Employment Opportunity

Open Position

Capital Campaign Manager 

St. Mary’s Catholic School 

Oak Ridge, TN         

St. Mary’s is an elementary school located in historic Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Founded in 1950, she serves students in Pre-school (ages 3 and 4) through 8th grade. Students excel in numerous local, regional, and national contests throughout the year, including math competitions, science fairs, essay contests, art contests, and more. Hands-on learning, one-to-one technology in 1st – 8th grades, and a mutual respect between teachers and students, creates a wonderful learning environment where children excel.   

When researching elementary schools in the area, a current parent went to the local public high school and asked what elementary school students attend who do the best at this school. He was told St. Mary’s. 

The St. Mary’s School students, families, teachers, and parish are united to provide a Catholic education in a Christ-centered environment, dedicated to academic excellence and promoting truth and charity in service to God and others. ~ School Mission Statement

The goal of the Capital Campaign is to raise 1.5 – 2.5 million dollars to increase the School Endowment to provide an additional revenue stream. The campaign will include current gifts as well as planned gifts.  

Job Description

GENERAL DESCRIPTION: The Campaign Manager will be responsible for the day-to-day planning, coordination, and management of the St. Mary School Capital Campaign. The Campaign Manager helps set strategy as well as executes all aspects of the campaign. The role entails working collaboratively with members of the School Board, Principal, Support Staff, and Campaign volunteers in various campaign committees.

Responsibilities Include (but are not limited to):

  • Collaborate with the Head of School, volunteer campaign leadership to create and implement a strategic direction for the campaign.
  • Manage the Campaign through its various stages – quiet, major gift and public phase, with an emphasis on current gifts/pledges to the campaign as well as planned gifts.
  • Build cultivation and solicitation strategies for donors at all levels and organize the pipeline of individual campaign prospects.
  • Prioritize donors, conduct research, and draft communications, proposals, donor profiles and briefing memos for prospective campaign donors.
  • Manage portfolio of campaign prospects and cultivate further connection to the school.
  • Support Campaign volunteer committees: assist in volunteer recruitment, help set strategy, run and conduct follow-up for group meetings and train volunteers for solicitations.
  • Develop appropriate donor acknowledgment, recognition and stewardship platforms and ensure proper execution.
  • Assist in strategizing and implementing campaign cultivation and recognition events.
  • Provide necessary campaign updates and numerical analysis to volunteer and school leadership and campaign reports, as necessary. Prepare and deliver Campaign updates at School Board meetings.
  • Create campaign related materials (brochures, external communications, update case statement as needed, etc.).
  • Work with bookkeeper to manage and report on the Campaign budget.
  • Maintain a comprehensive campaign timetable.

Required Qualifications, Skills and Knowledge:

  • Associate’s or bachelor’s degree required.
  • A minimum of three years’ experience in capital campaigns and knowledge of executing planned gifts. 
  • Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills and a proven record of creating and fostering lasting relationships between donors and an institution.
  • Excellent verbal and written communications skills.
  • Ability to exercise discretion and judgement; maintain confidentiality in all matters.
  • Ability to set a course for action, prioritize work, solve complex and delicate problems and organize information in a concise and effective manner.
  • Excellence in Customer Service to include 24-hour turnaround on return phone calls and a positive, assisting attitude at all meetings and public venues and reflected in phone manner.
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and donor database experience preferred.

The ideal candidate is driven, organized, flexible, and has experience with major gifts fundraising and running a capital campaign from start to finish. The long-term vision for this role is to lead the capital campaign for six months with the potential to transition to a leadership role in development at the school. 

HOW TO APPLY:

Please submit your resume, cover letter, and three references from previous employers to Sr. Marie Blanchette: srmarieblanchette@stmarysoakridge.org .