Development Director

Background & Overview

Whatcom Hills Waldorf School (WHWS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit private school founded in Bellingham in 1986. We offer AWSNA-accredited Waldorf education to children from thirty months through eighth grade on our historic, wooded campus in Bellingham’s Geneva neighborhood. Now celebrating our fortieth year, we are excited to build the foundation for the next forty and beyond.

Like many private schools, Whatcom Hills Waldorf School relies on fundraising to provide tuition assistance, cover a portion of our operating expenses, and contribute to capital expenses. Our Development Director plays a key role in the financial health of the school by fostering a culture of philanthropy and building the relationships that sustain WHWS over the long term.

At present, this role is focused on two connected priorities: cultivating annual and major donors and deepening ties with alumni and their families, supported by clear, consistent storytelling about the school's mission and impact. Through strong personal relationships with key supporters, meaningful alumni engagement, and content that reflects the school's mission, this role creates the foundation for sustained philanthropic support — engaging all stakeholders in an affirmative, inclusive community aligned with Waldorf values of inspiration, abundance, respect, generosity, integrity, and gratitude.

WHWS, like many Waldorf schools, operates with a shared governance model. The Development Director shares school leadership and works day-to-day alongside the Administrative Director and Pedagogical Director. The Development Director reports to and is evaluated by the WHWS Board of Trustees, and serves as a non-voting ex-officio member of the Board and Co-chair of the Board's Advancement Committee. The Development Director also attends all meetings of the Collegium – the school’s faculty leadership group – and Parent Council meetings and serves on the Collegium's Community Committee.

WHWS is a continually learning, evolving organization, and our Development Director role is still relatively new; we expect that the details and scope will continue to evolve in collaboration between the Development Director and the Board. In the short term, this is an opportunity for the right candidate to build (or continue to build on) the systems and processes to sustain and grow a healthy fundraising practice for the school. In the longer term, the role could evolve to include broader responsibility, particularly in advancement-related activities — e.g., enrollment and retention, marketing, communications, and community relations.

Success in this role will be measured by:

• Annual Fund contributions totaling approximately 4-5% of annual operating budget, with an additional 3-4% coming from events and other fundraising
• Year-over-year increases in total fundraising, participation rates, major and minor gifts, and planned giving
• Expansion and engagement of donor and alumni networks
• Creation and execution of capital campaigns on an as needed basis
• Active and visible participation in the WHWS community, school culture, and governance

Responsibilities

The following are the current responsibilities of the Development Director position. As noted, this is an evolving role and specific responsibilities may change in order to better serve the needs of financial health and a thriving school.

Strategic Leadership and Committee Participation

• Co-chair the Advancement Committee (typically meets monthly), setting direction for advancement goals and strategies, including annual Fund Development Plan and a multi-year plan to grow giving (both participation and dollars raised)
• Serve on the Collegium's Community Committee and participate in Collegium and administrative meetings; attend all Board and Executive Committee meetings as an ex-officio member
• Provide monthly fund development reports to the Board of Trustees
• Partner with the Administrative Director and Pedagogical Director as one of three school directors sharing day-to-day school leadership

Annual Giving

• Develop and execute the fall/winter Annual Giving Campaign, owning timing and strategy directly: determine theme, craft and distribute appeal materials, manage the online giving platform, direct a Giving Tuesday initiative, and prepare and send donor appreciation materials

Major Giving

• Identify, cultivate, and steward major donors, working with the Board and Advancement Committee; expand the major donor pipeline through prospect research and outreach
• Build and maintain relationships with alumni, alumni parents, grandparents, and community members, leveraging the administrative team and Board for key relationships
• Oversee the full gift cycle and donor database, ensuring gifts are tracked and acknowledged promptly; develop donor packets and other materials for major giving

Events

• Coordinate annual Grand Friends Day and other outreach and alumni events as part of the Fund Development Plan
• Support the annual gala/auction as a major giving touchpoint — securing sponsors, promoting ticket sales, and contributing to program and speaker selection

Alumni Outreach & Stewardship

• Build and sustain lifelong relationships between WHWS and its alumni and their families, positioning alumni as ambassadors, donors, and a living record of the school's impact
• Develop an alumni outreach program with regular touchpoints (newsletters, reunions, panels, profiles, campus visits, etc)
• Identify, interview, and cultivate alumni as prospects for major and annual giving
• Collect and artfully share alumni stories that illustrate the long-term impact of a Waldorf education
• Maintain a database of accurate alumni records

Communications and Coordination

• Maintain and expand our existing alumni and donor databases. At present we use Constant Contact for outbound communication. We do not currently have a formal CRM (we use FACTS for enrollment and applicant tracking), but we would like to implement one
• Manage creation and disbursement of the Annual Report each September
• Generate content for the newsletter, website, and social media — including fundraising updates and campaigns, alumni features, and educational/enrollment-focused content
• Report fundraising progress to the community — goals and progress — through written communications and personal outreach to top donors
• Craft written materials and graphics that meaningfully convey the philosophy of Waldorf education to external audiences
• Help establish a consistent vocabulary of philanthropy across school communications
• Serve as liaison to the Parent Council to build enthusiasm for giving and volunteering

Building a Culture of Philanthropy within WHWS

• Model and nurture inspired, generous investment in the school
• Bring an advancement perspective to school stakeholder groups and events
• Educate and guide the community around philanthropy and gratitude
• Recruit staff, teachers, parents, and leaders to a posture of generosity and gratitude

Additional Expectations

• Actively participate and be visible in the WHWS community as part of the school leadership team
• Engage in cross training and office coverage as appropriate
• Continue to pursue professional development as relevant to the position
• Identify and pursue applicable grant opportunities

Qualities & Experience

Required

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience in business administration, communications, non-profit studies, education, social sciences, or a related/relevant field
• 5+ years of progressive fundraising/development experience (non-profit or educational setting preferred), with a successful track record of cultivating and managing donor networks; generating minor gifts, major gifts ($2,000 and above), and planned giving; and leading capital campaigns
• Deep understanding of Waldorf education, or demonstrated capacity to develop a deep understanding. For clarity, we are interested in candidates who can authentically convey the value of Waldorf curriculum, community, and philosophy, not just recite keywords
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, particularly in solicitations and appeals
• Exceptional interpersonal skills across a wide range of constituencies — Board, parents, community, and institutional/individual donors
• Strong organizational, time-management, and computer skills; ability to multitask, take initiative, delegate through boards/committees and to volunteers, and work both independently and collaboratively
• Familiarity with relevant technology and systems: G Suite, communication platforms, CRM implementation and use
• Ability to manage sensitive or difficult situations and conversations with confidentiality

Preferred

• Existing or developing relationships within the greater Bellingham community
• Familiarity with other educational approaches and local public/private schools
• Experience training, facilitating, and supporting volunteers
• Experience with social media marketing/communications, basic visual design, and basic website management (we currently use Squarespace for web hosting and management)

Compensation

This is a full-time, year-round, in-person position with full benefits. Flexible work hours are required, as there are meetings and events in the evenings and occasionally on weekends. Salary is between $76,900 and $89,000, commensurate with experience, following the salary structure for WHWS Directors.

Health insurance

401(k) with up to 3% match

Tuition remission

Paid vacation & accrued personal leave