Director of Advancement

The Mission

Founded in 1959 as a liberal arts school for the boys of the Texas Boys Choir, Trinity Valley School has grown and evolved over the last 65 years, while staying true to the vision of its founders who believed that learning how to learn was as important as acquiring knowledge.

More importantly, the founders also believed that Trinity Valley School’s culture should be deeply rooted and committed to the moral development of its students. Stephen Seleny, Founding Head of School, led and nurtured the school for its first 35 years as it grew, relocated several times, admitted girls in the early 1970’s, and retained its student centric culture that remains a hallmark of the school. 

Its MISSION & OBJECTIVES were developed by Mr. Seleny and other trusted stakeholders in the early years of the school’s life and remain relevant today: 

Trinity Valley School has four main objectives that articulate the School’s mission for its students: exemplary scholarship, which is fulfilled at college; the development of wide constructive interests; intelligent citizenship; and spiritual and moral development, which promotes lasting values. 

Today, that Vision and Mission undergird the ethos of the school as students learn to think deeply and broadly about the world in which they live and the world of others both near and far. Through the Global Education Program, all students (PK-12) interact with people around the globe in a variety of ways to better understand the world’s collective humanity and to develop respect and appreciation for cultural variety. Trinity Valley students are encouraged to excel as scholars, athletes, artists, writers, and musicians through exposure and practice. Gifted and committed faculty lead students in the joys of learning, the development of knowledge and the building of self-confidence.

The School

At Trinity Valley School (TVS), students can excel as scholars, athletes, artists, scientists, writers, musicians, and more. TVS students thrive by engaging in a comprehensive range of academic and co-curricular activities. This success is fueled by the unparalleled support of the School's exceptional faculty, who are deeply committed to helping each student become their best self. Teachers, coaches, and campus leaders provide unwavering encouragement and genuine care, ensuring that students experience a rich and fulfilling TVS journey in alignment with the school mission. 

The Trojan Outdoor Experience (TOE) Program, now in its fifth decade, remains a cornerstone of the School's commitment to experiential learning. Through activities like archaeology studies and mastering high ropes courses, students learn resilience, healthy risk-taking, and teamwork—skills that extend far beyond the traditional classroom. TOE challenges students to step out of their comfort zones, fostering grit and thoughtful perspectives to serve them for a lifetime. A defining feature of the schoolwide program, TOE, is its mentorship opportunities, allowing older students to lead and guide their younger peers, creating unique and lasting connections. 

Trinity Valley's founding headmaster, Mr. Stephen Seleny, envisioned a school where students would think deeply and broadly about their world and the global stage, understanding their roles in both. Today, his vision continues to flourish through the School's Global Education Program, where students engage with people worldwide, becoming informed global citizens. Whether hosting international guests, visiting other countries, or using technology to communicate with peers across the globe, TVS students from Pre-K through grade 12 gain a profound understanding of humanity's shared experiences and learn to navigate cultural differences with respect and dignity.

The Position

Trinity Valley School is seeking an experienced fundraising professional to partner with the Head of School to build philanthropic support for the school and the engagement of key stakeholders. The start date is on or before July 1, 2025. Reporting to the Head of the School, the Director of Advancement is the chief architect of development efforts, including creating, implementing, and supervising appropriate fundraising efforts to meet the financial goals of the School, including annual, capital, planned giving, stewardship, and alumni relations. Along with the Head of School and the Director of Strategic Marketing and Communications, s/he is responsible for strengthening a positive public perception of Trinity Valley in the community, communicating the mission and objectives of the school, building relationships with donors, and obtaining the financial support necessary to ensure a strong and vibrant future. 

Trinity Valley School is committed to attracting and retaining exceptional faculty and staff by offering the following: highly competitive salaries; fully paid employee health, disability, and life insurance; family dental insurance; TIAA-CREF 403(b) plan with immediate vesting; vision insurance; flexible spending accounts; professional development opportunities; tuition reimbursement for advanced degrees; and more. Faculty members at Trinity Valley School value the camaraderie, support, and sense of purpose among their peers. TVS considers its faculty “experts in education” and affords them a fertile teaching environment. 

TVS actively seeks to recruit and hire faculty and staff whose diversity is reflective of our community. TVS is deeply committed to the School’s mission and goals of equity, Inclusion, and belonging.

Strengths of the School

As the Director of Advancement they will understand and appreciate that Trinity Valley is a highly respected and successful day school with extraordinary strengths and resources. 

Exceptional Faculty: Since its founding, Trinity Valley’s faculty is the cornerstone of its success. The dedicated, creative, and caring teachers deliver instruction, fostering a stimulating and empowering learning environment. 

Engaged Students: As the heart of the school, students thrive both academically and socially, embodying the school’s core values through active participation in all aspects of the school and through meaningful relationships with their teachers. 

Successful Programs: The school offers strong academic, athletic, experiential learning and leadership programs that prepare students for college and future success. The programs, both academic and co-curricular, are designed to produce confident, capable students and alumni who become thoughtful and engaged citizens. 

Supportive Parent Community: Parents are actively involved and deeply invested in their children’s academic, extracurricular, and personal success. Historically, the parent community is a pillar of support and partnership. 

Impressive Campus and Facilities: The campus is well-designed, with modernized classrooms, athletic and arts facilities, and learning spaces that support innovative education. The campus has been well maintained over its 25-year life. 

Sound Financial Practices: Trinity Valley has a decades long history of conservative and sound financial practices both in terms of operating practices and capital expenditures. The school is well-positioned to invest in future growth and programs. 

Fort Worth, Texas: Fort Worth is the 12th largest city in the United States with a dynamic, growing economy. Trinity Valley is situated in southwest Fort Worth, which is one of the fastest growing geographic segments in the robust Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.

Opportunities & Challenges

The Director of Advancement at Trinity Valley School will first assess recent fundraising history, performance, and strategies, and formulate a comprehensive plan moving forward to engage all constituencies; focus on increased financial support from alumni; and develop strategies to meet goals for both new and existing initiatives. The successful candidate will be someone who can easily integrate into the entire school community and is willing to do the work in the trenches. S/he will need to be a person of high emotional intelligence, someone who will take full ownership of the development function, but still work collaboratively. The candidate will provide thoughtful strategies to retain and reinvigorate a constituency that has significant capacity to support the school’s operations and capital needs going forward, while optimizing the department’s infrastructure in order to meet and exceed goals.

Major Duties & Responsibilities

• Ensure that the fundraising functions of the school can sustain the institution over the long term through a clearly articulated vision, the application of a set of fundraising best practices, a willingness to model successful fundraising practices, and strong relationships with donors
• Establish and maintain both short- and long-range goals for capacity assessment, cultivation, stewardship, annual and capital fundraising, and planned giving that will increase the culture of philanthropy across all constituencies of the school
• Using a data-driven approach, create a long-range strategy for giving
• Mentor, support, and provide supervision to staff members
• Ensure that the department functions in an efficient and cost-effective manner
• Anticipate future programmatic needs and take initiative to address them thoughtfully and creatively
• Cultivate, solicit, and steward a number of the school’s top prospects
• Activate, support, and elevate the Head of School’s engagement and leadership in fundraising
• Act as administrative liaison to the Development Committee of the Board
• Prepare regular reports
• Advise on and prepare agendas for meetings
• Support the decisions of the Committee
• Assist the Committee in developing policies and procedures to guide the School’s fundraising efforts

Other Duties:

• Serve on the Senior Leadership Team
• Attend all TVS Board meetings, including subcommittee meetings, as needed.
• Participate in professional development that provides for continual learning about best practices and trends in the field.
• Perform other duties as requested.