Director of Development

Job Title

Director of Development

1301 Robin Hood Rd
Richmond, VA, 23227

Richmond Waldorf School was founded in 1996 with a passion for providing children a holistic education that falls in alignment with their natural human development through hands‑on, nature‑rich, and play‑based experiences. We are dedicated to providing a learning environment that cultivates creative thinking, genuine inquiry, and a love of learning. RWS has grown from a single Kindergarten classroom to a campus that serves almost 200 students from Pre‑K through 8th grade.

Our specialty program includes Movement Arts, Mandarin, French, Biking, Music & Strings, Handwork, Woodwork, Visual Arts, and Latin. Richmond Waldorf School is a Candidate School of AWSNA (Association of Waldorf Schools of North America), SAIS (Southern Association of Independent Schools) and is a member of WECAN (Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America). We have a College, Board of Trustees, and Parents Association that help ensure support for the health of the school.

Our school is located on a beautiful, urban campus in the Northside of Richmond, Virginia in close proximity to Virginia Commonwealth University, University of Richmond, and only a few hours from the Blue Ridge Mountains, Washington, DC, and the coastal beaches of Virginia and North Carolina. Richmond is a rapidly growing city with amazing restaurants, a thriving art and music scene, and a plethora of outdoor parks and walking trails.

The James River winds its way through the heart of the city, offering four seasons of adventure and beauty.

Summary: The Director of Development executes on the school’s fundraising initiatives, grant applications and awards, and alum relations. In partnership with other administrative team members, coordinate communication plans and school events. This position will work closely with other members of the Development Committee. This position reports directly to the Executive Director.

Fundraising

• Strategically plan and execute a Fundraising plan for the fiscal year alongside the Development Committee, including but not limited to the Annual Fund, fundraising events, Holiday Faire & vendors, May Faire, Gala, Silent Auction, event sponsor ships, and donor stewardship.
• Manage the creation and disbursement of the Annual Report each September.
• Create and distribute both mailed and emailed fundraising campaign outreach.
• Gather and track progress toward fundraising goals.
• Advertise fundraising progress to the school community – including goals and progress toward those goals through written communications, social media, and personal communication with top donors.
• Track amount raised, participation percentage, and class rewards earned, and provide updates periodically to the school community.
• Send thank you notes to donors and prepare and share tax deduction receipts for all donors.
• Follow up on pledges not received throughout the spring.
• In the near future, work closely with the Executive Director on a capital campaign.

Grants

• Maintain reporting requirements for all awarded grants.
• Apply for grants that support the school’s long‑range plans.

Communication

• Coordinate and execute on a community‑wide communications strategy for the fiscal year, including weekly Messenger communication, gathering clear and concise information from all areas of the school to share with parents, social media (Facebook, Instagram), external event and campaign communication, the Annual Report, and assisting in any one‑off communications throughout the year relevant to the school’s development efforts.
• Create content for all social media accounts for the school, posting periodically about fundraising and related development content.

Alum Relations

• Build upon current alum relationship efforts.
• Coordinate new efforts in consultation with the High School Transition Coordinator and the Executive Director.

School Events

• Co‑coordinate with the Development Committee and Parents Association the project management of school events to ensure clear communication of expectations and meet community needs.
• Act as a liaison along with the…