Vice President for Development Administration and Strategic…

POSITION OBJECTIVE

The Vice President, Development Administration and Strategic Engagement has the broad responsibility to provide strategic leadership and ensure the optimal alignment of functional areas within University Relations and Development including: Administration and Finance; Advancement Services; Alumni Relations; Annual and Special Giving; Digital and Social Media Giving Platforms; Donor and University Events; Donor Relations and Endowment Stewardship; Talent Management and Trustee Programs.

This position supervises all University Relations and Development finance and administration functions, ensuring that all operations are aligned to support CWRU’s fundraising goals.

The Vice President will be responsible for developing new performance management tools and other new programs that move development and alumni relations into a modern and future-focused high functioning operation.

The Vice President manages a highly matrixed team that must collaborate and coordinate efforts across the senior management and development operations of CWRU in order to achieve desired fundraising outcomes. The Vice President will rely on past experiences in development and fundraising but continue to stay consistent and up to date with emerging trends in philanthropy. It is essential that the Vice President lead by example and foster an environment of teamwork and collaboration as well as accountability.

The Vice President will serve as a member of University Relations and Development senior leadership and chief of staff to the Senior Vice President for University Relations and Development and represent the Senior Vice President for University Relations and Development, as appropriate, both internally and externally.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Strategically utilize data and analytics to move annual giving to increase participation and giving aligning alumni and donors with their interests in addition to traditional alumni loyalty tactics. Develop and implement an alumni engagement program that aligns with the new annual giving strategy and uses peer-to-peer fundraising. Based on industry trends to further engage alumni and donors, use digital and social media giving platforms to enhance our alumni and donor engagement to increase giving and participation rates. Lead the development and execution of a new special gifts fundraising program to target the middle donors that normally are overlooked but have great giving potential integrating into a new leadership annual giving platform and using similar tactics to the overall annual giving program (20%).
• Build a new and robust advancement services operation including new strategies and tactics for prospect research to identify the prospects and current donors with the greatest giving potential; a prospect management system that accurately and appropriately assigns these top prospects and donors with development officers and then tracks engagement, productivity and reassignment; biographical records and central files; gift processing and technical services (20%).
• Design and manage a robust performance-based data and analytics reporting system to enhance the overall productivity of development and alumni relations including prospect management reports, development officer metrics and new dashboard reporting. Oversee the development and maintenance of essential reporting of philanthropic efforts including all attainment and cash reporting as well as reports for new initiatives and priority projects that can be viewed through daily dashboard reports as well as monthly and annual comparisons (15%).
• Provide leadership to the division of University Relations and Development’s finance and administration activities, including budget and financial planning, administrative services and human resources administration. Design and manage a new talent management program to attract the top development and alumni relations talent to the university, retain existing top performers by providing a career pathway and ongoing training, and provide an effective onboarding program (15%).
• Provide leadership to the university’s alumni relations programs, including the areas of: homecoming/reunion weekend and events; chapter and regional programming; student and young alumni outreach; affinity programs; alumni marketing and communications; and the Linsalata Alumni Center (10%).
• Provide leadership to the university’s campus and donor events locally, nationally and internationally, integrating alumni, presidential travel, and development activity into the overall strategy. Provide leadership to the university’s donor relations and endowment stewardship programs to ensure timely and effective acknowledgement, recognition, and endowment reporting (10%).
• Collaborate with the Vice President for Marketing and Communications to plan and implement development and university relations communications strategies. Develop appropriate messages and strategic communications for and on behalf of the Senior Vice President (5%).
• Manage and organize university committees, such as the Development and University Relations Committee and Committee on Trustees of the CWRU Board of Trustees, and new volunteer leadership groups (5%).

NONESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Perform other duties as assigned. (<1%)

CONTACTS

Department: Contact with directors, staff, vice presidents and associate/assistant vice presidents as required to perform essential functions.

University: Contact with the president, vice presidents, deans, school and college staff as required to perform essential functions.

External: Contact with trustees, alumni, donors, friends of the university, vendors and volunteers as required to perform essential functions.

Students: Contact with students as required to perform essential functions.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY

This position has overall supervisory responsibility for Advancement Services, Alumni Relations, Annual Giving, Donor and University Events, Donor Relations and Endowment Stewardship, Trustee Programs and Finance and Administration (50+ FTE).

QUALIFICATIONS

Experience: 15 or more years of progressively responsible leadership experience in higher education administration, external relations, development, or related fields.

Education/Licensing: Bachelor’s degree required, Master’s or terminal degree preferred.

REQUIRED SKILLS

• Demonstrated leadership ability when collaborating with all levels of staff, volunteers, board members, donors, and prospective donors.
• Demonstrated success persuading and influencing groups and individuals to support an organization’s agenda.
• Ability to interact with colleagues, supervisors, and customers face to face.
• Demonstrated success planning and implementing successful projects or initiatives with clear goals and objectives.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Effective presentation skills.
• Experience organizing and managing volunteer organizations.
• Display an awareness of fund raising and other external relations functions.
• Knowledge of the issues and opportunities facing higher education.
• Ability to deal with issues and cultures throughout the nation and beyond.
• High-level computer literacy, including experience using university advancement and financial databases.
• Ability to meet consistent attendance.
• Computer proficiency (including Microsoft Office) and the ability to learn new programs.

WORKING CONDITIONS

Professional office surroundings. Will be required to travel as needed.