Interested candidates should send a cover letter, resume, and names and contact information for at least three references to employment@putneyschool.org. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position has been filled.

Elizabeth Johnson

Job description updated July 29, 2022, here on this site.