The Girls’ Middle School

Imagine a school where each day is alive with learning and the spirit of adventure. Since its founding in 1998, The Girls’ Middle School (GMS) has been committed to progressive education and innovative programming, meeting the needs of a wide range of middle school students who make up our vibrant, inclusive community. Our project-based curriculum encourages creative problem-solving, collaborative teamwork, and independent thought. GMS educates girls* during a pivotal time in their lives. Students develop self-knowledge, confidence, and leadership skills supported by a staff highly attuned to their changing emotional and social needs. GMS encourages girls to find their voices, take risks, and become self-reliant. Learn more about GMS: www.girlsms.org and https://youtu.be/SatUBcjwkxA?feature=shared

*At GMS, “girls” refers to cis girls, trans girls, non-binary youth, gender non-conforming youth, gender queer youth, and any girl-identified youth. 

Mission

The Girls’ Middle School educates girls at a crucial time in life. We create an inclusive environment where academic growth is nourished. A GMS girl discovers her strengths and expresses her voice while respecting the contributions of others.

The Position

The Girls’ Middle School is seeking a Director of Advancement to closely partner with the Head of School, Board of Trustees, staff, and community volunteers to achieve an ambitious list of annual and long-term fundraising goals. These efforts will include both the continuation of highly successful annual fundraising initiatives as well as the completion of a capital campaign to purchase and renovate a new school campus. 

Annual fundraising includes both a traditional annual fund and a separate fund that supports 15% of families with full scholarships. Goals for both funds total about $2.2 million annually. Long-term goals include capital fundraising for a new campus and growing the endowment. We have raised about $15 million towards our overall goal of $30 million for our new campus, and we have about $6 million currently in our endowment.  In just the past two years alone, the school has raised an impressive $17 million in annual, capital campaign, and endowed gifts.

The Director of Advancement will have the opportunity to build upon an existing culture of philanthropy at the school and cultivate relationships within the GMS community, as well as with donors, benefactors, and foundations throughout the Bay Area. This position reports to the Head of School and starts this summer. This is an on-site position requiring continued presence in both the school and donor communities to build relationships. 

More about the New Campus

The Director of Advancement will have the exciting opportunity to support the school in realizing its goal of moving to a new campus, slated for 2027. After a multi-year quest to find a suitable and forever home, the school recently identified a property and is in the final stages of pre-construction, including obtaining the conditional use permit, securing financing, and meeting interim fundraising targets. Construction is scheduled to begin in Spring 2026, with the goal of starting school at the new campus in the Fall of 2027. The capital campaign is more than halfway to the target and has met significant milestones along the way. The Director of Advancement will assume leadership of these efforts, in partnership with a Capital Campaign Committee consisting of highly experienced volunteers, the Head of School, and the Board of Trustees.  Substantial investment has been made in building out the people, systems, and structures to get to the finish line within the next few years.

More about Annual Fundraising  

For a school of GMS’s size, the annual fundraising goals are impressive. With dedicated support from current and past families and the greater community, GMS has successfully met its annual goals while also making great progress on the capital campaign.

The school’s annual fund, known as The GMS Fund, aims to raise about $700,000 per year to offset overall school operational costs. 

The Bennett Scholars Fund supports our Bennett Scholars Program. This fund aims to raise funds to support approximately 10 incoming sixth graders annually, supporting them for their full three years at GMS. The goal is about $1.5 million per year. 

More about the Bennett Scholars Program 

The Bennett Scholars Program (named after founder Kathleen Bennett) is at the heart of the GMS mission. Since its founding, GMS has provided a place where girls from diverse ethnic, religious, and economic backgrounds develop the academic skills, self-knowledge, and personal strength to achieve their dreams, as well as the empathy and communication skills to support each other on their journeys towards adulthood.

Each year, high-achieving girls from mid-peninsula under-resourced communities are selected to receive a three-year, full-tuition scholarship to attend GMS. Deeply committed to creating an equitable experience for all students, The Girls’ Middle School admits girls who are often the first in their families to be college-bound. While funding the basics like tuition is necessary, achieving true equity of opportunity requires a team of dedicated teachers and after-school program coordinators to assist and support the scholars holistically. This team is led by our Director of Bennett Scholars.

In addition to covering the costs of tuition, technology, field trips, and events, GMS is proud to meet its scholars where they are and offer support as needed for:

• All school supplies
• Weekly one-on-one tutoring
• Transportation
• Daily lunch
• Credit towards uniform purchases
• Afterschool courses
• Wifi connectivity at home
• Language translation of all school communications
• Other wraparound student and family support as needed.

The school’s commitment to these scholars does not end when they graduate. GMS also provides high school advising, test preparation for high school, and summer college prep courses for rising high school seniors.

Specific Job Responsibilities

• Oversee the school’s annual fund campaign, work with the board of trustees to develop and implement new strategies for donor cultivation and stewardship, oversee the fund’s marketing through various multi-media channels, and evaluate the fund’s sustainability in alignment with the school’s overall goals. 
• Oversee the strategy and fundraising for the Bennett Scholars Program, identifying and building relationships with new prospects, strengthening relationships with existing donors, and effectively promoting the fund among the community members to maximize major gifts and overall philanthropic support.
• Promote the mission of GMS in the community through special events and partnerships, and work to build strong relationships with various donor constituencies, including the Alumni Association and Parents’ Association.

Advancement Strategy for Long-Term Sustainability

• Oversee the school's capital campaign, working closely with the Head of School, the Capital Campaign Committee Chair, and Cabinet, and other administrative leadership. Work collaboratively to adjust strategy as needed to meet critical fundraising targets.
• Strategically develop and grow the school’s endowment fund to ensure the long-term sustainability of the Bennett Scholars Program and the school’s ongoing operational needs. (Currently, the endowment stands at $6 million.)
• Oversee and develop the school’s planned giving program and build additional streams of non-tuition revenue, including soliciting additional foundation support.
• Develop, coach, and mentor colleagues, key volunteers, and trustees to take an active role in building relationships and fundraising.

General Leadership and Departmental Oversight

• Work closely and build relationships with the Head of School, Board of Trustees, and the Board Advancement Committee to promote the role of fundraising and philanthropy at GMS, and develop multi-year plans to ensure that GMS develops an ongoing culture of institutional advancement.
• Offer outstanding mentorship, feedback, support, professional growth, and guidance to the advancement department, which will include supervising the associate director of advancement and the advancement associate.
• Provide ongoing assessment of roles and responsibilities for the purpose of ensuring the advancement department has proper staffing aligned with fundraising goals and needs of the school.
• Implement best practices in data recording and management, gift acknowledgment and reporting, donor relations, giving policies, and confidentiality of information.
• Remain current with advancement trends and cultivate professional standards and development by participating in educational opportunities, reading professional publications, maintaining professional networks, and participating in local, regional, and national professional organizations.
• Serve on the senior administrative team consisting of the Head of School, the Assistant Head of School, the Chief Business Officer, the Director of Admissions, and the Director of Student Services. Support the team and contribute actively to the overall decision-making processes of the school.
• Actively participate in the life of the school and perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Possession of a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university; a graduate degree preferred
• 5+ years of increasing responsibility in fundraising for scholarships and/or annual giving campaigns, preferably in a school or other education-related not-for-profit 
• 3+ years of leadership team or supervisory experience, overseeing a team of 2+ employees
• Proven track record of fundraising success, including an ability to cultivate, solicit, and secure major contributions 
• Experience with capital and endowment campaign planning, implementation, and management
• Comprehensive understanding of advancement best practices and demonstrated proficiency with leading-edge fundraising technology

Qualities and Competencies

• Ability and enthusiasm for building authentic relationships across different constituencies, including alumni, trustees, parents and guardians, staff and faculty, and friends of the school
• An excitement about both the mission of GMS and working specifically within a middle school community of passionate and engaged faculty and staff
• Outstanding collaboration and team-building skills, including the ability to clearly communicate and prioritize team responsibilities and goals in alignment with big-picture objectives
• Ability to create, analyze, and leverage performance metrics, and communicate them to senior leadership and board members
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Experience with Customer Relationship Management platforms in tracking and managing donor relationships
• Strong attention to detail and follow-through
• Creative, flexible, and strategic mindset willing to solve complex problems.

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until the position is filled

An application requires submission of three PDFs:

• Cover letter introducing yourself to The Girls’ Middle School search committee and sharing your interest in the position
• CV or resume
• A list of four references (include each person’s name, organization, title, phone number, email, and connection to you - although we will not contact any reference without obtaining your permission first)

Equity, inclusion, and belonging are at the heart of our mission. The Girls’ Middle School was founded on the core belief that diverse and inclusive communities are strong communities. We are committed to creating a school culture that welcomes all aspects of each individual’s identity. We are actively seeking individuals who value equitable education and are committed to fostering an environment of agency and belonging for our diverse student body. 

The Girls’ Middle School is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer committed to a policy of equal treatment and opportunity in every aspect of its hiring and promotion process without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sexual orientation, partnership status, gender and/or gender identity or expression, marital, parental or familial status, national origin, ethnicity, veteran or military status, age, disability, or any other legally protected basis. 

The candidate must be authorized to work in the United States. GMS does not support applications for work visas.

Compensation and Benefits:

• Comprehensive employee health benefits (full medical, dental & vision coverage)
• Retirement matching
• Access to engaging and personalized professional development
• The Girls’ Middle School uses a competitive salary scale. The salary for this position ranges from $150,000 to $175,000, commensurate with experience. This is a 12-month position. 

To Apply:

Please submit your resume, cover letter, and four references to Christine Fairless, Head of School, at cfairless@girlsms.org.