School - Staff - St. Thomas Aquinas High School
Director of Advancement
Published: 02/06/2026
St. Thomas Aquinas High School, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida seeks a mission-driven Director of Advancement to lead major gifts and annual giving campaigns, strengthen stewardship, and coordinate advancement communications and engagement. The Director will lead a small, specialized advancement team (Data & Special Projects Manager; Alumni & Parent Engagement Coordinator; Donor Relations Associate) and coordinate with cross-campus partners (Marketing; Finance; Athletics; Fine Arts; Campus Ministry; Administration). S/he will report to the Executive Director or the President and have an 11-month schedule from August June with July off. Compensation is competitive and commensurate with experience and eligible for a performance bonus based on pre-established, measurable advancement metrics. The candidate performs all duties and responsibilities with the mission, vision, and values of the Catholic Archdiocese of Miami.
Functions and Responsibilities include:
- Manage a portfolio of prospects and donors; cultivate, solicit, and steward major gifts.
- Build and maintain a disciplined major-gift pipeline to support campaign planning and readiness, partnering with the Executive Director and key volunteers.
- Own the annual fund strategy and execution (fall appeal, segmentation, calendar, results, and stewardship follow-through).
- Partner with Marketing to produce donor-facing communications (appeals, email, video, storytelling) with clear quality control and on-time delivery.
- Lead Giving Day planning and execution, including donor cultivation, challenge design, giving buckets, and post-event stewardship.
- Plan and deliver donor and community engagement experiences (e.g., donor Mass/reception, alumni gatherings, cultivation events).
- Drive corporate sponsorship strategy: prospecting, solicitation support, fulfillment, and accurate sponsor recognition.
- Ensure high-quality donor operations: documentation, restricted gift intent/designations, pledge/wire readiness, acknowledgements, and audit-ready records.
- Maintain strong CRM discipline and reporting; use data for segmentation, strategy, and performance management.
- Represent the school through constituent engagement, tours, and special initiatives as needed.
- Lead and coach the advancement team with clear priorities, timelines, and accountability.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree required; equivalent senior-level professional experience considered.
- Demonstrated success in relationship-based fundraising (major gifts and/or annual giving).
- Strong communication skills (written, verbal, and interpersonal) with close attention to detail.
- Project-management strength: ability to coordinate across teams and manage deadlines.
- Working knowledge of CRM/donor systems (Raiser’s Edge or comparable preferred).
- Flexibility to work evenings/weekends for key events and constituent engagement.
- Self-starter with a high ownership mindset; thrives with autonomy and accountability.
- Creative communicator and storyteller; translates priorities into compelling donor messaging across channels.
- Resilient and persistent; maintains momentum through deadlines, ambiguity, and changing priorities.
Please note: In addition to the eligibility requirements indicated in the Archdiocese of Miami Policy "Creating and Maintaining a Safe Environment for Children and Vulnerable Adults", the selected candidate for this entity must undergo a background screening through the Florida Care Provider Background Screening Clearinghouse and be granted a determination of eligibility as a condition of employment. For more information on the Clearinghouse please visit info.flclearinghouse.com .
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