The River School - Director of Annual Giving and Engagement (Washington DC)

The River School

Director of Annual Giving and Engagement

Washington, DC

The Opportunity

Some fundraising positions help organizations grow. Others help transform lives. At The River School, you'll have the opportunity to do both.

As Director of Annual Giving and Engagement, you'll partner closely with the Director of Philanthropy to strengthen River's annual giving program, deepen alumni and parent engagement, lead signature advancement events, and build meaningful relationships with donors, families, trustees, and volunteers. This highly visible role offers the opportunity to grow philanthropic support while advancing one of the nation's most innovative models of inclusive education for children with hearing loss and their hearing peers.

The River School is entering an exciting new chapter marked by a transformational campus project, ambitious fundraising goals, and continued growth across its educational and clinical programs. You'll join a warm, collaborative, and mission-driven team that values initiative, creativity, and partnership while helping build the philanthropic support that will sustain River's impact for generations to come.

If you're a relationship-centered fundraiser who enjoys balancing strategy with execution and wants your work to make a lasting difference for children and families, you'll find an exceptional opportunity to grow your career while helping shape the future of one of the country's most distinctive educational organizations.

About The River School

For more than 25 years, The River School has been redefining what inclusive education can look like. River brings together children with hearing loss and hearing peers in a language-rich educational environment where every child learns, communicates, and grows together. Through its innovative educational model, nationally recognized clinical programs, and commitment to family engagement, River has become a national leader in inclusive early childhood and elementary education.

More than a school, River serves as a vibrant community where education, clinical expertise, research, and family support come together to help children reach their fullest potential. The organization is entering an exciting period of growth, including a transformational new campus and expanded opportunities to deepen its impact through philanthropy.

The Position

Annual Giving

• Lead the strategy, planning, execution, and evaluation of The River School's annual giving program.
• Partner with the Director of Philanthropy to develop annual fundraising plans, goals, calendars, appeals, and donor engagement strategies.
• Manage annual fund identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship efforts to strengthen donor participation and long-term support.
• Develop compelling donor communications, appeals, impact reports, and stewardship materials that inspire generosity and deepen engagement.
• Monitor annual giving performance, analyze results, and recommend strategies to maximize participation and philanthropic support.
• Identify, qualify, and cultivate new philanthropic relationships to expand River's donor community.
• Support major gift, campaign, foundation, and corporate fundraising initiatives in partnership with the Director of Philanthropy.
• Collaborate with Board members, volunteers, and school leadership to advance fundraising priorities and strengthen donor engagement.

Advancement Events & Community Engagement

• Lead the planning and execution of signature advancement events, including the scholarship auction, donor recognition events, alumni programs, and other engagement activities.
• Develop event goals, budgets, timelines, work plans, and measures of success.
• Build authentic relationships with parents, alumni, trustees, volunteers, donors, and community partners to strengthen long-term engagement.
• Recruit, organize, and support volunteers who help advance River's fundraising and community engagement efforts.
• Evaluate event performance and recommend improvements based on participation, engagement, fundraising results, and organizational capacity.
• Serve as an enthusiastic ambassador for The River School, representing its mission at school functions, donor events, and community gatherings.

Advancement Strategy & Operations

• Maintain accurate donor and prospect information within the CRM to support effective relationship management and fundraising strategy.
• Monitor fundraising activity and prepare regular reports on annual giving, alumni engagement, and event performance.
• Partner on fundraising communications, stewardship initiatives, and donor recognition efforts that strengthen relationships and inspire continued support.
• Help strengthen advancement systems, processes, and operational efficiencies that support a high-performing fundraising program.
• Utilize data and performance metrics to inform decision-making and support continuous improvement across advancement initiatives.

Organizational Leadership

• Partner closely with the Director of Philanthropy to help strengthen and grow River's overall advancement program.
• Collaborate across departments to ensure a consistent donor experience and unified advancement strategy.
• Foster a collaborative, positive, and mission-driven culture by building strong relationships across the organization.
• Perform additional responsibilities as needed in support of organizational priorities and River's continued growth.

Who You Are

Relationship Builder

You genuinely enjoy connecting with people and earning their trust. Whether engaging a first-time donor, welcoming a new family, partnering with volunteers, or working alongside colleagues, you build authentic relationships that inspire long-term engagement and generosity.

• Five+ years of progressive fundraising experience.
• Exceptional relationship-building and interpersonal skills.
• Warm, authentic, and naturally curious communicator.
• Demonstrated success cultivating meaningful philanthropic partnerships.

Annual Giving Leader

You understand that successful annual giving is about more than appeals, it's about creating meaningful experiences that encourage lasting support. You enjoy balancing strategy with execution and take pride in seeing ideas become results.

• Experience leading annual giving, donor engagement, alumni relations, events, or comprehensive fundraising programs.
• Ability to develop thoughtful fundraising strategies and execute them with excellence.
• Comfortable managing multiple priorities while maintaining exceptional attention to detail.

Collaborative Partner

You believe the best work happens together. You value collaboration, communicate openly, and enjoy supporting shared goals while taking ownership of your own responsibilities.

• Thrives in highly collaborative environments.
• Builds strong partnerships with leadership, trustees, volunteers, and colleagues.
• Exercises sound judgment and communicates proactively.

Mission-Driven Communicator

You believe stories have the power to inspire generosity. You enjoy connecting people with opportunities to make a meaningful difference and can communicate a mission with authenticity and enthusiasm.

• Passion for education, inclusion, healthcare, disability services, or other mission-driven work.
• Ability to communicate compelling, donor-centered stories that inspire philanthropic investment.

Organized Project Manager

You enjoy bringing structure to complex projects. Whether coordinating an event, managing donor information, or tracking fundraising progress, you stay organized, anticipate needs, and follow through on the details that matter.

• Excellent project management and organizational skills.
• Comfortable utilizing CRM systems and fundraising analytics.
• Balances strategic thinking with exceptional execution.

Adaptable Self-Starter

You're energized by growth and new opportunities. You embrace change, approach challenges with creativity, and are comfortable wearing multiple hats while helping build something meaningful.

• Flexible, resourceful, and solutions-oriented.
• Self-directed while remaining highly collaborative.
• Thrives in a dynamic organization that continues to grow and evolve.

Why You'll Love Working Here

Transform Lives

Every gift you help inspire directly supports children with hearing loss and their hearing peers as they learn, communicate, and grow together. Your work will have a lasting impact on students, families, and one of the nation's most innovative models of inclusive education.

Help Shape River's Future

Join The River School during an exciting period of growth, including a transformational campus project and ambitious philanthropic goals. You'll have the opportunity to build and strengthen annual giving and engagement efforts while helping position River for its next chapter.

Build Meaningful Relationships

From generous donors and engaged parents to alumni, trustees, volunteers, and community partners, you'll spend your time connecting people to a mission that changes lives. If you enjoy building authentic relationships and bringing people together around a shared purpose, you'll find this work deeply rewarding.

Grow as a Fundraising Leader

Lead River's annual giving and engagement program while partnering closely with an experienced Director of Philanthropy. You'll have the opportunity to expand your leadership, strengthen your fundraising expertise, and help shape a growing advancement program.

Join an Extraordinary Community

One theme emerged consistently throughout our stakeholder conversations: River is a warm, collaborative, mission-driven community where people genuinely care about one another. You'll work alongside talented colleagues who are passionate about supporting children and families while celebrating each other's successes along the way.

Compensation & Benefits

Expected Hiring Range: $115,000–$135,000, commensurate with experience and qualifications.

The River School offers a competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package.

Join Our Team

The River School has retained ThinkingAhead Executive Search to lead this search.

Please submit your resume and expression of interest to:

Dan Kuhar
Partner | ThinkingAhead Executive Search
dkuhar@thinkingahead.com

The River School is an equal-opportunity employer and we encourage all interested candidates to apply, even if you don’t meet every qualification listed. If you’re passionate about our mission and believe you can make a meaningful impact in this role, we’d love to hear from you! All candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran. Employment is contingent upon completion of required background checks and compliance with The River School’s health requirements, including vaccinations and tuberculosis screening, subject to reasonable accommodations required by law.