Vice President of Institutional Advancement

Morehouse College, one of the nation’s most influential historically black colleges, and a preeminent men’s liberal arts college, seeks a collaborative and engaging leader to serve as their next Vice President of Institutional Advancement.

The Position: Reporting to the President, the Vice President of Institutional Advancement serves as the College’s principal fundraiser and oversees multiple functions within the Office of Institutional Advancement at Morehouse College, such as fundraising; major, principal, and planned gifts; endowments; prospect research; foundation, corporate, and donor relations; as well as specific capital campaign planning and efforts. The Vice President advises the President and the executive leadership team on all matters pertaining to the College’s fundraising strategies, advancement operations, and updates to the institution’s advancement goals to all stakeholders as needed, including management and execution of the ongoing $500M Campaign for Morehouse College, Making Men of Consequence. The Vice President will personally identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward donors and prospects for the College and in accordance with performance targets set by the President and the Board of Trustees, and will design, implement, and evaluate comprehensive development strategies and programs that support the overall goals and objectives of the College. This position is responsible for maintaining and establishing best practices for advancement and setting professional practice standards, policies, and procedures. In conjunction with the College’s strategic plan, the Vice President will provide direction to the advancement team to establish long- and short-range development goals. The Vice President represents the College to various external institutional constituents, such as corporations, foundations, funding agencies, and government agencies. The Vice President leads functional areas of the Office of Institutional Advancement including Development Operations and Support, Stewardship and Donor Relations, and Advancement Services. The Vice President leads a diverse and professional team of employees to achieve peak productivity and performance.

The Institution: Founded in 1867, Morehouse College has been producing extraordinary leaders, visionaries, and pillars of the community for more than 150 years. Morehouse’s mission is to develop disciplined minds to lead lives of leadership and service by emphasizing the intellectual and character development of its students. The College has prepared young men to change the world through leadership and service—driven by innovation, technology, global cultural dexterity, and a liberal arts foundation of knowledge. Famous graduates like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Spike Lee are joined by five Rhodes scholars, as well as congressmen, business titans, college presidents, and many more who proudly represent the Morehouse ideals. Morehouse College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award baccalaureate degrees. The College serves approximately 2,200 undergraduate students and offers those students individualized attention through a 14:1 student to-faculty ratio. The College offers more than 32 undergraduate major and 33 minor programs through seven academic divisions including Business Administration and Economics, Creative and Performing Arts, Experiential Learning and Interdisciplinary Studies, Humanities, Life Sciences, Mathematics and Computational Sciences, and Social and Cultural Studies. Morehouse’s iconic campus rests on 66 acres, just southwest of downtown Atlanta. Morehouse is a member of the Atlanta University Center (AUC) along with Clark Atlanta University, the Interdenominational Theological Center, and Spelman College. The AUC is the world’s largest HBCU consortium and shares the Woodruff Library. To learn more about Morehouse College, please visit: https://www.morehouse.edu

Qualifications: Candidates must have appreciation for the rich history and tradition of Morehouse College and its position as one of the nation’s preeminent liberal arts colleges. The successful candidate will have a record of progressively responsible experience and a history of securing major gifts and grants from individuals, corporations, foundations, and other private funding sources. This individual will have demonstrated the ability to plan and implement complex, multi-year, multi-million-dollar development initiatives, including comprehensive campaigns. The Vice President will be a collaborative leader within Institutional Advancement as well as across the College with the ability to foster a cooperative work environment within a complex organizational structure. They will have exceptional interpersonal skills and the ability to interact effectively with senior leadership, faculty, alumni, prospects, donors, and volunteers in a wide range of roles. The successful candidate will have demonstrated skills in strategic planning, performance measurement, financial planning, and fiscal management. The Vice President must have knowledge of best practices within the development profession, including those relating to deferred giving, annual fund management, direct mail, corporate and foundation relations, alumni relations, and other areas that articulate with and support major gift fundraising efforts. This individual will have the ability to exercise good judgment, demonstrate an understanding of ethics related to development activities, and use discretion in interactions with donors, prospects, volunteers, and others. The successful candidate will have excellent verbal and written communication skills and community relations skills with the ability to communicate, work, and present effectively within a diverse community. An earned bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution is required. Preferred qualifications include advancement higher education leadership experience, an earned certificate from a reputable organization dedicated to fundraising, and an earned master’s degree from an accredited institution.

Location: Atlanta, the vibrant capital of Georgia, is a city of more than four million people. The city has played center stage to many historical events throughout the civil war and the civil rights movement. More than 1,000 international businesses operate in the city and the city boasts the third largest concentration of Fortune 500 companies in the country. Retaining its reputation as a transportation hub, Atlanta houses the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the world’s busiest in daily passenger flights. The city offers residents and visitors nearly endless opportunities for enrichment and entertainment such as the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, Zoo Atlanta, High Museum, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Centennial Olympic Park, along with many music venues, and sports complexes. To learn more about the city of Atlanta, please visit: https://www.atlantaga.gov

Application: Interested candidates should submit only a cover letter and resume to RPA Inc. at MorehouseVPIA@rpainc.org. For a confidential discussion about this opportunity or to make a nomination, please email Dana John Cohick, President, or Kira Heath, Search Manager at the email address listed above. Recruitment will be conducted through September and October 2022, with candidates being reviewed as they arrive.

Diversity among its administrators, faculty, staff, and students is a Morehouse College commitment. Morehouse college is an affirmative action / equal opportunity employer. It is our policy to provide equal employment opportunities for all individuals without regard to race, sex, religion, color, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other classification protected by applicable law.