Description

Walnut Hill School for the Arts seeks a Chief Development Officer to join the senior leadership team starting on July 1, 2026.

The Chief Development Officer (CDO) serves as a key thought partner to the Head of School in strategically increasing philanthropic support to advance the School’s mission and vision for the future. As an important member of the senior leadership team, the CDO will work closely with the Board of Trustees, articulating a vision of philanthropy to current families, alumni, and current and future donors; playing a critical role advancing the School’s reputation and most importantly, actively cultivating, soliciting, and closing transformational gifts.

Positionally, the CDO, Head of School, and Board of Trustees will execute a “pathway to eminence” that will result in Walnut Hill attracting substantial philanthropic support by positioning itself as an arts entity worthy of support from arts benefactors and major foundations in key metropolitan markets. This is a very rare position for an independent school to occupy; essentially behaving as much like a symphony or ballet company as it does a school, increasing the potential to secure transformational gifts. 

The CDO will create and execute Walnut Hill’s overall fundraising and engagement strategies investing in deep partnerships with the Strategic Marketing and Enrollment Management teams. Collaboration with other areas of the School will be critical as well, including arts and academic departments, senior leadership, the business office, deans, faculty, staff, parent/guardians, and students.

Visit the Walnut Hill School for the Arts website for the full overview of this exciting opportunity.  

Primary Responsibilities:

Fundraising, Vision, & Stewardship

• Engage with the Head of School in high-level strategic thinking to grow and optimize the School’s overall development efforts, as well as for key initiatives such as the launch of Walnut Hill’s strategic plan;
• Serve as a lead front-line fundraiser. Develop and manage a significant personal portfolio of highly-rated prospects and donors,  including cultivation, solicitation, and maintaining accountability for revenue expectations; work toward achievement of annual success metrics (e.g., donor meetings, prospect identification/qualification, gift closure);
• Devise, implement, and manage effective and complex strategies to secure principal gifts (6-7+ figures) for capital and programmatic priorities, along with appropriate and timely cultivation and stewardship;
• Understand the lifecycle of each Walnut Hill constituent to curate a relevant, meaningful, and mission-inspiring set of touchpoints and experiences with the goal of proximal engagement and philanthropy;
• With Head of School and Board committee involvement, develop, test, and refine a compelling case for support and related messaging to position Walnut Hill as an organization deserving of transformative philanthropy;
• In collaboration with the Head of School, establish a rubric of metrics that determine the effectiveness of the School’s philanthropy programming; and
• Execute a data-driven approach to planning, reporting on, and measuring results, identify key opportunities for improvement, and address obstacles to fundraising performance

Supervision & Department Management

• Balance travel and front-line work with staff oversight, ensuring a well-run office with effective cultivation and stewardship of prospects and donors;
• Supervise, coach, and provide vision to the department to build a strong, collaborative team that serves the high-level goals of the school;
• Meet regularly with staff, providing ongoing and constructive feedback and support, and identifying opportunities for professional growth; mentor and develop staff, adjusting and aligning job responsibilities and contracted work, ensuring alignment with the School’s strategic priorities; conduct annual evaluations and reviews per the School’s performance evaluation process; and
• Manage the budget, prioritizing all resources for a strategic ROI.

Community Involvement & Engagement

• Be visible in the school community, observing classes, attending assemblies, performances, art openings, and art events throughout the year as appropriate; support and engage richly in arts productions, shows, exhibitions, and performances; participate in parent events to gain insight into the Walnut Hill parent experience and philanthropic interest;
• Actively participate in the student community by supporting the Student Life program which may include chaperoning School events, providing weekend duty, or other opportunities for community involvement that arise throughout the School year; this work informs understanding and builds visibility/credibility;
• Speak authentically about the imperative for community and belonging in schools; be committed to learning about and contributing to Walnut Hill’s culture of belonging;
  Attend Walnut Hill community events such as Family Weekend, Open House, Class Night, Boar’s Head, Candlelight, Awards Ceremony, and Graduation; plan and/or attend other events as required;
• Work collaboratively with colleagues across all departments to foster a positive working and educational environment for students and employees to support the School’s mission, vision, and core values;
• Attend and participate in all faculty and staff meetings, professional development trainings and department meetings; participate and engage fully in individual reviews and evaluations; be open to feedback and work with the Head of School to set goals and expectations for the future; and
• Display willingness and ability to grow, learn, explore new approaches, and practice self-reflection.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent required; advanced degree in related field preferred;
• 8+ years’ progressive experience in development; at least 5 years managing a comprehensive program and team, including Annual Fund, major gifts, planned giving, corporate and foundation relations, and capital campaigns;
• Experience working in or knowledge of education and/or the arts;
• Established track record of elevating the success of an organization through fundraising and constituent engagement, and specifically through cultivating, soliciting, and closing principal gifts (6-7+ figures);
• Proven relationship manager with strong interest in developing strategic and long-lasting relationships with Walnut Hill constituents;
• Sophisticated understanding of the donor journey and the ability to segment and provide inspiring experiences for them along each stage of the philanthropic “funnel”
• Substantial experience with time management; ability to balance travel and time on the road with oversight of the team;
• Strong supervisory skills and ability to provide leadership, vision, mentorship, and direction to a team of direct reports;
• Inspirational and charismatic communicator who can serve with the Head of School as a “chief evangelist” for Walnut Hill;
• A compelling speaker and writer who can articulate key fundraising and stewardship messages throughout the year over multiple channels: proposals, appeal letters, newsletters, annual reports, etc.;
• Possess excellent engagement skills and ability to work with a wide range of internal and external constituents – alumni, students, families, faculty/staff, donors, board members, outside artists, vendors, and community members;
• Proficient at data collection and analysis and the ability to use data to hone strategy; solid understanding of development database technology;
• High integrity and the ability to handle highly sensitive information with discretion;
• Impeccable organizational and project management skills with the ability to successfully manage near and long-term projects;
• Innovative mindset that seeks best practices and stays abreast of trends and advancements in development, both in the educational space and other industries;
• Commitment to learning about and contributing to Walnut Hill’s culture of belonging;
• Strong understanding of cultural competency and demonstrated commitment to fostering a safe and inclusive community; and
• Fluency in Korean or Mandarin Chinese a plus.