Assistant Director of Advancement

Our School

The International School of San Francisco is a bilingual, multicultural learning community where students learn to navigate the complexities of the world with confidence, empathy, and joy. Our vibrant urban campus is situated in the heart of the city and serves nearly 1,100 students beginning at age 2 and continuing through grade 12. 

Mission

Guided by the principles of academic rigor and diversity, The International School of San Francisco offers programs of study in French and English to prepare its graduates for a world in which the ability to think critically and to communicate across cultures is of paramount importance. 

Opportunity

Working at The International School of San Francisco opens up a myriad of opportunities both personal and professional. When minds and cultures from around the world come together, boundless curiosity takes hold; faculty and staff benefit from that deep intellectual engagement and joyful discovery as we live out our values of respect, integrity, inclusion, collaboration, and curiosity. Each employee is both teacher and learner in our vibrant, multicultural, multilingual school community.

Position Overview

Reporting to the Director of Advancement, the Assistant Director of Advancement, is a front-line fundraising position responsible for the strategy, execution, and growth of The International School of San Francisco's annual giving program. This role offers the opportunity for close, collaborative work and problem-solving with a small team of dedicated and dynamic development professionals, and involves developing and implementing plans that help International achieve its annual fundraising and participation goals through philanthropic support from current parents, alumni, grandparents, parents of alumni, faculty, staff, and friends of the school.

This role works on all dimensions of International's annual giving efforts—including solicitation strategy, donor stewardship, volunteer engagement, event planning, and donor communications—and works in partnership with the Director of Advancement, the Advancement team and volunteers to develop meaningful opportunities for community engagement and philanthropic support.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage the current Annual Giving Campaign, which includes the Annual Fund and the Spring Fundraising event.
• Work with the Director of Advancement to strategically plan and develop future campaigns to increase giving.
• Manage an assigned portfolio of leadership-level Annual Fund donors to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward their support.
• Help identify possible major gift prospects for larger gifts and periodic capital campaigns.
• Develop and manage an integrated Annual Fund calendar for all solicitations by targeted constituency and appeal type (email, direct mail, digital, or in-person), as well as annual giving events.
• Develop and execute segmented, multi-channel fundraising and solicitation strategies to engage current parents, alumni, grandparents, faculty and staff, parents of alumni, and friends of the school.
• Lead the planning and execution of the Spring Fundraising event, typically an Annual Auction.
• Implement best practices and innovative tactics to improve annual giving among parents, alumni, and other supporters.
• Recruit, train, and manage all Advancement volunteers, including those supporting the Annual Fund, Spring Fundraiser, and other initiatives.
• Work with Annual Fund Committee Chairs and trained volunteers to increase parent and alumni participation and the size of gifts; update and create Annual Fund training materials for volunteers.
• Develop and implement donor stewardship and recognition strategies for Annual Fund donors that strengthen retention, increase engagement, and communicate the impact of annual giving.
• Partner with the Advancement and Marketing teams to update and create annual giving documents, collateral, and donor impact stories.
• Coordinate pledge fulfillment and gift acknowledgments with the Advancement team.
• Help coordinate new parent welcome events.
• Work with the Advancement team on special events throughout the year, including planning, preparation, setup, and breakdown.
• Analyze fundraising performance, donor participation, and giving trends to evaluate results and inform future strategy.

• Serve as an enthusiastic ambassador for The International School of San Francisco while building authentic, lasting relationships with donors and volunteers.
• Must be able to work in person, with some nights and weekends required.
• Additional responsibilities as assigned.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required.
• 3–5 years of work experience in development/advancement, with demonstrated success in asking for gifts and leading and growing annual giving programs.
• Solid working knowledge of fundraising databases, preferably Raiser's Edge.
• Excellent attention to detail and strong organizational skills.
• Capable of managing multiple projects, priorities, and deadlines.
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to craft compelling donor communications for a variety of audiences.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to interact with a wide range of people.
• Experience with relationship cultivation and solicitation.
• Experience working in an independent school, higher education, or nonprofit advancement/development office.
• Experience managing volunteer-led fundraising initiatives and peer-to-peer campaigns.
• Professionalism with all levels of staff, management, donors, and volunteers.
• Available for occasional travel, night, and weekend events.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, flexible, team environment.
• Long-range strategic thinking skills.
• Knowledge of event management and of fundraising events.
• An optimistic attitude, positive spirit, and professional demeanor.
• Discretion while working with confidential and sensitive information.
• Proficiency with AI tools, Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), and competence in Google Workspace (Gmail, Google Docs, Google Slides), plus knowledge of basic office equipment.
• Must be able to lift 25 lbs. for event setup/takedown.

Must be authorized to work in the United States
All prospective staff will be fingerprinted and submit a criminal background check.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY POLICY
The International School of San Francisco is committed to providing an open, fair, inclusive, non-discriminatory environment for all individuals across differences of race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, socio-economic status, ethnicity, age, physical ability, or medical condition. We seek to increase the presence, representation, and inclusion of U.S. historically under-represented people of color, international, bilingual, and bicultural students, faculty, and staff; and, to provide an environment that will attract and retain
individuals identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning and intersex (LGBTQQI).

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Note this is a Full Time, Exempt role. The salary range is $110,000-$125,000 based on experience and qualification.