Associate Vice President, Capital Giving

The Associate Vice President, Capital Giving is a bold, strategic, and results-oriented fundraising leader responsible for securing and stewarding some of the College’s most significant philanthropic investments. This senior leadership position manages a personal portfolio of principal gift prospects while overseeing and providing strategic direction to three mission-critical fundraising teams: Corporate Philanthropy, Foundation Relations, and Planned Giving. Specifically responsible for building, leading, and motivating a high-performing team, establishing clear goals, accountability, and a culture of collaboration and excellence; and designing and executing a comprehensive engagement and cultivation strategy that strengthens the College’s pipeline of corporate, foundation, and planned giving donors, while driving efforts to secure transformational gifts that advance the College’s strategic priorities.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

Strategic Leadership & Team Management

• Provide bold, visionary leadership and strategic direction to the Directors of Corporate Philanthropy, Foundation Relations, and Planned Giving, ensuring donor engagement and revenue targets are surpassed across annual and long-term fundraising priorities.  Build, manage, and inspire a high-performing team, establishing a culture of accountability, innovation, collaboration, and results.
• Set and manage strategic priorities for each functional area while supporting staff with clear structure, motivation, and professional development.
• Deliver regular progress updates to the Vice President, Development, including proposal pipelines, activity metrics, and fundraising forecasts.
• Collaborate with Advancement colleagues to ensure alignment with campaign goals and cross-functional engagement strategies.
• Serve as a thought partner to Advancement leadership, helping shape strategies for the College’s top prospects and highest philanthropic priorities.

Principal & Transformational Gift Portfolio

• Personally manage a portfolio of major and principal gift prospects, with a focus on transformational, blended, and multi-year commitments.
• Strategically cultivate, solicit, and steward donors and prospects through tailored engagement plans and personalized outreach, averaging 15-20 prospect visits per month.
• Partner with senior leadership, faculty, and other stakeholders to advance meaningful donor relationships that align with the College’s mission and strategic initiatives.
• Collaborate with Advancement Donor Experience team to develop compelling donor experiences, giving societies, and recognition opportunities.

Corporate Philanthropy

• Provide strategic oversight into Advancement’s Corporate Philanthropy efforts to build and expand relationships with corporate partners across industries.
• Develop multi-faceted engagement opportunities that align corporate interests with institutional needs, including event sponsorships, program support, and strategic partnerships.
• Identify and cultivate new corporate prospects, including executive leadership and corporate foundation staff, to secure long-term commitments in support of College priorities.
• Support corporate strategy efforts for College entities such as Centers and Institutes, in collaboration with academic and administrative leaders.

Foundation Relations

• Provide strategic leadership to the Director, Foundation Relations to identify, cultivate, and secure grants and gifts from private, family, and institutional foundations.
• Oversee the creation of compelling proposals that align foundation interests with academic and institutional goals, in partnership with faculty and program staff.
• Cultivate relationships with foundation executives, trustees, and program officers, proactively seeking new funding opportunities and stewarding current partners.
• Lead efforts to ensure high-quality grant management, reporting, and stewardship to sustain and grow foundation investment.

Planned Giving

• Oversee the strategic marketing and execution of the College’s Planned Giving program, ensuring it integrates seamlessly into comprehensive and campaign fundraising strategies.
• Collaborate with the planned giving team to promote and grow the pipeline of deferred and blended gifts through marketing, donor education, and personal engagement.
• Provide guidance and support on complex gift strategies that maximize donor impact while advancing institutional priorities.
• Partner with financial and legal advisors, as appropriate, to facilitate sophisticated philanthropic investments.

Collaboration & Innovation

• Champion cross-campus collaboration to surface new ideas and priorities that align with donor interest.
• Serve as a visible ambassador for the College’s fundraising efforts- internally and externally- demonstrating passion for the mission and the ability to drive results.
• Collaborate with Advancement Annual Giving and Donor Experience teams to develop engagement strategies that fuel the donor pipeline and inspire long-term loyalty.
• Contribute to a culture of continuous improvement and innovation within the Advancement division.

Other

• Assume additional responsibilities as required.

YOUR TEAM WILL INCLUDE

Director, Corporate Philanthropy

Director, Foundation Relations

Director, Planned Giving

WHAT EDUCATION AND SKILLS YOU WILL NEED

Bachelor’s Degree

Requires a minimum of 15 years of senior-level fundraising and leadership experience, preferably in higher education, with demonstrated success in securing principal and transformational gifts.

Must have a proven track record of securing multiple seven-figure (or greater) philanthropic investments, be a seasoned frontline fundraiser and a compelling advocate for the College’s vision.

Proven experience leading high-performing fundraising teams, with strong leadership, management, and mentoring skills to inspire and develop talent within the Development Office.

Must have an entrepreneurial approach to fundraising, combined with professional integrity and a commitment to the collaborative process.

Must have strategic planning, organizational, and communication skills to articulate the mission of the College and the fundraising goals of the campaign.

Deep understanding of complex donor strategies, blended gifts, and institutional partnerships.

Demonstrated effectiveness in working with a multicultural student body, faculty, staff, and other constituents.

Ability to create an environment where direct reports have the freedom and security to take initiative; deal with complexities with resilience, resourcefulness, and optimism; and appreciate open-mindedness, creativity, and agility in thought and tactics.

Ability to embrace ideas and changes created by all community members.  

Ability to work independently to solve problems; look for opportunities to take on responsibility; take thoughtful risks; and effectively act on new and ongoing initiatives, objectives, and solutions to gain sought-after results.

Ability to anticipate and effectively handles change; demonstrate willingness to try new skills and challenging tasks; and is flexible in changing conditions.

Ability to establish creditability and confidence with stakeholders.

Must have exceptional collaboration and interpersonal skills, and the ability to be effective in engaging with all levels within the college.

Must have significant knowledge, understanding, and experience in the field of fundraising.

Outstanding communication, strategic thinking, and relationship-building skills.

Must be conversant in planned giving opportunities and engage donors in conversations about planned giving.

Strong technological skills including proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint).

HOW AND WHERE YOU WILL WORK

Requires work onsite a minimum of 2 days a week; the on-campus requirement is subject to modification based on organizational need.  Please note, the first 90 days in the role, must be fully onsite.

Ability and willingness to travel domestically and internationally and represent Babson

Ability to work flexible hours, including evenings and weekends.

Must have had a valid unrestricted U.S. Driver’s License for one year, and maintain throughout employment an insurable (as determined by the College’s insurer’s criteria) or a satisfactory driving record; must successfully complete and pass the College’s vehicle training program within the first 60 days of employment; annual or more frequent review of employee’s driving record based on the College insurer’s criteria; and safety training as required by management.

ADDITIONAL SKILLS YOU MAY HAVE

Master’s Degree preferred

This is an exempt position with the following pay range: $226,073 - $247,480; the role is also eligible for bonuses based on performance and budget.

Babson College offers a comprehensive benefits package for full-time employees working at least 28 hours per week.   

• Insurance Coverage: Medical, dental, vision, group life and long-term disability insurance, business travel accident insurance, and mental health benefits.
• Time Off: Starting at 3 weeks of vacation annually, 2 weeks of sick time, 1 week of paid family illness time, 6 weeks of paid parental leave, and 12 paid holidays per year.  President’s holidays are determined each year. 
• Retirement: Participation in a 403(b) retirement plan with mandatory employee contributions and a 4:1 employer match.
• Additional Benefits: Wellbeing programs, virtual fitness platform, and employee assistance program.

All questions or concerns about this posting should be directed to the Office of Human Resources at [email protected].