Director of Advancement

Job Description

Position Summary
The Director of Advancement is a key member of the Leadership team, responsible for honing and executing a comprehensive fundraising strategy to support SJI's $2.2 million annual operating budget. This includes leadership of major gifts, campaigns, donor engagement, grants, corporate partnerships, and special events.
Working closely with the President, this role will set annual fundraising goals, oversee donor stewardship, and collaborate with the Communications and Business Office teams to ensure strong integration of messaging and financial operations. Over time, this position may build and lead a small development team.
The ideal candidate is a strategic, mission-driven leader with a proven track record of working in a department that
secured major gifts, built donor relationships, and managed fundraising operations for faith-based organizations.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following:
• Develop annual fundraising strategies and annual fundraising goals in collaboration with the President
• Develop and implement a comprehensive fundraising plan to meet the organization's annual revenue goals
• With the President, identify, strategize, and cultivate major gift prospects, as well as corporate partners
• Drive the success of the Major Gifts and Stewardship programs
• Plan and execute special events to engage donors and raise funds for the organization
• Create Development reports for internal and external dissemination
• Collaborate with the Communications team to develop effective donor communications and marketing materials
• Monitor and create regular reports on fundraising progress to evaluate and adjust strategies as needed
• Responsible for accurate gift recording and optimizing the donor database
Development (90%)
Strategic Fundraising Leadership
• Design and implement a multi-channel annual fundraising strategy aligned with SJI's mission and financial goals
• Partner with the President to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward major donors and corporate partners
• Set, track, and analyze key performance indicators for all fundraising initatives and adjust strategies
Major Gifts & Donor Stewardship
• Develop and manage a robust major gifts portfolio with clearly defined stages and engagement strategies
• Coordinate donor visits and stewardship activities for President, including thank-you communications, updates,
and an annual impact report
• Ensure timely pledge tracking, gift agreements, and donor recognition practices
Annual Campaigns & Events
• Lead annual fund campaigns during the year and conduct a year-end appeal, including concept development,
content creation, audience segmentation, and post-campaign evaluation
• Plan and execute donor-focused visits/events in collaboration with the National Events Manager
• Support cross-departmental coordination to ensure messaging and goals are consistent
Operations & Administration
• Manage the development budget in partnership with the Business Office
• Maintain donor database accuracy (Kindful, KEAP), generate development reports, and oversee gift processing
and tax receipt issuance in conjunction on with the Business Office
• Ensure compliance with fundraising best practices and ethical standards
Other Duties as Assigned (10%)
• Actively participate in team meetings, annual meeting, events
• Some evening meetings and/or weekend work may be required
• Represent the organization at events, conferences, and public engagements as needed
• Ad hoc projects, reports, grant seeking
Qualifications
Required
• Bachelor's degree in nonprofit management, business, communications, or related field
• 5+ years of senior-level experience in fundraising, development, or advancement, preferably in a faith-based
nonprofit
• Demonstrated success securing major gi s and managing donor portfolios
• Proficiency with fundraising CRM so ware and reporting tools
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal skills
• Strong strategic thinking, organizational, and project management abilities
• Committed to living in accordance with the teachings of the Catholic Church
Preferred
• Experience with Kindful, KEAP, and Microsoft Office Suite
• Familiarity with Catholic apostolates or similar ministries
• Experience in grant writing and management
• Willingness to travel occasionally
Key Attributes
• Entrepreneurial mindset and proactive leadership style
• Collaborative and team-oriented with a high degree of professionalism
• High attention to detail, integrity, and discretion in donor relations
• Adaptable, teachable, and mission-driven

About the Employer

The Saint John Institute (SJI) is a non-profit 501c(3) organization with a vision to be the premier center for Catholic leadership formation for business professionals and families in the United States. Our mission is to inspire, equip, and engage Christians to lead their family, business, and culture with innovative formation programs through our 4
ministries: Eagle Eye Ministries (EEM), the Saint John Leadership Institute (SJLI), and Saint John Leadership Network
(SJLN), and Dare Great ThingsTM (DGT).
Our core values: Vision. Daring. Grit.