Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School
Washington, D.C.

Director of Advancement

Position Summary

Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School seeks a values-aligned, results-driven, and innovative leader to serve as Director of Advancement. Reporting to the President, the Director will set the strategic direction and lead the daily execution of a comprehensive advancement program that advances Visitation’s mission and strengthens its culture of philanthropy. We are looking for a visionary, forward-thinking fundraising professional who can drive transformative growth in contributed revenue.

The Director is accountable for the strategic planning, management, and performance of fundraising priorities, including Visitation’s Capital Campaign (public launch in 2026), the annual fund, major and principal gifts, donor stewardship, alumnae engagement, direct response, and advancement operations (data and systems). The Director will manage and develop a high-performing advancement team (currently 5 full-time professionals, 2 part-time with broader functional oversight across advancement roles).

Key Responsibilities
Strategy & Leadership

Partner with the President and senior leadership to design and implement annual and multi-year advancement strategies aligned with institutional priorities.
Lead goal-setting, budgeting, forecasting, and performance reporting for advancement; establish clear metrics and accountability across the program.
Serve as a trusted strategic advisor to leadership on philanthropy, messaging, donor engagement, and campaign readiness.

Capital Campaign Leadership

Provide overall leadership for campaign planning and execution, including readiness, strategy, prospect pipeline development, solicitation planning, and volunteer engagement.
Create and manage campaign systems, timelines, and communication cadence to ensure strong coordination across internal and external stakeholders.

Major Gifts & Relationship Management

Manage a portfolio of high-capacity prospects and donors; lead the full life cycle of major gift fundraising from identification through cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
Develop and sustain meaningful relationships with parents, alumnae, past parents, grandparents, and friends of the school.
Build a robust moves-management approach that strengthens donor retention, upgrades, and long-term engagement.

Annual Giving, Engagement, and Communications

Oversee the Visitation Annual Fund strategy, including appeals, direct mail, digital giving, and other donor participation initiatives.
Collaborate with advancement communications and school partners to strengthen messaging that clearly articulates Visitation’s mission, priorities, and impact.
Ensure strong coordination among alumnae relations, events, and communications to deepen community connection and giving.

Events & Volunteer Leadership

Partner with events and volunteer leaders to design and execute key fundraising and community engagement events.
Recruit, develop, and support parent and alumnae volunteers; collaborate with trustees and school leaders to activate volunteer leadership for fundraising success.

Advancement Operations & Infrastructure

Ensure excellence in advancement operations, including donor database integrity, reporting, gift processing, and stewardship systems.
Direct prospect research efforts and build scalable processes that support strong donor pipelines and data-informed decision-making.

Team Management & Culture

Lead, mentor, and develop a collaborative advancement team with a culture rooted in integrity, excellence, accountability, and joy.
Clarify roles, set priorities, support professional growth, and foster cross-functional teamwork within advancement and across the school.

Qualifications

Demonstrated commitment to embracing and advancing the mission and values of Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School.
12-15 years of progressively responsible institutional fundraising experience, including leadership in major gifts and comprehensive development programs.
7-10 years of staff management experience with a track record of building and developing strong teams.
Proven success cultivating and soliciting major gifts and maintaining long-term donor relationships.
Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to create trust and partnership with parents, alumnae, volunteers, trustees, and community stakeholders.
Exceptional written and verbal communication and presentation skills; ability to articulate Visitation’s mission, vision, and priorities with clarity and inspiration.
Strategic, creative thinker with strong judgment and the ability to lead in a dynamic environment.
Reputation for integrity, discretion, and collaborative leadership.
Experience leading or playing a senior role in a capital campaign (planning through execution).
Experience with independent schools and/or faith-based educational environments.
Experience with CRM/database strategy, prospect research, and data-driven fundraising operations.

Core Competencies

Mission alignment and values-based leadership
Strategic planning and execution discipline
Major gift solicitation excellence
Team leadership and talent development
Relationship-building and influence
Clear, compelling communication
Project management and operational rigor
Collaborative partnership across departments

About Georgetown Visitation
Georgetown Visitation, founded in 1799, is a college preparatory school rooted in the Roman Catholic faith and Salesian tradition, committed to educating young women from diverse backgrounds. We are a faith-centered community dedicated to educational excellence enriched by co-curricular and service programs.

Our mission is to empower our students to meet the demands and challenges of today’s rapidly changing and morally complex world. We guide our students to become self-reliant, intellectually mature, and morally responsible women of faith, vision, and purpose.

Compensation

The salary range is $140,000 - $155,000, commensurate with experience. Benefits also include contributory group health, dental, and vision insurance, non-contributory life/AD&D, short-term and long-term disability insurance, contributory retirement plan with matching contributions after one year of service, tuition remission benefits per handbook policy, and generous paid time off.

Work Location

The Director of Advancement is a full-time, 12-month, exempt position. The Director is expected to work on campus Monday thru Friday when not traveling or in offsite donor meetings.

Application Instructions

Please upload your resume and cover letter
Applications will be accepted until the position is filled (and this posting is removed).
Interviews will begin in January, and we encourage candidates to apply as soon as possible.

Equal Employment Opportunity
Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants without regard to their age, color, disability status, national or ethnic origin, race, religion, sex, veteran status, or any other class protected by state or federal law. As a Catholic school, Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School reserves the right to use religion as a hiring criterion for selected positions, as permitted by law. Employment offers are contingent on the satisfactory outcome of a standard background screening.

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