About Us

Cristo Rey Orlando High School (CRO) is a Catholic, college preparatory high school in Orlando, FL, serving students of all faiths from families of limited financial means. Opening to its inaugural freshmen class in fall 2025, CRO is co-educational and serves students of diverse backgrounds, helping them grow intellectually, academically, emotionally, spiritually, socially, and morally. Our college-prep curriculum, Corporate Work Study Program (CWSP), and faith-based education provide a unique, affordable path to high-quality education.

CRO is part of the Cristo Rey Network®, the only high school network integrating four years of rigorous academics with professional work experience through the CWSP. With 41 schools, 12,000 students across 25 states, and 22,000 graduates, the network equips students from families of limited means with knowledge, character, and skills to transform their lives.

A CRO education is funded through philanthropic fundraising, minimal family tuition, the CWSP, and Florida Tax Credit (FTC) Scholarships administered through Step Up For Students. This multi-revenue model requires the VP of Advancement to understand and support all funding streams—raising funds to grow CRO while cultivating donors whose contributions to Step Up generate the scholarship dollars that sustain student access.

CRO has built a solid foundation of community support with a strong donor base. The organizational culture is built on excellence, openness, vulnerability, strong team dynamics, and shared mission commitment.

As a young, expanding school, CRO is actively scaling enrollment, strengthening CWSP partnerships, advancing campus development, and building long-term financial sustainability. This role is about helping shape these structures. The VP of Advancement will steward momentum, build durable systems, and advance a bold vision requiring both strategic discipline and entrepreneurial energy. Candidates energized by growth, complexity, and mission-driven impact will find this especially meaningful.

The Opportunity

CRO seeks an experienced, relationship-driven Vice President of Advancement to lead the next chapter of fundraising and external relations. Having completed its startup phase under a founding VP who built the advancement department from the ground up, the school is positioned for success.

The foundation is laid: a talented team of two direct reports is in place, major donor relationships cultivated, and significant philanthropic investments secured. The next VP will inherit a healthy portfolio of leadership and major gift donors and will deepen those relationships while building the systems and culture needed to scale fundraising long term.

This role involves meaningful collaboration with the VP of CWSP, recognizing overlap between corporate partners who employ CRO students and those organizations' philanthropic capacity. The VP of Advancement will also coordinate with community partners and fellow nonprofits to drive corporate donor participation in Florida's Tax Credit Scholarship program through Step Up For Students.

Who You Are

You are an experienced fundraising leader who excels at nurturing donor relationships. You are a systems-thinker who can assess what's working, identify gaps, and implement structures for long-term success. You lead with warmth, integrity, and accountability, and invest in creating an environment where staff thrive. You are energized by mission-driven work and understand the dynamics of a Catholic school serving families of limited means.

You bring sophisticated understanding of major and leadership giving, are comfortable engaging high-net-worth donors and board members, and equally adept at building infrastructure for a high-performing advancement operation. You see the connection between corporate partnerships and philanthropy. You understand, or are eager to learn, Florida's scholarship funding landscape and the role Step Up For Students plays in sustaining student access.

Primary Responsibilities

Fundraising Strategy & Donor Relations

• Lead a comprehensive, multi-year fundraising strategy encompassing annual giving, major and leadership gifts, corporate and foundation grants, planned giving, events, and capital campaigns.

• Steward and grow an existing donor portfolio, emphasizing major and leadership-level donors.

• Work with the President & CEO and Board Development Committee to set annual fundraising goals and strategies.

• Personally manage a portfolio of major gift prospects and donors ($100,000+), engaging in identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.

• Implement donor recognition and stewardship strategies that inspire continued and increased investment.

• Provide strategic direction for annual fund campaigns, events, and mid-level giving programs.

• Ensure timely, accurate gift acknowledgment and donor records reflecting best practices.

• Formalize and expand a planned giving program building on existing commitments.

Department Leadership & Culture Building

• Lead, mentor, and develop two direct reports (Director of Development and Director of Marketing & Advancement Operations) with clear expectations, regular feedback, and professional development.

• Build a departmental culture of excellence, collaboration, openness, and accountability aligned with CRO's organizational culture.

• Establish and refine advancement systems and workflows to support scalable fundraising operations.

• Ensure effective utilization of CRM systems for donor tracking, pipeline management, and reporting.

• Build and monitor the annual advancement expense budget.

Board Engagement

• Staff all Development Committee meetings with strategic updates, data-driven reports, and actionable recommendations.

• Partner with the Board to leverage networks, relationships, and giving capacity for philanthropic impact.

• Support board members as ambassadors and fundraisers for CRO.

Corporate Work Study Program Collaboration

• Collaborate with the VP of CWSP to identify dual engagement opportunities with corporate partners.

• Develop joint strategies to maximize the total value of each corporate relationship.

• Coordinate messaging and outreach to ensure a unified approach reflecting both the CWSP value proposition and the philanthropic case for support.

• Share prospect intelligence and pipeline data with the CWSP team.

Communications & External Relations

• Set strategic direction for advancement communications—appeals, donor reports, annual reports, newsletters, and digital content—with execution led by the Director of Marketing & Advancement Operations.

• Ensure marketing, branding, and storytelling align with fundraising objectives and mission.

• Represent CRO at community events, donor meetings, and public engagements as a visible ambassador.

• Collaborate with Finance & Operations for accurate budget, audit, and reporting records.

• Steward brand and storytelling integrity across departments.

Florida Tax Credit Scholarship & Step Up For Students

• Collaborate with community partners in the Step Up ecosystem to coordinate donor outreach and maximize collective impact.

• Stay current on legislative and policy developments related to Florida's school choice programs.

Reports directly to the President & CEO; serves on the senior leadership team. Additional responsibilities may be assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum five years of progressive fundraising experience, including three+ years managing a development/advancement team.

• Demonstrated success cultivating and stewarding major gifts and foundation grants of $100,000+.

• Proven ability to build systems and infrastructure for advancement operations.

• Exceptional relationship-building skills to engage donors, board members, corporate leaders, and stakeholders at the highest levels.

• Track record developing and executing multi-year fundraising plans.

• Experience managing and developing staff with focus on culture, accountability, and growth.

• Commitment to the school's mission and values in a faith-based educational setting.

• Excellent written, verbal, and public speaking skills.

• Proficiency in CRM systems and data-driven fundraising management.

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and Google Suite.

• Bachelor's degree.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree.

• Experience in Catholic education, faith-based organizations, or mission-driven nonprofits.

• Experience with scholarship programs and private school funding models in Florida's school choice landscape.

• Experience collaborating with corporate partners.

• Familiarity with the Cristo Rey Network model or similar work-study programs.

• Experience working with a board of directors in a fundraising capacity.

Organizational Competencies

The ideal candidate demonstrates strength in: Embodies Organizational Image, Strives for Success, Demonstrates Flexibility & Resilience, Student Centered Focus, Coaches and Develops, Builds Collaboration, Lifelong Learner, and Safety Management.

How to Apply

Submit a resume and cover letter explaining why you are a match for this opportunity. Applications accepted until the position is filled. Apply online:

https://cristoreyorlandohs.bamboohr.com/careers/56?source=aWQ9MjM%3D

References will be requested. Salary: $130,000–$150,000 annually, commensurate with experience. Comprehensive benefits included. All offers conditional on background check completion.

Cristo Rey Orlando High School is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, pregnancy, color, national or ethnic origin, age, religion, disability, genetic information, citizenship status, uniform service member status, or any other category protected by federal, state or local law, unless a particular status contradicts the deeply held religious convictions of the School or the church.