Director of Scholarship Giving

St. James School is hiring for an exciting new role for our Advancement team. We have engaged DovetailED to lead a search for a Director of Scholarship Giving to start immediately. Interested candidates should review the Opportunity Statement and submit a cover letter, resume, and list of references as a consolidated PDF to Lynda Hamilton-Kirk at lynda@dovetailedsourcing.com and Jen Powers at jen@dovetailedsourcing.com. Learn more about the role here!

About St. James

St. James is a faith-based educational community deeply rooted in transformative loving relationships.

Located in the Allegheny West neighborhood of Philadelphia:

• • The School serves students and families who are most in need, providing a full scholarship to every student. Students benefit from small class sizes, an extended day, robust music programs, extensive social-emotional support, and an 11-month school year (Sept - July)
  • The Graduate Support Program is a lifelong commitment to every child. It prepares students for future success and supports them along the way – through high school, college, careers, and beyond.
  • The Welcome Table designs community actions and creates spaces for members of the school and broader community to address essential needs and experience a community of sharing.
  • The Church of St. James the Less seeks to be a place to encounter God, build community and grow personally with weekly mass and worship services.

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 (92% 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

The Director of Scholarship Giving is a front-line fundraiser who is responsible for generating annual scholarship support from individuals and corporations utilizing Pennsylvania’s scholarship tax credit program. This role will lead efforts to secure more than $2M annually in scholarship support while developing a growth strategy to meet our growing school community’s needs. The Director is a key collaborator in St. James’ fast-paced, eight-person Advancement Team which collectively raises more than $6M annually while preparing to launch an eight-figure capital campaign to support our ambitious growth projected over the next several years.

Key responsibilities include:

• • Leading the organization’s Pennsylvania tax credit fundraising efforts (EITC/OSTC), 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.
  • Building a growth strategy while partnering closely with both internal and external collaborators 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 & Qualifications:

• • Relevant professional experience, ideally with a focus on soliciting mid- to major-level gifts from individuals.
  • Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent experience
  • Strong computer skills and proficiency in Raiser’s Edge or equivalent CRM database, as well as the Microsoft Office Suite
  • People person and talented communicator who excels at building and advancing relationships with a diversity of individuals inspired by St. James’ mission
  • Detail-oriented person who anticipates the next step and loves using data to guide strategy
  • Passionate dedication to the St. James mission

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

• • Leads the strategy for strong retention and growth to secure $2.2M annually within the existing tax credit fundraising program of nearly 150 participants
  • Manages a portfolio of donors who currently participate in Pennsylvania’s scholarship tax credit programs (EITC/OSTC)
  • Builds authentic relationships with current donors, deepening their connection to the St. James mission and building a community of St. James Champions to their personal and professional networks
  • Meets and tracks donor and prospect engagement goals annually

Prospect Identification and Analysis

• • Drives an ambitious and collaborative acquisition strategy to build substantial growth in preparation for a school expansion within the next five years
  • 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) to identify new prospects and opportunities
  • Creates meaningful opportunities for prospects to learn more about the St. James mission, including engaging friendraising event opportunities
  • 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.
  • 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.

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