Director of Development

Richmond Waldorf School is seeking a Director of Development.

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.

About Richmond Waldorf School

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 200 students from Pre‑K through 8th grade.

Our specialty program includes Movement Arts, French, Mandarin, Biking, Handwork, Music and Strings, Woodwork, Visual Arts, and Latin. Richmond Waldorf School is fully accredited by SAIS (Southern Association of Independent Schools), a member of WECAN (Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America), and is a Candidate School of AWSNA (Association of Waldorf Schools 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.

• Strategically plans and executes a Fundraising plan for the fiscal year alongside the Development Committee. This includes but is not limited to: the Annual Fund, fundraising events, Holiday Faire & vendors, May Faire, Gala, Silent Auction, event sponsor ships, and donor stewardship.
• Manages the creation and disbursement of the Annual Report, September of each year.
• Create and distribute both mailed and emailed fundraising campaign outreach.
• Gather and track progress towards fundraising goals.
• Advertise fundraising progress to the school community – including goals and progress towards those goals. This includes writing communications, posting on social media, personal communication with top donors, etc.
• Track amount raised, % participation and class rewards earned – and provide updates periodically to the school community.
• Send thank you notes to donors.
• Prepare and share tax deduction receipts with 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.

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

• Coordinates and executes on community wide communications strategy for the fiscal year. This includes: weekly Messenger communication, gathering clear and concise information from all realms of the school to share with parents, social media (Facebook, Instagram), external communication for events, campaigns, etc., the Annual Report, and assisting in any one off communications throughout the year relevant to the school’s development efforts, keeping them in line with weekly information shared.
• Creates content for all social media accounts for the school, posting periodically, as it pertains to fundraising and other development associated content.

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

• Co‑coordinates with the Development Committee and Parents Association the project management of school events to be sure communication…