Vice President of Advancement

Position Summary:

The Vice President of Advancement serves on the President's Cabinet and is responsible for cultivating revenue streams while working proactively with the university President to ensure the vitality and health of the organization's budget and advance Mount Mary University's mission. The Vice President of Advancement is also responsible for building and fostering positive and productive relationships among philanthropic, corporate, and community leaders as well as individual donors vested in supporting and advancing the Mount Mary's programs and services. In addition, the Vice President of Advancement is responsible for the development and execution of strategies to engage with target audiences to enhance the institutional awareness, build alumni engagement, increase admissions and retention, and support organizational strategic plan. This role requires a leader with deep fundraising expertise, strong organizational experience, and the ability to operate as both a strategist and a hands-on executor. The VP will work closely with the President, Board of Trustees, senior executives, and key external stakeholders to advance the institution's mission and long-term philanthropic vision.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Fundraising

• Develop and lead a comprehensive multi-year advancement strategy aligned with institutional priorities.
• Drive major gift fundraising, special campaigns, annual giving, alumni engagement, planned giving, endowment giving and donor stewardship.
• Maintain and grow a high-value personal donor portfolio, including high-net-worth individuals, foundations, and institutional partners.

Organizational Leadership & Team Management

• Oversee all fundraising activities, including major gifts, principal gifts, annual giving, planned giving, corporate and foundation relations, and grants.
• Personally manage a portfolio of top-tier prospects and donors.
• Partner with the President and Board members to drive and maintain high-level donor cultivation and solicitation.
• Ensure accurate donor stewardship, reporting, and compliance with ethical standards
• Build, lead, and mentor a high-performing advancement team with the right capabilities, attitude, and growth potential.
• Establish clear KPIs, performance standards, and operational workflows across all advancement functions.
• Contribute to institutional strategic planning, execution, and reporting for the organization.

Alumni, Donor, and Constituent Engagement

• Strengthen relationships with alumni, donors, and key external stakeholders.
• Oversee alumni relations, volunteer engagement, and recognition programs.
• Develop strategies to expand and diversify the donor base.

Operations, Systems & Data-Driven Decision Making

• Oversee advancement operations including CRM systems, donor pipeline management, data analysis, forecasting, and performance dashboards.
• Ensure strong documentation, reporting, compliance, and process discipline.
• Analyze fundraising performance data to guide strategy and optimize results.

Brand, Reputation & Institutional Representation

• Ensure alignment of donor and alumni communications, stewardship materials, and impact narratives with institutional brand standards.
• Serve as the primary external ambassador for philanthropic efforts, representing the university to donors and community partners.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work effectively with internal stakeholders to navigate organizational change and strategic growth.
• Manage interfaces and cross-collaborative relationships between Advancement and Finance, Financial Aid, Marketing, Academic Affairs, and the President's Office.
• Engage and support the Board's Advancement Committee to enhance trustee involvement in philanthropy.

Qualification and experience required

• Minimum 10 years of end-to-end fundraising experience, covering major gifts, campaigns, grant writing, donor stewardship, relationship management, and advancement systems.
• Career progression starting with frontline fundraising into leadership and strategic execution.
• Prior experience in higher education.
• Bachelor's Degree required. Master's degree preferred.
• Proven track record of working with senior executives.
• A demonstrated history of successfully leading and contributing to fundraising across a variety of areas and managing the entire donor life cycle.
• Hands-on operational expertise with CRM platforms and data-driven fundraising systems.
• Demonstrated experience building and managing high-performing teams.

Leadership Competencies

• Strategic thinker with operational discipline who can prioritize big picture ideas into tactical actions.
• Exceptional relationship-building and executive communication skills.
• High emotional intelligence and organizational savviness.
• Demonstrated ability to lead during change and manage high-stakes donor relationships.
• Strong ethical judgment, discretion, and professional maturity.

Mount Mary University practices equal opportunity employment as part of our ongoing commitment to diversity in our workplace.