Advancement and Creative Coordinator

Job Description

St. Joseph Academy Location: San Marcos, California
Reports to: School President
Type: Full-Time

About St. Joseph Academy
Founded in 1995, Saint Joseph Academy is an independent, TK-12 Catholic school in San Marcos, California, unwaveringly faithful to the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. Rooted in a classical education model, SJA favors a time-honored curriculum that cultivates wisdom, virtue, and academic excellence through the study of the liberal arts, sciences, and the Catholic intellectual tradition. Our mission is to form vibrant young men and women who, committed to living by Catholic principles, answer God's call to transform human culture for the Kingdom of God. With a student body of under 400 students (including 95 in high school), SJA fosters a close-knit community where faith and reason flourish. We rely on the spiritual and philanthropic generosity of our benefactors, whose intentions are remembered daily in our students' prayers.

Position Overview
The Advancement & Creative Coordinator will play a vital role in advancing the school's mission through fundraising, donor relationships, enrollment support, and high-impact creative communications. This position blends strategic advancement work with hands-on artistic execution - designing graphics, drafting compelling communications, and creating promotional materials that bring the school's story to life, especially for the annual St. Joseph Academy Gala, Fall Raffle, and other key events.
The ideal candidate is a self-starter with an entrepreneurial spirit, strong relational skills, and a creative eye who is excited to serve the mission through both bold action and beautiful design.

Key Responsibilities
• Creative Communications & Design: Create graphics, promotional materials, social media content, invitations, and digital/print collateral for the annual Gala, fundraising campaigns, enrollment efforts, and other school events.
• Communications Drafting: Write and design compelling donor appeals, thank-you notes, event recaps, newsletters, and promotional copy that inspire generosity and community engagement.
• Fundraising & Philanthropy: Support the development and execution of advancement strategies, with particular focus on the annual Gala and donor cultivation initiatives.
• Donor Stewardship & Database Management: Maintain accurate donor records, track relationships, and help deliver personalized stewardship and recognition.
• Gala Leadership: Play a central role in planning and promoting the annual St. Joseph Academy Gala - from creative concepting and marketing to execution and follow-up.
• Business Partnerships & Community Engagement: Help build and steward relationships with local businesses, foundations, and community partners.
• Grant Writing: Assist with grant research and proposal writing as needed.
Qualifications and Characteristics
• Creative & Technical Skills: Strong proficiency in graphic design (Canva, Adobe Suite, or similar) and comfort creating visual content for print and digital platforms. Experience with short-form video or film editing is a significant plus.
• Self-Starter with Entrepreneurial Mindset: Thrives in a fast-paced, lean environment with a bias for action and comfort with ambiguity.
• Relational & People-Oriented: Loves building authentic relationships with donors, parents, business leaders, and the broader Catholic community.
• Mission-Driven Communicator: Exceptional written and verbal skills with the ability to craft compelling, heartfelt messages that advance the school's Catholic and classical mission.
• Sales & Service Orientation: Motivated by ambitious goals and sees fundraising as a way to serve the formation of saints and scholars.
• Education & Experience: Bachelor's degree preferred. Experience in fundraising, development, event planning, marketing, graphic design, or communications is highly valued. Deep familiarity with and commitment to Catholic education is a strong plus.
Preferred (but not required): Experience in nonprofit advancement or Catholic school environments.

Why Join St. Joseph Academy?
You'll join a tight-knit, mission-driven team that is boldly building something excellent for the Kingdom. If you're an idealistic, creative, action-oriented professional who wants to use both your relational gifts and artistic talents to advance a classical Catholic school, this is a rare opportunity to make a lasting impact.

About the Employer

St. Joseph Academy was established in response to the Second Vatican Council's call for greater lay witness in contemporary society. Teaching in accordance with the Magisterium of the Church, our mission is to form young men and women who, committed to live by Catholic principles, will transform and advance human culture. We aim to accomplish this by offering a traditional learning environment that blends faith and reason in educating the whole child.

Man was created by God in His image and likeness and therefore is destined for Him who is infinite perfection. In the spirit of the Divine Master, amidst a world of material possession, the mission of St. Joseph Academy is to prepare the child for what he must be and for what he must do here on earth, in order to gain the sublime end for whi