Vice President for Institutional Advancement

Introduction

Our client is Touro University

Position Description

Our client seeks a sophisticated and seasoned Vice President for Institutional Advancement (VPIA), with success in both fundraising and management to serve as the catalyst for enabling the University to achieve its near- and long-term financial goals.  The position reports to the Executive Vice President and is an exciting executive opportunity to join an institution poised to take an increasing leadership role in education, training, research and community service. 

The VPIA will be an advancement professional of considerable experience and ability, with a track record as a successful major/principal gift fund raiser and a commitment to integrating a broad engagement with alumni and other constituencies with an efficient and effective fund-raising program. The VPIA will lead in both word and deed and will possess the knowledge, intelligence, and judgment necessary to engage with leaders across the university to cultivate a holistic culture of philanthropy that is widely embraced and significantly productive.

The VPIA will direct all aspects of advancement including development, alumni affairs and events related to Development. The individual will work closely with the Executive Vice President and the Executive Director of Communications and Marketing. Working closely with lay and professional leadership, the VPIA will not only lead and implement the fund raising effort but help define the overall strategic direction of philanthropic enterprise and build and manage the required infrastructure and operations.

The VPIA will play an important role in aligning the work of the advancement department with the various education and research departments, faculty, programs and facilities, in order to maximize the achievement of the philanthropic goals.  This individual also oversees the relationship between the university and it alumni.  This responsibility includes coordination and planning of alumni events, management of the alumni office staff, as well as support for the school’s Alumni Association. He/She will oversee the planning and execution of programs—within the framework of the University System—that increase understanding, acceptance and support for the university among all of its constituencies.  This is accomplished by working closely with Executive Director of Communications and Marketing to insure the advancement of a positive image through media relations, internal and external publications, and web development.

Duties and Responsibilities

Development

• Plan, develop and implement an aggressive, creative fundraising program to solicit and acquire funds for the institution, including annual, planned, and major gift programs and specialized promotional or capital campaigns.
• Implement strategies to increase major gifts, unrestricted giving, endowments, foundation support, annual giving and scholarship support. 
• Construct an individual giving program that strengthens relationships with existing annual donors and strategically increases the base of support from individuals over time.
• Assist the University professionals and /Board of Trustees in building and nurturing long-term relationships that yield significant major gifts and endowments.  Work with the board of directors and other volunteer leaders, committees or boards to maximize their interests, time and abilities to further the fundraising effort. Coordinate and participate in the personal contact, cultivation and solicitation of major donors.
• Facilitate efforts to increase funding and all other forms of institutional support from corporations, public and private foundations and from federal and state governmental agencies.
• Direct programs that recruit, train and steward the involvement of volunteers in efforts that support fund raising and alumni relations.
• Direct comprehensive and efficient systems to manage all donor engagement including accounting and acknowledgement process for all gifts, database management, planning, recordkeeping, and reporting.

Alumni Affairs

• Direct the Alumni Office and staff and oversee support for the Alumni Association and its activities.

Communications

• Collaborate with the Executive Director of Communications and Marketing on the University’s public information, and community relations programs.
• Work effectively with alumni, senior leadership, employees, friends and students in delivering high quality and effective marketing, branding, communications and public relations.
• As requested, act as a spokesperson for the University.

Administration

• Hire, lead, inspire and direct staff in each area of responsibility by promoting direction and leadership on a day-to-day basis.  Provide ongoing supervision, coaching, training and mentoring to individual team members. 
• Build and foster a success-oriented, accountable, high-morale and positive environment that promotes teamwork and professional growth.
• Develop and employ performance measurement systems to evaluate and monitor individual and team performance toward goals. 
• Collect and report to the Executive Vice President, outcome metrics.
• Develop and manage the budgets for all Development efforts and programs.

Professional Qualifications

• BA degree
• 15 years of increasing responsibility in the areas of fundraising and alumni affairs.
• Experience in building and leading all aspects of a comprehensive advancement operation, and the management of professional fund-raising staff, campaign leaders, volunteers and the direct solicitation of major donors.
• Demonstrated results in executing major, capital and/or comprehensive campaigns with successful record of soliciting six and seven figure gifts; strong understanding of donor research, identification, cultivation and solicitation, and stewardship/moves management.
• Proven track record in the execution of fundraising strategic plans, setting and meeting goals and management of comprehensive fundraising programs including major gift development, capital campaigns, event planning, grant writing, prospect research, planned giving and donor acknowledgment, stewardship and staff supervision.
• Professional working knowledge of university advancement, alumni affairs, a plus
• Strong acumen in leading, managing, mentoring, motivating and supervising a talented and diverse professional staff of direct and indirect reports.
• Knowledge of desktop publishing, web development, and fund raising- database software.

Personal Qualifications

• Strong leadership ability and style necessary to develop, manage and inspire a talented and diverse professional staff.
• Openness, flexibility and decisiveness to lead and inspire internal and external constituencies.
• An excellent communicator who speaks and writes with clarity and purpose to internal and external constituencies.
• Presence and high comfort level to interact effectively with sophisticated physicians, researchers, donors and other important constituencies.
• A flexible and creative thinker able to find and create new giving opportunities for programs.
• An independent, strategic thinker with good judgment, sensitivity and common sense.
• Self-motivated, outgoing and results oriented; ability and desire to set and reach ambitious goals.
• Superior interpersonal skills with the ability to project professional competence, leadership capability and personal maturity.
• Ability to respect and maintain donor confidentiality.