Hopkins School

Senior Associate Director of Leadership Giving

DEERFIELD ASSOCIATES has been retained by Hopkins School, based in New Haven, Connecticut, to conduct a national search for a Senior Associate Director of Leadership Giving.

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Hopkins School: History and Mission

In 1660, Edward Hopkins, the second governor of the Connecticut Colony, established the nation’s first charitable trust to found Hopkins Grammar School on the New Haven Green. The School began with a dedication to the “breeding up of hopeful youths . . . for the public service of the country in future times.” Three hundred and sixty-five years later, Hopkins School continues to fulfill its original mission, and “hopeful” – connoting both the promise and the expectation of future good – remains the word that defines the School’s educational approach and animates our aspirations.

Today, Hopkins is an independent, gender-inclusive, college-preparatory day school for grades 7-12. Located on a 108-acre campus overlooking New Haven, the School takes pride in its distinguished faculty and dedicated staff. Students who need and love a challenge flourish at Hopkins.

We define ourselves as a community of civility and learning, one that educates students from diverse backgrounds to a full measure of their talents and humanity. Together, we seek to:

• Develop in our young people the habits of mind of scholars as the foundation for a lifelong love of learning;
• Foster the courage to live and think as distinct individuals who embrace their responsibilities in the larger world;
• Expose every student to the deep satisfaction that derives from service to others;
• Enlarge the educational experience to include the creative joy and aesthetic sensibility of the artist, and the vitality and competitive spirit of the athlete;
• Provide, through the School’s advisers, the wisdom and goodwill necessary to guide our young people to confident self-reliance;
• Nurture the development of character essential to a rich and purposeful life.

These tenets are manifest in the daily life of the School and in the hopes and ambitions we share as an educational community. See here. Taken as a whole, these values provide us both definition and direction as we strive to fulfill Hopkins’s mission. It is our strong belief that Hopkins remains true to our founder’s purpose and that the School is a contemporary realization of these centuries-old ideals.

Hopkins current operating budget is $37.3 million, and the School’s endowment stands at $168.2 million. There are more than 7,600 living alumni/ae and 632 current families. Head of School, Matt Glendinning, was appointed in July 2022.

For more information, please visit www.hopkins.edu.

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The Position

The Advancement Office is responsible for cultivating and expanding philanthropic support among alumni, parents, past parents and friends of Hopkins School. Reporting to the Director of Leadership and Annual Giving, the Senior Associate Director of Leadership Giving is responsible for identifying, qualifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding a portfolio of current and prospective donors capable of making leadership annual gifts ranging from $1,660 to $25,000+. This position requires regular travel and includes some evening and weekend responsibilities.

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Roles and Responsibilities

• Manage a portfolio of ~200 donors and prospective donors, with an emphasis on acquiring new donors, reactivating lapsed donors, and upgrading existing donors.
• Develop and maintain a thorough understanding of Hopkins’ strategic priorities and be able to articulate them effectively to donors.
• Identify strategies and opportunities to align donor interests with key School funding priorities.
• Work collaboratively with Advancement Office colleagues to support all individual and broad-based appeal campaigns, including Annual Fund and any restricted fundraising efforts, to ensure a robust fundraising program.
• Maintain accurate, detailed and timely records of conversations with donors and prospective donors.
• Meet assigned activity and revenue goals.
• Attend school-sponsored events as appropriate.

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Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Authentic desire to work in an independent school environment, ability to effectively communicate the School’s mission and priorities, and willingness to travel extensively to develop and strengthen relationships with donors and prospective donors.
• Adhere to ethical fundraising practice, including transparency, confidentiality, and respect for donor intent, while upholding the highest standards of integrity and professionalism.
• Goal and detail oriented with excellent organizational, writing, and communications skills; able to create clear, concise, and compelling written messages.
• Ability to meet deadlines and manage multiple projects simultaneously, working independently and as a member of a team.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Suite and Google applications. Experience in Raiser’s Edge/NXT or other fundraising databases a plus.
• Independent secondary school or higher education experience strongly preferred.
• A bachelor’s degree and a minimum of two years of fundraising experience is required.

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School Profile

Hopkins School, the 3rd oldest independent school in the country, has a distinguished history that spans more than 360 years.

Hopkins is an independent, gender-inclusive, college-preparatory day school for grades 7-12. Located on a 108-acre campus overlooking New Haven, the School takes pride in its distinguished faculty and dedicated staff.

Students who need and love a challenge flourish at Hopkins. We are a hub of intellectual curiosity where families, students and invested educators work together in our collective pursuit of excellence.

Our students come from families of varied ethnic, socio-economic, and cultural backgrounds who value education. If there is any common denominator, it is that our students are eager to learn, willing to work hard, and consistently place among the top ten percent of students in the nation in standardized testing. Hopkins classes are small – the average size is 12.

Our curriculum and distributional requirements ensure grounding in basic skills, exposure to a wide variety of subject matter and teaching styles, and rigorous preparation for advanced study. In addition, because Hopkins believes that informed and involved citizenship can be nurtured through the cultivation of a wide range of interests, the school encourages students to participate in extracurricular activities.

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Leadership

The Hopkins School Advancement team cultivates the spirit of philanthropy and love of giving among our proud alumni, parents, faculty, and friends. Our goal is to connect donors with meaningful opportunities to go “All In” to support our uniquely talented students—and strengthen our exceptional programs and experiences.

Tom joined the Alumni and Development team in 2018. Previously, he served as the Director of Alumni and Parent Relations at Wesleyan University. Originally from Pennsylvania, Tom attended Perkiomen School, where he graduated as valedictorian. Tom went on to earn a degree in Government from Wesleyan University and holds an M.A. in Political Management from The George Washington University. Tom lives in Glastonbury with his wife, Stephanie, and three kids, enjoys traveling extensively, and spends every fall cheering for the Washington Commanders and the Penn State Nittany Lions.

Kim joined the Alumni and Development team in 2021. She has over a decade of experience fundraising for nonprofits, having previously served at The School of American Ballet at Lincoln Center, The Newseum, The George Washington University, The Guggenheim Museum, and New York City Ballet. She graduated with a B.A. from Dickinson College. Kim loves to travel, read, and try new restaurants. Originally from Rye, NY, she now lives in Westport with her husband and daughter, and enjoys spending the weekends exploring all that Connecticut has to offer!

In July 2022, Dr. Matt Glendinning was named 110th Head of Hopkins School. Matt joined Hopkins following an enormously successful 13-year run as Head of Moses Brown School in Rhode Island. Previously, Glendinning served as Head of Upper School at Moorestown Friends School in New Jersey and Director of the Cambridge Prep Experience in the UK. A former faculty member at Phillips Academy (Andover) and Germantown Friends School, Glendinning has taught ancient and medieval history, Latin, Greek, and archaeology. Drawing on his extensive experience with strategic planning, creative thinking, and educational leadership, Matt has published on a wide variety of topics and presents regularly at major national conferences.

In my role as Hopkins’ Head of School, I’m often asked, “What sets Hopkins apart, what makes the School special?”  I love answering this question! First, as an archaeologist by training, I can’t help admiring Hopkins’ history: now in its 365th year, Hopkins is the third oldest independent school in the country. Our time-tested approach challenges every student to forge the intellectual and moral foundation for a fulfilling, meaningful life. With guidance from our expert faculty, Hopkins students are able to push themselves to learn and take risks, knowing that they will be supported through every step of their journey. To understand the depth and breadth of the academic program at Hopkins, please click here.

Second, there is a strong orientation toward civic engagement and service at Hopkins. Our students regularly apply their knowledge, skills, and values toward understanding and addressing real-world issues in our local community. Whether through our many student clubs, or through internship opportunities in Science or English, Hopkins students are developing the skills to do both well and good in the world.

Lastly, Hopkins is highly innovative. Indeed, a school can’t thrive for almost four centuries without the ability to adapt to changing times, and this has always been a strength of Hopkins. I hope you’ll take the time to read the School’s current strategic plan, called Hopeful Youths: Renewing Hopkins Promise in the 21st Century. There, you’ll learn about the School’s remarkable history and the way Hopkins is responding to the rapidly changing, interconnected world we live in today. The product of two years of research, the plan is now guiding some exciting programmatic and facilities developments at the School.

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Benefits

Hopkins School offers a stimulating and supportive work environment, competitive salaries and a generous benefits package including medical plans, retirement plans, tuition benefit, and paid vacation. Hopkins School is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Hopkins School believes that all persons are entitled to equal opportunity for employment and strictly prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, creed, sex, religion, national origin, age, gender, gender identity, physical or mental disability, veteran status, marital or civil union status, sexual orientation and/or other protected classes. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leave of absence, compensation, and training.

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Contact Information

To explore this career opportunity on a confidential basis, please send a letter of interest and a resume along with a list of references including contact information (who will only be contacted if mutual interest is established) to:

Doug Cooney, Executive Search Consultant, DEERFIELD ASSOCIATES Executive Search, Inc.
572 Washington Street, Suite 15, Wellesley, MA 02482 Telephone: 781-237-2800.
Email: [email protected]