Laboratory Schools: Director of Development and Campaign Manager

Department
 

Lab School Alumni Relations & Development

About the Department
 

At the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, students in Nursery through Grade 12 experience a world-class educational journey. Founded in 1896 by John Dewey as a place for educators to develop and explore novel approaches to pedagogy and curriculum, Lab continues to provide excitement and imagination in learning to this day. Academic rigor, experiential learning, and intellectual discourse are hallmarks of a Lab education. Lab educators are recognized for excellence in teaching and pride themselves on innovation in the classroom. Students in every grade have access to unparalleled resources, and all members of the Lab community benefit by partnerships and connections with the University of Chicago. Families who choose Lab care deeply about curiosity, inquiry, and creativity.

No less than scholarship, Lab’s mission prioritizes honoring diversity and exhibiting kindness. We are committed to building and supporting a teaching and learning community where young people see aspects of their backgrounds and identities reflected around them, where they feel a deep sense of belonging, and where they discover and use their voices to full effect. Today, 53-59 percent of Lab’s student body are students of color. Families report speaking nearly 40 different languages in their homes. Approximately 60 percent of Lab families are also affiliated with the University of Chicago. Half of our families live in Hyde Park, and the rest come from across Chicago, the suburbs, and northwestern Indiana. Inclusion is a fundamental value at Lab, such that we celebrate every facet of community members’ identities, and even where we disagree, we emphasize respect, civility, and maintaining a spirit of community.

Lab seeks the finest employees to join our vibrant learning community. We employ people with a wide range of skills and training in many different disciplines, who have in common a love of learning and the wish to inspire that same love of learning in young people. We seek candidates for employment who thrive in an educational environment. We provide a great professional home for those committed to collaboration, ongoing personal and professional growth, and cultivating positive relationships. We strongly encourage applications from candidates of color, LGBTQ+ identified candidates, candidates from historically marginalized or underrepresented backgrounds, and candidates with a demonstrated commitment to a deepening diversity, equity, and inclusion practice. In turn, we strive to ensure that Lab is a joyful, welcoming, and inspiring place to work. Through our connection to the University, faculty, staff, and administrators enjoy benefits and opportunities that would be nearly impossible to match in any other environment.

Job Summary
 

The Alumni Relations & Development department at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools (Lab) is recruiting talented and energetic advancement professionals in preparation for the schools’ next campaign. During the University’s Inquiry & Impact campaign, Lab secured more than $97 million in philanthropy.

The Director of Development & Campaign Manager (DOD) at Lab will lead key functions that support the schools’ major gifts and annual giving program. Reporting to and collaborating with the Associate Director of Schools for Alumni Relations & Development, the DOD will lead and manage the creation and implementation of a strategy for the identification, cultivation and solicitation of Lab alumni, parents, alumni parents, grandparents and others. In addition, the DOD will manage the ramp-up of systems for a new endowment-centric campaign.

The DOD will supervise full and part-time major gift officers, the Director of Annual Giving, Special Events leader, Advancement Services leader and other team members as the staff expands during campaign ramp-up. He/she will convene Lab’s Major Gifts team and will work with individual Lab fundraisers to ensure cultivation, solicitation and stewardship strategies are fully supported. The Director is a key Alumni Relations and Development (ARD) resource officer that helps ensure that the Lab Schools’ annual and multi-year philanthropic revenue goals are accurately forecasted, met and exceeded.

The DOD will manage a portfolio of major gifts prospects (minimum of $100K but often $1 million and higher) and participate in planning and departmental meetings, accept assignments, and perform other ARD duties as assigned.

The DOD will lead a team that raises annual, capital and endowment support from individuals and families; builds and manages a personal portfolio of 50-75 major individual gift prospects; and assists the Associate Director and Lab Director of Schools with solicitations. A successful candidate for this role will h