Kents Hill School
Director of Major and Planned Giving
Kents Hill School is on a remarkable trajectory toward an expansive comprehensive campaign. As Director of Major and Planned Giving, you will initially serve as a hands‑on frontline fundraiser while laying the groundwork for a major and planned giving program and team that can scale.
About Kents Hill School Founded in 1824, Kents Hill School is one of the oldest co‑educational boarding and day schools in the United States. Our 400‑acre campus in central Maine is home to a vibrant community of 220 students, faculty, staff, alumni, families, and friends who describe the school as “home,” “safe,” “family,” and “supportive.”
Kents Hill’s strategic vision is anchored in four cornerstones:
Prepared for Anything
Grounded in Maine, Connected to the World
In Your Corner, All the Time
Built on Belonging
For the third year in a row, Kents Hill School has been recognized by Niche as the #1 Best Boarding High School in Maine.
In This Role, You Will This role will begin as both architect and primary practitioner of major and planned giving and will evolve into a broader leadership role as staff and resources are added. You will:
Build and Lead the Major & Planned Giving Program
Design and implement a comprehensive major and planned giving strategy that aligns with Kents Hill’s strategic vision and campaign priorities.
Create and refine the infrastructure for a best‑practice major gifts program, including:
Prospect portfolios
Moves management processes
Stewardship plans
Clear performance metrics and expectations
Develop and own the planned giving strategy, implementing marketing, prospect identification, creating cultivation pathways, and stewarding bequests and other deferred or complex gifts.
Partner closely with the Chief Advancement Officer to shape campaign strategy, ensuring major and planned giving efforts are fully integrated with annual giving, alumni and parent engagement, and advancement communications.
Phase the work thoughtfully, recognizing that in the near term you will personally handle much of the portfolio work and infrastructure building, and in the longer term you will shift more time toward coaching, strategy, and team leadership as new positions are added.
Lead by Example as a Frontline Fundraiser
Manage a personal portfolio of high‑capacity prospects and donors capable of making leadership, major, and transformational gifts.
Guide donors through the full cycle of identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship, partnering with key stakeholders.
Make bold, thoughtful asks and develop personalized, compelling proposals and impact reports.
Model best practices in portfolio management, outreach, and stewardship for a growing team.
Build and Coach a High‑Performing Team
Help define the future staffing structure and lead recruiting and onboarding of new team members.
In early years serve as a player‑coach, modeling best practices and collaborating closely with colleagues across Advancement.
As the team grows, formalize roles, set goals, provide feedback, and facilitate professional development.
Foster a team culture that values adaptability, creativity, courage, and disciplined follow‑through.
Strengthen Systems, Data, and Collaboration
Partner with Advancement Operations to optimize the CRM (Raiser’s Edge NXT) and related tools.
Develop clear, usable dashboards and reports tracking activity and campaign readiness.
Work closely with colleagues in annual giving, alumni and parent engagement, communications, and stewardship to coordinate donor experiences.
Serve as a thought partner on budgeting, revenue forecasting, and campaign modeling for major and planned gifts.
Who You Are
You have an experienced major and planned giving background and are ready to step into a leadership role.
You are a player‑coach, comfortable doing the work and supporting others.
You are excited to build structure and culture in a nascent team.
You are a strategic relationship builder connecting people and partnerships to institutional needs.
You balance action with visionary thinking for sustainable, scalable programs.
You bring a learning mindset, humility, and a sense of humor to experimentation.
You believe deeply in schools like Kents Hill and invite others into that story.
Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree
7–10+ years of progressive experience in advancement with major gifts responsibility.
Demonstrated success securing five‑, six‑, and seven‑figure gifts; campaign experience strongly preferred.
Familiarity with gift‑planning vehicles and comfort partnering with advisors.
Experience designing or improving prospect management systems.
Prior experience supervising, coaching, or informally leading fundraisers.
Comfort operating without a large existing team or fully built‑out systems.
Track record of personal fundraising performance and contributing to new programs.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Superb verbal communication, public speaking experience, and ability to represent Kents Hill.
Strong data literacy and CRM comfort; Raiser’s Edge experience a plus.
Willingness to travel domestically and internationally; ability to work some evenings and weekends as needed.
Work Location The ideal candidate will have an office at Kents Hill School and regularly work from campus. Remote work considerations will be reviewed on a case‑by‑case basis.
Compensation and Benefits This is a 12‑month, exempt role that reports to the Chief Advancement Officer. Kents Hill School offers a competitive salary commensurate with experience and qualifications, and a comprehensive benefits package.
To Apply Please send a cover letter and resume to hr@kentshill.org with the subject line “Director of Major and Planned Giving.”
Seniority Level Director
Employment Type Full‑time
Job Function Other
Industries Primary and Secondary Education
#J-18808-Ljbffr
About Kents Hill School Founded in 1824, Kents Hill School is one of the oldest co‑educational boarding and day schools in the United States. Our 400‑acre campus in central Maine is home to a vibrant community of 220 students, faculty, staff, alumni, families, and friends who describe the school as “home,” “safe,” “family,” and “supportive.”
Kents Hill’s strategic vision is anchored in four cornerstones:
Prepared for Anything
Grounded in Maine, Connected to the World
In Your Corner, All the Time
Built on Belonging
For the third year in a row, Kents Hill School has been recognized by Niche as the #1 Best Boarding High School in Maine.
In This Role, You Will This role will begin as both architect and primary practitioner of major and planned giving and will evolve into a broader leadership role as staff and resources are added. You will:
Build and Lead the Major & Planned Giving Program
Design and implement a comprehensive major and planned giving strategy that aligns with Kents Hill’s strategic vision and campaign priorities.
Create and refine the infrastructure for a best‑practice major gifts program, including:
Prospect portfolios
Moves management processes
Stewardship plans
Clear performance metrics and expectations
Develop and own the planned giving strategy, implementing marketing, prospect identification, creating cultivation pathways, and stewarding bequests and other deferred or complex gifts.
Partner closely with the Chief Advancement Officer to shape campaign strategy, ensuring major and planned giving efforts are fully integrated with annual giving, alumni and parent engagement, and advancement communications.
Phase the work thoughtfully, recognizing that in the near term you will personally handle much of the portfolio work and infrastructure building, and in the longer term you will shift more time toward coaching, strategy, and team leadership as new positions are added.
Lead by Example as a Frontline Fundraiser
Manage a personal portfolio of high‑capacity prospects and donors capable of making leadership, major, and transformational gifts.
Guide donors through the full cycle of identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship, partnering with key stakeholders.
Make bold, thoughtful asks and develop personalized, compelling proposals and impact reports.
Model best practices in portfolio management, outreach, and stewardship for a growing team.
Build and Coach a High‑Performing Team
Help define the future staffing structure and lead recruiting and onboarding of new team members.
In early years serve as a player‑coach, modeling best practices and collaborating closely with colleagues across Advancement.
As the team grows, formalize roles, set goals, provide feedback, and facilitate professional development.
Foster a team culture that values adaptability, creativity, courage, and disciplined follow‑through.
Strengthen Systems, Data, and Collaboration
Partner with Advancement Operations to optimize the CRM (Raiser’s Edge NXT) and related tools.
Develop clear, usable dashboards and reports tracking activity and campaign readiness.
Work closely with colleagues in annual giving, alumni and parent engagement, communications, and stewardship to coordinate donor experiences.
Serve as a thought partner on budgeting, revenue forecasting, and campaign modeling for major and planned gifts.
Who You Are
You have an experienced major and planned giving background and are ready to step into a leadership role.
You are a player‑coach, comfortable doing the work and supporting others.
You are excited to build structure and culture in a nascent team.
You are a strategic relationship builder connecting people and partnerships to institutional needs.
You balance action with visionary thinking for sustainable, scalable programs.
You bring a learning mindset, humility, and a sense of humor to experimentation.
You believe deeply in schools like Kents Hill and invite others into that story.
Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree
7–10+ years of progressive experience in advancement with major gifts responsibility.
Demonstrated success securing five‑, six‑, and seven‑figure gifts; campaign experience strongly preferred.
Familiarity with gift‑planning vehicles and comfort partnering with advisors.
Experience designing or improving prospect management systems.
Prior experience supervising, coaching, or informally leading fundraisers.
Comfort operating without a large existing team or fully built‑out systems.
Track record of personal fundraising performance and contributing to new programs.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Superb verbal communication, public speaking experience, and ability to represent Kents Hill.
Strong data literacy and CRM comfort; Raiser’s Edge experience a plus.
Willingness to travel domestically and internationally; ability to work some evenings and weekends as needed.
Work Location The ideal candidate will have an office at Kents Hill School and regularly work from campus. Remote work considerations will be reviewed on a case‑by‑case basis.
Compensation and Benefits This is a 12‑month, exempt role that reports to the Chief Advancement Officer. Kents Hill School offers a competitive salary commensurate with experience and qualifications, and a comprehensive benefits package.
To Apply Please send a cover letter and resume to hr@kentshill.org with the subject line “Director of Major and Planned Giving.”
Seniority Level Director
Employment Type Full‑time
Job Function Other
Industries Primary and Secondary Education
#J-18808-Ljbffr