Director of Development

Sterling Search Inc. has been exclusively retained to recruit for the new Director of Development for Westmark School.

The Opportunity
Claudia Koochek, a well-known educator in the learning differences (LD) community, brings a unique passion and energy to Westmark as its Head of School. She is dedicated to the practice of personalized learning, assistive and instructional technologies, and experiential and service learning, all essential components of the “magic sauce” that drives student success at Westmark.

In the vision to deliver more of their services, Westmark, in the summer of 2022, broke ground on a new and expanded Lower School campus. The promise of this long-planned project is bold: to create an optimal learning environment that matches the excellence of our academic programs for young learners with language-based learning differences. The Lower School Campus Project is the springboard for Westmark to extend our reach and grow its impact.

Representing a major investment in early intervention, the new facility will enable Westmark to increase Grades 2–5 enrollments while maintaining small class sizes and low student-teacher ratios. Coupled with the plan to increase tuition assistance, Westmark will be able to welcome many more neurodiverse learners from across Greater Los Angeles so that they can access Westmark’s highly specialized, research-based curriculum and thrive in its innovative, inclusive environment.

Philanthropy at Westmark
Westmark School is supported by a giving Board of Trustees who have collectively given $12.5 million to the campaign. Its thriving community raises about $750,000 for its annual fund, its annual Spring Gala nets about $300,000, and it raises about another $300,000 through foundations.

This is an exciting time to join Westmark as its Director of Development to build upon the momentum of success with the ongoing $26 million capital campaign, which is expected to close in December 2023. Westmark is seeking a Director of Development who embraces Westmark’s mission, is a thought partner to its Head of School, proactively seeks new opportunities and whose vivacious enthusiasm engages those around in the opportunity to invest in Westmark’s students and their pathways to success. Read Westmark's 2021–2022 Report on Philanthropy.

Position Description
The Director of Development reports to the Head of School and is a key member of the School’s senior leadership team and is responsible for providing leadership to and executing the School’s fundraising and constituent relations programs—including annual giving and foundation relations, major gifts, and capital campaigns. The Director of Development develops strategies to strengthen relationships across all School constituencies and works closely with the Advancement Committee and other key volunteer committees to create a culture of philanthropy. The Director of Development serves as a liaison to the Westmark Parent Association (WPA).

Responsibilities:

Westmark Fund

• Develops a detailed plan for the Westmark Fund, including revenue and expenditures for inclusion in the overall advancement plan.
• Sets annual giving goals based on historical analysis of donors, prospect base, and School needs.
• Uses wealth screening, giving history, and other information to determine appropriate ask amounts for each constituent;
• Establishes a detailed calendar of solicitations by targeted constituency and fundraising strategy and develops targeted campaigns for parents of current students, grandparents of current students, alumni parents, alumni, and faculty and staff.
• Enlists Westmark Fund Chairs and Ambassadors.
• Staffs the volunteer leadership for the Westmark Fund, including ensuring that volunteers receive the appropriate training, support, and recognition.
• Personally contacts, cultivates, solicits, and stewards prospects, as appropriate, for the Westmark Fund.
• Provides ongoing analysis and evaluation of solicitation programs and monitors results in order to meet goals.
• Collaborates with the Director of Marketing and Strategic Communications in writing and producing Westmark Fund collateral materials.

Foundation Relations

• Develops and implements a plan to obtain annual and major gift support from foundations.
• Develops relationships with program officers as appropriate.
• Tracks top foundations to ensure that a proposal is cued up at all time.
• Conducts research to identify foundations likely to contribute to School programs and projects based upon giving patterns, areas of interest, and relationships with School administrators, faculty, volunteers, parents, and trustees.
• Prepares and submits proposals, including tracking progress of proposals through decision making cycle, developing strategies for follow-up and intermediate moves between application and decision, and determining reasons when proposals are rejected.
• Elicits assistance and involvement of faculty and others as appropriate in the preparation and submission of proposals and in the cultivation and solicitation process.
• Ensures that thank-you letters and timely follow-up reports are drafted and signed as appropriate.
• Establishes and maintains a system for monitoring and reporting the pledged and awarded funds from foundations.

Major Gifts/Campaigns

• Staffs the Head of School, Board members, and others in cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding major gifts for the School.
• Oversees prospect identification, evaluation, assignment, and tracking of major gift prospects.
• Oversees the preparation of proposals, including editing as necessary.
• Works collaboratively with campaign counsel in executing the campaign.

Stewardship

• Develops a comprehensive stewardship plan designed to build a culture of philanthropy and appropriately thank and recognize donors.
• Ensures there is ample inventory of mementos and gifts for donors and volunteers to be given in appreciation.
• Ensures donors are thanked for their Westmark Fund, Spring Gala, and campaign gifts and that communications are thoughtful and inspire donors to give repeatedly.
• Responsible for post-gift stewardship of each donor with the highest possible degree of personalized attention, arranging for interactions with the Head of School, and Trustees, as appropriate.
• Performs other duties as assigned by the Head of School.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree and 7 years of solid fundraising experience with a track record of raising significant funds.
• Passionately embraces and effectively communicates the mission and vision of Westmark School to internal and external constituencies.
• Able to conceptualize, plan, and implement a cohesive strategy for development and constituent relations.
• Demonstrate an ability to balance multiple priorities.
• Experienced managing and motivating large groups of volunteers.
• Possess excellent organizational, communication and presentation skills, as well as strong computer skills (fluency in Raiser’s Edge software preferred).
• Maintain professional and ethical standards for handling confidential information.
• Become involved in the life of the School, including attending academic, performing arts, and athletics events.

Compensation:
Base salary ranging from $140,000 to $165,000, plus a healthy retirement plan 403b employer match, comprehensive health care, and time off (also closed the week between Christmas and New Year)

Please send resumes to:
Sterling Search, Inc.
Nicole@sterlingsearchinc.com

Direct all correspondence, emails, and telephone calls to Sterling Search, Inc. Any resumes sent or telephone calls made to Westmark School will be redirected to Sterling Search, Inc.

To apply, please go to: https://www.sterlingsearchinc.com/cs/ws-dod

Westmark School is an Equal Opportunity Employer.