Cushing Academy
Senior Major Gifts Officer/Director of Major Gifts
Ashburnham, MA
September 2010
Cushing Academy , located in Ashburnham , MA , seeks a Senior Major Gifts Officer. This new position will develop and manage a portfolio of top major gift and leadership annual fund prospects and who manage all volunteer and staff members with leadership prospect assignments. The Senior Major Gifts Officer will report directly to a newly hired Chief Development Officer.
About Cushing Academy
Founded in 1865, Cushing Academy , a private, coeducational, residential secondary school, has an enrollment of 445 boys and girls from 28 states and 28 countries. The school offers a classic setting, warm community, excellent academic, athletic and visual arts programs, and a supportive environment for students with differing learning styles. The academy's well-rounded approach creates an enriched academic environment that encourages students (grades 9-12 and post graduate) to thrive and discover their personal strengths. With a faculty-to-student ratio of 8:1, over 65% of the school's faculty holds advanced degrees including 8 with doctorate degrees.
To prepare students to meet the opportunities and challenges of this century, Cushing Academy created the Cushing Institute for 21st Century Leadership in 2007. Working closely with all academic departments, student life, and athletics, the Institute drives every aspect of Cushing's curriculum. T he Institute's unique collaborations and partnerships include a scholar in residence from Oxford University , student summer internship opportunities at Singularity University based on the NASA Campus in Silicon Valley , and an invited speakers series of distinguished international scholars. In keeping with its mission to prepare students to be leaders in our technology-driven world, the school transitioned the library to a digital format, replacing the majority of the school's books with electronic sources.
With an exceptional faculty and dedicated facilities in the visual and performing arts, Cushing offers a full range of opportunities for students to explore their artistic interests. The Emily Fisher Landau Center for Visual Arts offers superb programs, facilities, and equipment in architectural design, glass work, painting and drawing, pottery and sculpture, photography, silversmithing, jewelry fabrication, drama, dance, and music. The state-of-the-art practice and rehearsal spaces of the Joseph R. Curry Academic Center offer an elegant dance studio, individual practice rooms, a theater studio, and a multi-track recording studio and multimedia lab for students studying digital video, digital audio, and other production aspects of the performing arts.
Cushing has a long tradition of athletic success including more alumni NHL players than any other independent school in the country. O ffering superb facilities, including a state-of-the-art hockey rink, and coaching at every level, students can play ice hockey, football, soccer, lacrosse, tennis, and more at the recreational, intramural, or the competitive team level with other New England schools. Students learn to sharpen their focus, build confidence, and transcend limits as well as leadership and collaboration skills.
The Opportunity
Cushing Academy achieved notable recent accomplishments and is poised to increase its annual fund. In May, 2010, it held its most successful reunion in the school's history and has an active alumni donor base of 5,500. This past academic year the participation rate for the faculty and staff campaign increased from 53% to 90%. To keep this momentum, Headmaster James Tracy has pledged to take on an increasingly active fundraising role.
The Senior Major Gifts Officer will manage a vibrant portfolio of major gift and leadership annual fund prospects, and will manage all volunteer and staff members with leadership prospects and assignments. She/he will manage a Top Prospect Matrix and the moves of Cushing's Top 100 prospects, and will also focus on annual fund prospects of $10,000 or more. Under the direction of the Chief Development Officer, the Senior Major Gifts Officer will develop and implement fundraising strategies for top prospects and will build a network of high level volunteers to open doors and assist with moves management.
Responsibilities
• Identifies, cultivates, and solicits major donor prospects around the globe.
• Manages a Top Prospect Matrix and the moves for the top 100 Cushing Prospects
• Created and manages a portfolio of approximately 100 major gift prospects
• Manages other staffers with top prospect assignments
• Regional and National travel to meet with major gift and leadership annual fund prospects
• Represents the Development Office at Cushing Events and alumni functions
• Writes proposals as they relate to assigned prospects
• Performs other duties as assigned by the Chief Development Officer
Qualifications
Fundraising
Five plus years experience in face-to-face solicitation of meaningful gifts and familiarity with the process of major gift cultivation
Demonstrated and documented closing of gifts of five figures or more
Ability to work well with high level volunteers
Ability to synthesize and articulate the priorities of the school and match them with the values and interests of individual prospects
Experience with Raiser's Edge/Lexis Nexis and other fundraising and research software.
Appreciation for and ability to articulate Cushing's mission
Organizational Skills
Ability to take initiative, work independently, and manage multiple projects and trips
Strong organizational, interpersonal, and entrepreneurial skills
Strong communication skills with the ability to be an articulate spokesperson for Cushing
Willingness to travel
While experience working in a private secondary school is helpful, it is not required.
