Vice President Of Advancement

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Vice President of Advancement Location: Oaks Christian School Job Code: 795 # of openings: 1

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Description

Oaks Christian School

Vice President of Advancement

Full-Time, Exempt, Category 2 (12-month position)

Salary Range $160,000-$220,000

 

Reports to: TBD

Oaks Christian School (OCS) is a nonprofit, private, co-educational, college preparatory high school and serving a study body of nearly 1,700 students in grades 4-12 on 25 acres, at the foothills of the Santa Monica mountains, and minutes from the Pacific Ocean. OCS students are encouraged to develop their potential in academics, arts and athletics in the context of a Christian education and a Biblical worldview. The formation of spiritual leadership, empathy, and a global perspective are fostered through numerous mission and education trips, student leadership councils and many community service opportunities.

OCS seeks a highly talented and experienced senior leader to serve as its Vice President of Advancement. The position is responsible for leading the development function for the school, including establishing and implementing OCS's overall fundraising strategy and ensuring the achievement of annual goals and objectives, preparing the overall development plan, designing, implementing and managing fundraising initiatives and major gifts programs, and ensuring the development of an effective annual fund, parent volunteer and alumni relations program. The Vice President of Advancement is a key member of the senior leadership team. This position is an incredible opportunity for a distinguished and proven professional to advance the strategic priorities of a well-respected and highly visible school that is on the rise.

The following pages provide information about the Vice President of Advancement position, as well as Oaks Christian's history, mission, key programs, and future plans. Oaks Christian School is pleased to discuss this exciting opportunity with highly qualified professionals who seek career advancement and the opportunity to play a pivotal role in helping a highly regarded independent school engage its stakeholders and enhance its reputation.

Vice President of Advancement

In collaboration with the Head of School, Board, and members of the senior leadership team, The Vice President of Advancement will develop a comprehensive development strategy for OCS. He/she will provide leadership and work closely with the senior leadership team to develop and implement this plan in coordination with the activities of the Board of Directors and other key stakeholders. The Vice President of Advancement will lead the school's programs in major gifts, corporate and foundation relations, alumni relations and planned giving; and ensure the proper stewardship of prospects and donors. The Vice President of Advancement will oversee a team of 5-7 development professionals.

Specifically, the Vice President of Advancement will:

• Elevate and build upon OCS's development function, ensuring the alignment of the fundraising (major gifts, foundations and corporate) and alumni relations to meet OCS's advancement goals.
• Ensure the delivery of budgeted expectations for cash donations; pledges; and other forms of financial commitment as developed with the Board, the Head of School, and the school's Chief Financial Officer.
• Develop and implement an annual operating plan for major and planned giving; create and propose strategies for the solicitation of major and planned gifts including identification and qualification of prospects, recommendations for gift levels and purposes/designations, cultivation initiatives, execution of solicitations and donor stewardship.
• Manage the development office, including fiscal responsibility; and evaluate current staff, implementing metrics to develop and maintain a strong team environment and a goal-oriented approach to all development activities;
• Represent development in all of its facets to all stakeholders (donors, parents, alumni, faculty, departments, students, university administration etc.) and ensure the involvement of stakeholders in supporting OCS and contributing to the success of the fundraising function.
• Promote OCS's values, programs and contributions to the community and profession; foster strong relationships through initiatives that encourage high-level commitment and financial support from alumni, faculty, staff, friends, foundations, corporations, and organizations.
• Enhance the image and visibility of the school at the local, national and international levels by working closely with the Director of Communications and Marketing as needed to create a communications strategy for alumni relations and development.
• Develop and implement development procedures, ensuring consistency with OCS' policies and practices.
• Oversee the management of major gift donors/prospects by ensuring the development of tailored cultivation and stewardship programs that are designed to enhance their interest and involvement; cultivate and solicit major gift level donors ($100,000+) within a personal portfolio of 50-100 prospects.
• Work closely with the Head of School and leadership team to identify opportunities for pursuing philanthropic support across the organization and in collaboration with other student and programmatic fundraising initiatives;
• Establish the infrastructure to integrate OCS's academic, athletic and arts departments into the overall development strategy and annual plan, and work with Chairs and Directors and their faculty members to advance prospects and steward donors;
• Provide guidance and recommendations to the Head of School regarding donor meetings and strategic outreach;
• Work closely with the Director of Alumni Relations to ensure the development and implementation of OCS's alumni relations activities, ensuring consistency with overall strategic goals and objectives. 

Candidate Qualifications

The Vice President of Advancement will have a minimum of an applicable bachelor's degree, with a graduate degree strongly preferred. A minimum of 10 years of experience in senior positions with proven fundraising and major gift experience within the non-profit Advancement field is required, as are leadership skills with the ability to manage and motivate a group of professional employees.  Familiarity with Southern California, the educational field, and the school's clientele community is a plus.

The ideal candidate will have proactive leadership and effective team building skills and outstanding communication (oral and written), presentation, and interpersonal skills.  He/she will also be detail oriented with strong organizational and analytic skills and the ability to demonstrate initiative, tact, diplomacy, and creativity.

History and Mission

As a college preparatory school that aims to educate students in the context of a Christian education, OCS's motto is "Preparing Minds for Leadership and Hearts for Service."  The school's mission is "To dedicate ourselves to Christ in the pursuit of academic excellence, artistic expression, and athletic distinction, while growing in knowledge and wisdom through God's abundant grace."

Founded by David Price and Dallas Price-Van Breda, Oaks Christion School opened its doors to 198 students in 2000, on an 18 acre property in Westlake Village.  By the 2002-2003 school year, when OCS graduated its first 8 th  and 12 th  grade classes, enrollment had grown to 646 students.  In 2009, after securing an additional 7 acres adjacent to the original property, OCS added a new, distinct, middle school campus to accommodate the growing number of students in these grades.  In 2007, a dual-purpose performing arts center/athletic venue was added, and in 2011 an online school was established.  Today, the school has a student body of nearly 1,700 students encompassing grades 4-12. 

Academics

The Oaks Christian School curriculum was created from the best programs across the nation, from experts and others with vast experience. From grades four through twelve, students obtain thorough instruction in a core liberal arts curriculum with an emphasis on critical thinking, formulation and defense of ideas, and effective writing and speaking. Small class sizes permit personal attention and interaction between teachers and students to enhance the academic journey.  Classes are required in English, History and Social Sciences, Math, Modern and Classical Language, Natural Science, Bible, Academic Technology, and Health.

Athletics

OCS fields 98 athletic teams- 50 in High School and 48 in Middle School, accounting for more than 1,000 contests per year on campus. Many OCS athletes go on to play at the collegiate and professional level. The focus of the Oaks Christian Lions athletic program is to develop positive and confident young men and women who express exceptional character and high moral values on and off the field. OCS embraces the belief that the athlete's character, comes first; skills development is second; and winning is third.  This is the Oaks Christian Athletic Distinctive. 

Arts

The combination of expert teaching, student-centered learning, and superb facilities makes Oaks Christian School, an ideal place for students to experience the joy of artistic expression and to grow richly in their creative endeavors. OCS student-artists are given various opportunities to perform and showcase their work throughout the year. Be it through campus exhibits and performances, or community venues, Artistic Expression is evidenced in the numerous honors and accolades OCS students have received, including the Jerry Herman Awards for High School Musical Theatre, the Ventura County "Hang with the Best," art showcase, the Westlake Village Art Guild Student Exhibits, the Drama Teachers Association of Southern California, and the Annual Youth Arts Awards, to name a few.  Upon graduation, several OCS graduates have gone on to crafting careers in the arts, music and entertainment business, both on and off the stage.

Vision for the School

The vision for the school moving forward is to create "One Oaks Christian" by unifying grades 4-12. The goal is for the high school and middle school to interact more consistently, not just academically, but in athletics and the arts as well. The focus is to ensure the success of the student in all aspects of the school. To maximize student success, a shift in emphasis from a "horizontal to a vertical" plan is taking place in which students are encouraged to work at higher grade levels in subjects where they are capable of doing the work, rather than limiting their potential within their grade level.  More experiential learning in areas of a student's interest is also being encouraged in elective courses.

Recently the school has announced the planned opening of a TK-elementary school to compliment the current 4-12 campus.  As a missional school, OCS believes that sharing and modeling the teachings of Jesus Christ with students at the earliest point in their educational journey will provide the greatest ability for a student to embrace our Biblical Worldview.

Fundraising Priorities

1)  Capital Improvements

One of the key aspects of the campaign will be building a new purpose-built elementary school and supporting the re-design of the current high school and middle school campus configuration.

2)    Financial Aid

Oaks Christian intentionally leverages the tool of financial aid for students as a way to ensure the execution of its mission. More than 40% of all Oaks Christian Students receive some amount of financial assistance towards their annual tuition costs. Each year, OCS designates more than $14 million in needs-based, mission-focused financial aid.

3)    Endowment

  Build endowment in support of the school's perpetual legacy

Senior Leadership Team

A list of OCS Senior Leadership can be found at:

https://www.oakschristian.org/about/senior-leadership-team

Leadership Priorities for the First 12 Months

The first 12 months will be filled with opportunities and challenges for the appointed Vice President of Advancement. The key priorities for the first year are to: (1) learn about and embrace the OCS mission, programs, campus, community and culture, and build relationships with the Development Department, Alumni and Parent Relations leadership and peers, along with faculty and campus leaders; (2) create and implement a visionary and strategic plan to increase major and planned giving fundraising activity and grow the School's financial base of support according to the goals and metrics established; (3) develop productive relationships with team members and provide leadership and management for the department including the establishment of objectives, targets/metrics, and timelines; (4) build a personal portfolio of 50-100 prospects to cultivate and solicit for major and/or planned gifts, meeting an established annual goal; and (5) work to create a culture of philanthropy that enhances the financial sustainability and resourcing of the School for both the short- and long-term.

The Vice President of Advancement will enjoy the opportunity to build on the achievements of a highly regarded private school and help lead a valued organization with high visibility to the nex...