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West Point Grey Academy is seeking a Manager – Annual Giving & Alumni Relations beginning March 30, 2025. This is a full-time position, eligible for benefits.

Great schools have great staff, and WPGA has exceptional staff and teachers who are dedicated to shaping lives of inquiry, action and joy.

Reporting to the Director of Advancement, the Manager – Annual Giving & Alumni Relations is passionate about education and understands the particular value of independent schools within the larger context of K-12 education. Personable with excellent communication and stewardship skills, they enjoy engaging with potential donors and thrives on helping donors and alumni alike find deeper connections with the WPGA community and make a true impact in the lives of our students. Highly detailed with an understanding of the complexities of our industry, our Manager – Annual Giving & Alumni Relations can seamlessly transition from project management to hands-on approaches to the work that needs to be done.

This is a growth opportunity to work our experienced Director of Advancement to manage a portfolio of emerging major donors. The successful candidate will eventually lead the development of personalized fundraising strategies, tailored giving opportunities and proper stewardship to maintain donors' involvement, interest, and ongoing financial support of WPGA.

All WPGA Staff:

• Model empathy and integrity as the basis for all our actions.
• Strengthen our relationship to each other and to our local and global communities with a positive school culture, partnerships, and service to others.
• Inspire joy in learning.

In your first year at WPGA, you'll be directly involved in:

Annual Fund

• Working collaboratively with the Director of Advancement, manage and implement effective fundraising strategies to grow the Annual Fund Program (Shaping Lives) in donor retention and overall funds raised:
  • Solicit and steward donors included in the annual mailing and Giving Tuesday activation day coordination
  • Coordinate and manage projects within the Annual Fund, including collaboration with the Communications Department in the strategic development of communiques that drive donor engagement and alignment with WPGA's brand and mission
  • Create and manage a calendar (schedule) of multidimensional appeals that leverage a variety of media to reach a broad audience
  • Contribute content to Advancement publications and the school's social media channels as needed
  • Utilize donor and gift data to optimize segmentation to create targeted fund messaging
  • Determine key metrics, monitor and evaluate fund campaign performance, donor engagement trends, and other metrics to refine strategies
  • Facilitate community involvement and support from former parents and grandparents, encouraging opportunities for them to remain connected to the WPGA community and eventually securing philanthropic support
  • Collaborate with other members of the Advancement Team to further the goals of the department, including contributing to fundraising plans and ongoing process improvements
  • Support the Director of Advancement in various projects as needed

Alumni Relations

• Serving as the primary lead in the development and execution of a multi-faceted alumni program designed to re-engage and deepen involvement within the alumni and greater school community:
  • Develop strategies and execute on plans to meaningfully engage alumni through events, reunions, and special volunteering opportunities such as networking and alumni mentoring programs
  • Work closely with Senior School staff and faculty to maximize opportunities for alumni involvement in school programs
  • Plan and execute a minimum of two key alumni events annually: the Holiday Social (December) and a summer reunion (June)
  • Create and implement a bi-annual alumni newsletter
  • Serve as the primary liaison between the school and the alumni community, providing regular communications and updates on engagement opportunities and news within the alumni community
  • Develop and implement a robust engagement/marketing plan to support an alumni program
  • Design an infrastructure for an alumni association that includes volunteer recruitment strategies, terms of reference, and a strategic plan for the initial five years

Co-Curricular Involvement

• Modelling and promoting our core values and high standards of behaviour.

Growing as a Professional

• Actively participating in all-staff meetings.
• Seeking opportunities for continuous improvement.
• Participating in professional development opportunities.

About You

I understand that...

• We are friendly, approachable and helpful, with a can-do attitude and a strong work ethic.
• We work alongside each other with an inclusive spirit that reflects diversity and equity.
• A sense of belonging and relationships is integral to our environment.

I am able to...

• Demonstrate consistent success in securing gifts in the $5,000 - $15,000+ range.
• Maintain a high standard of ethics, integrity, and commitment to the goals of the School and the Advancement Office, as articulated in the Donor Bill of Rights.
• Build on my strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills to cultivate and maintain relationships with current and prospective donors and volunteers.
• Demonstrate my proficiency with CRM systems (i.e., Raisers' Edge, etc.) and attention to detail to maintain data integrity.
• Use my natural ability to prioritize and problem solve to thrive in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment and manage multiple priorities effectively.
• Use Microsoft Office and accounting software to efficiently and effectively perform my role.
• Adapt to new technology by asking questions and confirming my understanding.
• Adapt my approaches to meet diverse needs, styles and backgrounds.
• Communicate effectively through clear, direct and supportive written, verbal, and digital skills.
• Contribute to a climate of joy at the school through positivity, enthusiasm, a sense of humour and fun.

I am becoming more...

• Able to manage complex projects with a focus on strategy development and metric analysis
• Able to anticipate need and communicate proactively with key stakeholders including parents, teachers and school leadership. 
• Open-hearted and open-minded, and value critical thinking to make sense of complex issues.
• Aware of how to care for myself and others so that my presence adds to the health of my community.

In my work, I want to …

• Work alongside other talented professionals, passionate about making a better world one student at a time. 
• Feel connected, be part of a values-centred community and have fun!

About Us

Founded in 1996, West Point Grey Academy is an independent co-educational day school in Vancouver, British Columbia. Set on 18 acres with sweeping views of English Bay and the North Shore mountains, we offer future-focused programs to 940 students in junior kindergarten to grade 12. WPGA's educational philosophy is to develop the whole child, who, guided by creative, dedicated teachers and supported by our inclusive, vibrant community, is nurtured to achieve his or her full potential – academically, emotionally, physically and socially. 

Our Process

At West Point Grey Academy, we cherish diversity in our staff and our greater community. We are committed to minimizing bias in our recruitment process as part of our commitment to strengthen inclusion, diversity and equity across all areas of the school.

Candidates are asked to complete their application by February 19, 2025 @ 4:00 pm Pacific Time. 

1. Screening

You will be asked to submit your resume and provide thoughtful responses to few scenario-based questions. Your responses to the questions should outline how you demonstrate the About You section. It will also illustrate how you imagine your first year in the role. Responses will be anonymized and randomized prior to screening. We will screen candidate responses based on the alignment with the knowledge, competencies and character required for this position. The intent is to minimize bias in the first assessment stage. Only after these responses have been assessed will we review your resume. 

You can answer the questions on the form provided, or submit your responses on a single document and upload the file. Please be concise in your responses. Note that all responses will be reviewed for AI-generated content.

2. Initial Conversation (30 minutes)

Successful candidates selected move forward in the process and will be contacted to arrange an informal conversation. On this call, you can ask us questions about the school and the role.

3. Authentic Belonging Interview (60 minutes)

If successful, you will progress to a final interview where we will discuss the school and how you see yourself as a member of our community. 

If you require accommodations to fully participate in our recruitment process, please email lschultz@wpga.ca.