Scholarship Gift Officer

Position Summary:

The Scholarship Gift Officer is a front-line, revenue-generating fundraiser and a key member of St. James’ fast-paced, eight-person Advancement Team, which collectively raises more than $6M annually. This role focuses on individual donor relationship management, with a primary emphasis on Pennsylvania’s scholarship tax credit program.

Key responsibilities include:

• Leading the organization’s Pennsylvania tax credit fundraising efforts, which funds more than 30% of St. James’ annual budget, using a wide array of individual giving strategies.
• Developing key donor relationships and maintaining a robust portfolio of 100 – 150 tax credit donors and prospects.
• Partnering closely with both internal and external collaborators and identifying resources to meet St. James’ ambitious tax credit program fundraising goals.
• Collaborating closely with the Advancement Team to bring our donors and prospects closer to the St. James mission.

The ideal candidate:

• People person who excels at building and advancing relationships with a diversity of individuals inspired by St. James’ mission
• Talented communicator and persuasive storyteller who connects mission impact with actionable steps that enables donors and prospects to make a meaningful contribution
• Positive-minded individual who is motivated by challenges and practices persistence and patience
• Ambitious person who sets and achieves bold goals
• Detail-oriented person who anticipates the next step and loves using data to guide their decisions
• Adaptable mindset who sets an assertive pace and pivots in the face of shifting priorities
• Passionate dedication to the St. James mission

Qualifications:

• Relevant professional experience, ideally with a focus on individual giving
• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent experience
• Strong computer skills including proficiency with data
• Proficient in Raiser’s Edge or equivalent CRM database
• Advanced in Microsoft Office Suite
• We strongly encourage all candidates of diverse backgrounds and lived experiences to apply
• Regular work outside of normal business hours is required (flex time provided)

Key Responsibilities:

Portfolio Management

• Manages a portfolio of 100 - 150 donors and prospects who are eligible to participate in Pennsylvania’s scholarship tax credit programs (EITC/OSTC)
• Builds authentic relationships with current donors, deepening their connection to the St. James mission to meet our ambitious annual retention and upgrade goals
• Fosters a community of current tax credit donors who serve as St. James Champions to their personal and professional networks
• Meets and tracks donor and prospect engagement goals annually

Prospect Identification and Analysis

• Collaborates with the Advancement Team to identify, qualify, cultivate and solicit new tax credit prospects from within St. James’ existing universe of donors
• Engages St. James stakeholders (staff, volunteers, Board, and donors) to identify new prospects and opportunities
• Creates meaningful opportunities for prospects to learn more about the St. James mission, including engaging friendraising event opportunities, and develops the clear, concise and compelling marketing materials to support this work
• Solicits tax credit gifts to meet our ambitious annual growth goals
• Uses data strategically to guide decisions

Support Advancement Priorities

• Collaborates with other members of the Advancement team to identify, qualify and cultivate prospects for other areas of giving, such as the annual fund, annual Dr. Audrey Evans Benefit, planned giving, or volunteering.
• Seeks out training and resources to become an expert on Pennsylvania’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit programs
• Supports the Associate Director, Advancement Operations, as needed, on tax credit compliance
• Other duties as assigned

Participate in St. James Common Life

• Serves as an active member of the school community, including regularly attending lunch, worship and other school/community events.

What is the PA Tax Credit Program?

This is a unique, popular philanthropy vehicle available in Pennsylvania through the Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program (EITC) and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit Program (OSTC). Eligible donors who sign up for the program receive a 90% state tax credit while being able to provide impactful scholarship contributions to schools like St. James School. Learn more at stjamesphila.org/tax-credit.

Note: Previous experience with this program not required.

Physical Requirements and Work Environment:

• Regularly works in standard office conditions and climate
• Regularly uses close and distance vision, including working at a computer screen for extended periods of time
• Frequently required to move around the office; works at a desk for extended periods of time; occasionally moves around campus
• Ability to occasionally move items weighing up to 30 lbs. across the office or campus
• Ability to regularly work flexible hours to support the team members with emergent and urgent items and to meet deadlines; position will require some non-traditional work hours, including evenings and weekends.

Employee Benefits:

At St. James, our benefits package demonstrates our commitment to support every faculty/staff member’s mind, body, and soul. We provide:

• Medical and dental insurance (95% premium covered by St. James)
• Defined contribution plan for retirement (St. James contributes from 5% up to 9%)
• A total of 40+ paid days off annually
• Fertility & family-forming benefits through Maven
• Life insurance through Church Life Insurance Corporation
• Eligible for 0% hardship loans (after one year of service)
• Professional development and continuing education funds
• Wellness Benefit covers expenses for gym membership (Kroc Center, Philadelphia or Planet Fitness)
• Spiritual and religious resources (e.g. spiritual direction, theological study)
• Free lunch available daily

Equal Opportunity Employer:

St. James is an equal opportunity employer and makes employment decisions on the basis of merit. St. James seeks to have the best available person in every job. St. James School policy prohibits discrimination based on race, color, creed, sex, marital status, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, medical condition, ancestry, religion, sexual orientation, or any other consideration made unlawful by federal, state, or local law, ordinance, or regulation. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including hiring, training, promotion, discipline, compensation, benefits, and termination of employment. All unlawful discrimination is expressly prohibited.

Commitment to Anti-Racism Education:

So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. (2 Corinthians 5:17-18)

St. James School is committed to partnering with others to dismantle systemic racism and to build antiracist, multicultural diversity within our school community and beyond. Through teaching a more complete and unbiased history, St. James School will arm students, graduates and employees with the tools and knowledge to better engage in complex issues like systemic racism and privilege and to hopefully solve them rather than contribute to them.