Director of Development

The Director of Development serves as the lead fundraiser for City Garden Montessori School and is responsible for achieving the school's annual fundraising goals through major gifts, foundation and corporate partnerships, donor stewardship, and strategic advancement planning.

The DOD manages key donor relationships, leads fundraising strategy, partners closely with the CEO and Board of Directors, and supervises a Development & Communications Manager.

We’re seeking a frontline fundraiser with significant experience cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding individual donors. Our ideal candidate is also a development generalist who is equally comfortable creating a multichannel advancement strategy and executing thoughtfully on that strategy. 

Reports To

CEO

Supervises

Development & Communications Manager

Key Responsibilities

Major Gifts and Donor Relations

• Manage a portfolio of approximately 50–75 major donor and prospect relationships.
• Develop and implement individualized cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship plans.
• Conduct donor meetings, site visits, and stewardship activities throughout the year.
• Prepare and lead major (4-5 figure) gift solicitations in partnership with the CEO and Board members.
• Identify opportunities to increase donor retention and upgrade giving levels.
• Proactively conduct discovery work to uncover new individual prospects.

Fundraising Strategy and Revenue Growth

• Develop and execute the annual fundraising plan.
• Establish annual fundraising goals and key performance indicators.
• Monitor fundraising performance and adjust strategies as needed.
• Build a sustainable pipeline of major gift prospects.

Foundation and Corporate Giving

• Oversee foundation and corporate fundraising strategy.
• Develop relationships with key institutional funders.
• Collaborate on grant proposals, reports, and stewardship activities.
• Ensure timely submission of all grant and sponsorship opportunities.

Board and Volunteer Engagement

• Support Board fundraising efforts and engagement.
• Build a development committee to assist with donor identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
• Provide coaching and tools to help Board members manage donor relationships.
• Partner with volunteer leaders and ambassadors to expand City Garden's network.

Leadership and Management

• Supervise and support the Development & Communications Manager.
• Foster strong systems, accountability, and collaboration across advancement functions.
• Work closely with school leadership to identify compelling stories and funding opportunities.

Success Measures

During the first year, success will include:

• Achieving annual fundraising goals.
• Increasing the number of donors giving $5,000+ and $10,000+.
• Maintaining strong retention among existing donors.
• Establishing clear donor portfolios and moves-management practices.
• Building a reliable fundraising pipeline and reporting system.

Goals over the next four years will include:

• Growing and strengthening City Garden’s Annual Fund campaign (currently bringing in $960K in gross revenue).
• Partnering with the CEO to plan and execute a multi-year campaign to raise funds to support capital improvements, purchase of the Early Childhood Education Center, teacher salary increases, and an endowment.
• Playing a key role in implementing City Garden’s new strategic plan in partnership with the CEO, Board, and other key stakeholders.

Compensation

This position offers a salary range of $95,000-$110,000 and robust benefits including medical, dental, pension (vested after five years), school admission preference (discounted preschool and before/after care), and 21 days annually of Personal Time Off, in addition to federal holidays and school breaks. 



This position will be on site, with the possibility of some work being performed remotely, upon agreement with supervisor. 

About City Garden Montessori School

Mission and Vision

City Garden redefines education by centering children in an excellent, inclusive Montessori model that honors the humanity and potential of every learner. We nurture the whole child in partnership with families and cultivate a community where children and adults learn, grow, and build meaningful relationships. We envision a St. Louis strengthened by thriving children, connected families, and a reimagined community: where lifelong learning and equitable opportunity are the norm, relationships across difference are foundational, and young people grow as compassionate, critical thinkers who help shape a more just and inclusive future.

We achieve our mission by combining the Montessori Theory of Development, rigorous state standards and an Anti-Bias, Antiracism (ABAR) framework in an intentionally diverse school setting. You can read CGMS’s strategic plan here. 

For more about us and our leadership ethos, click here.

History

City Garden was founded in 1995 as a Montessori preschool. In the mid-2000s, as a response to the educational inequity that exists in St. Louis, preschool parents worked with the founders to open a charter public elementary school. City Garden’s public charter school opened in the basement of a church in 2008 with 53 students, grades K-3. The school added a grade level each year until the school reached eighth grade and served 275 students, moving into the building at 1618 Tower Grove Avenue in 2012. In 2021, CGMS expanded its preschool and kindergarten program and in 2022, CGMS opened its new Elementary and Adolescent Center (EAEC), housing lower elementary (1st-3rd grade), upper elementary (4th-6th grade) and junior high (7th-8th grade) students. City Garden now serves 650 students in preschool through eighth grade across two buildings. 

Recognition

City Garden is the only Montessori charter school in Missouri and has been recognized both locally and nationally for its excellent program, staff and community:

• In 2018, City Garden was awarded a 10-year Charter renewal by the Missouri State Board of Education, instead of the typical 5-year renewal. Our charter will be up for renewal again in 2028.
• Guides (teachers) and leaders at City Garden have been recognized for their outstanding work educating and supporting students, including Charter School Teacher and Charter School Leader of the Year.
• City Garden was awarded the School of the Year by the Diverse Charter Schools Association in 2025.
• City Garden has been featured in 
• CGMS has been featured in multiple outlets, including in the Schools that Believe video series, the Bold by Choice podcast, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, and The Century Foundation.

City Garden Montessori School is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any applicant or employee because of race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, or military or veteran status in accordance with federal law. In addition, City Garden Montessori School complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every jurisdiction in which it maintains facilities. City Garden Montessori School also provides reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities in accordance with applicable laws.

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree required.
• 5+ years of progressive fundraising experience, and ideally some experience directly managing development staff.
• Demonstrated success securing 4-5 figure major gifts.
• Energized by heavy discovery and prospecting work.
• Strong relationship-building and interpersonal skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication abilities.
• Experience working with donor databases and fundraising CRM systems.
• Passion for educational equity and Montessori education.