Director of Development at Mount Madonna School

About the Employer

Mount Madonna School is a small, independent, nonprofit school offering preschool through 12th grade, located on a beautiful redwood summit between Gilroy and Watsonville, California. We educate our students on a 355-acre campus with sweeping views of the Monterey Bay. We are accredited by CAIS and WASC and have been providing an excellent education for more than 40 years. We are a community of learners dedicated to creative, intellectual and ethical growth. We support our students to become caring, self-aware, discerning and articulate individuals. We believe a fulfilling life includes personal accomplishments, meaningful relationships and service to society. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, gender identity, or gender expression.

Job Summary

Job Summary

Mount Madonna School is creating a dedicated Director of Development position as part of a broader investment in the school's long-term advancement capacity. Fundraising currently sits inside a single consolidated role alongside enrollment and marketing – a structure that has limited the school's capacity for the sustained, relationship-based major gift work that MMS's leadership has identified as its highest-leverage fundraising strategy. This newly defined position gives that work a dedicated, senior-level owner for the first time. The Director of Development will build and lead a comprehensive philanthropic program: major gifts, annual giving, institutional giving, and donor stewardship, in service of MMS's strategic priorities, including enrollment growth, program investment, and reduced reliance on ad hoc, one-time sources of support. This role will work in close partnership with the Director of Community (enrollment and marketing) and report directly to the Head of School, ensuring fundraising strategy is fully integrated with the school's broader advancement and community-building efforts. This is an exceptional opportunity for a development professional who wants to build something durable: a philanthropic program with real infrastructure, an engaged and better-utilized board, a reactivated alumni community, and a growing base of donors giving at meaningful levels, inside a mission-driven, close-knit school community with nearly 50 years of history. Primary Responsibilities Strategic Leadership & Planning Develop and lead MMS's comprehensive fundraising strategy in alignment with the school's strategic plan and financial goals. Create an annual development plan with clear revenue targets, tactics, and timelines. Partner with the Head of School, Director of Community, and Board to identify funding priorities and shape the school's case for support. Establish metrics, tracking systems, and regular reporting to measure fundraising progress. Major Gifts

Requirements / Qualifications

Requirements / Qualifications