Vice President, Institutional Advancement

Since 1920, Mount St. Joseph University has provided an education that is based on interdisciplinary liberal arts and professional curricula emphasizing mission, values, integrity, and social responsibility. Faculty and staff deliver high-quality academics, hands-on experiential learning, and personalized attention to support student success. Join our award-winning team, recognized as a 'Best College to Work for,' and be part of a vibrant culture that places a premium on collaboration and belonging.

About the Position 

Reporting directly to the President and a member of the President’s Cabinet, the Vice President for Institutional Advancement (VPIA) serves as the University's chief advancement officer and cultivates an institution-wide culture of philanthropy. The VPIA provides strategic leadership for all fundraising, alumni engagement, donor relations, advancement operations, and campaign initiatives while fostering an institution-wide culture of philanthropy that advances the University's mission and strategic priorities.  The Vice President is the University's lead fundraiser, responsible for personally cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding the institution's highest-capacity major and principal gift prospects. Working in close partnership with the President, Board of Trustees, and University leadership, the VPIA develops and executes comprehensive fundraising strategies that secure transformational philanthropic investments and position the University for long-term financial strength.  The Vice President leads a team of advancement professionals while building the organizational capacity, systems, talent, and accountability necessary to support sustained fundraising growth and a successful comprehensive campaign.

The new VPIA must meet the following requirements and expectations:

• Be an ambitious, visionary, and relationship-driven advancement executive who inspires a strong culture of philanthropy across the University. 

• Demonstrate a distinguished record of personally cultivating, soliciting, and closing major and principal gifts, including transformational philanthropic investments. 

• Serve as the University's lead fundraiser by managing a portfolio of the institution's highest-capacity donors and prospects while partnering closely with the President on cultivation and solicitation strategies. 

• Lead the planning, readiness, execution, and successful completion of comprehensive capital campaign initiatives. 

• Build and strengthen advancement operations by developing high-performing fundraising systems, prospect development strategies, stewardship programs, portfolio management practices, and fundraising accountability measures. 

• Partner effectively with the President, Board of Trustees, senior leadership, faculty, alumni, and volunteers to advance institutional priorities. 

• Demonstrate creativity, strategic thinking, innovation, and collaborative leadership. 

• Possess a deep passion for higher education and the transformational impact Mount St. Joseph University has on students, alumni, and the community. 

Key Job Functions 

Strategic Direction and Planning

• Develop and execute the University's comprehensive advancement strategy in alignment with the University's Strategic Plan and long-term institutional priorities. 

• Establish multi-year fundraising goals, campaign strategies, financial projections, and measurable performance metrics that support sustainable philanthropic growth.

• Lead strategic planning for fundraising, alumni engagement, donor pipeline development, and campaign readiness while creating the organizational infrastructure necessary to support increasing levels of philanthropic investment.

Fundraising / Development

• Serve as the University's chief fundraising strategist and lead fundraiser by developing and executing comprehensive fundraising plans that achieve annual and long-term philanthropic goals.

• Personally manage a portfolio of the University's highest-capacity major and principal gift prospects through all stages of the donor lifecycle, including identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, negotiation, and stewardship. Partner closely with the President in developing and executing strategies to secure transformational gifts.

• Provide strategic leadership for all fundraising programs, including:

  • Annual Giving 

  • Leadership and Major Gifts 

  • Principal Gifts 

  • Planned Giving 

  • Corporate and Foundation Relations 

  • Government Grants 

  • Donor Stewardship 

  • Campaign Giving 

  • Special Events 

• Establish measurable fundraising objectives, monitor portfolio performance, and ensure accountability through prospect management, pipeline development, and performance metrics.

Relationship Management 

• Develop and sustain strategic relationships with donors, alumni, faculty, staff, trustees, corporate partners, foundations, and community leaders to strengthen philanthropic engagement and foster a culture of giving across all University constituencies.  

• Serve as a trusted advisor to the President and Board of Trustees on donor strategy, cultivation planning, solicitation approaches, and stewardship efforts.  

• Personally cultivate, solicit, and steward the University's most significant donors and prospects while providing coaching and strategic guidance to University leadership engaged in fundraising activities.

• Represent the University at institutional and community events to enhance visibility, strengthen partnerships, and expand philanthropic support.

Advancement Operations 

• Oversee and continually strengthen advancement operations to support a high-performing, data-informed fundraising organization.

• Provide leadership for:

  • Prospect research and development 

  • Portfolio management 

  • Advancement services 

  • Gift processing 

  • Stewardship and donor recognition 

  • Campaign reporting 

  • Data analytics 

  • CRM optimization (Raiser's Edge NXT and Slate) 

  • Gift compliance 

  • Performance measurement 

• Develop and implement policies, procedures, dashboards, and accountability systems that promote operational excellence, fundraising effectiveness, and continuous improvement.

Capital Campaign Leadership

• Lead the University's comprehensive campaign planning, campaign readiness, execution, and ongoing management.

• Develop campaign strategies, fundraising priorities, volunteer leadership structures, campaign communications, prospect strategies, and performance benchmarks necessary to achieve campaign success.

• Partner with the President, Board of Trustees, campaign leadership, and advancement staff to secure transformational philanthropic investments supporting the University's strategic priorities, including but not limited to:

  • Health Sciences initiatives 

  • Athletics Complex 

  • Student Center 

  • Library 

  • Academic excellence initiatives 

  • Student success initiatives 

  • Campus master plan priorities 

• Ensure the University develops the organizational capacity, donor pipeline, volunteer engagement, and fundraising systems necessary to support both current and future campaign success.

Organizational Growth and Advancement Excellence

• Lead the continued evolution of the University's advancement enterprise by strengthening fundraising infrastructure, expanding philanthropic capacity, improving donor engagement, and implementing best practices across all advancement functions. 

• Foster a culture of accountability, innovation, continuous improvement, and measurable results that positions the University for sustained fundraising success and long-term campaign readiness.

Department Leadership

• Hire, develop, mentor, and retain a high-performing advancement team committed to excellence, innovation, accountability, and collaboration. 

• Foster a sustainable culture of philanthropy and fundraising excellence by developing advancement staff and engaging campus partners as active participants in advancing the University's mission and philanthropic priorities.  

• Lead the continued growth and maturity of the advancement enterprise by strengthening annual giving, major and principal gifts, prospect development, stewardship, campaign readiness, donor engagement, portfolio management, and fundraising analytics. 

• Promote a culture of continuous improvement by implementing best practices, enhancing operational effectiveness, and building the organizational capacity necessary to support long-term fundraising success.  

• Establish clear performance expectations and accountability through key performance indicators, fundraising metrics, portfolio reviews, and regular assessment of organizational outcomes. 

• Invest in the ongoing professional growth of the advancement team through coaching, leadership development, and continuous learning opportunities.

• Bachelor's degree required; Master's degree preferred. 
• Minimum of seven to ten years of progressively responsible leadership experience in institutional advancement, philanthropy, or nonprofit fundraising, including management of professional advancement staff. 
• Demonstrated record of personally cultivating, soliciting, and closing major and principal gifts, including seven-figure or transformational philanthropic investments. 
• Successful experience developing and executing comprehensive fundraising strategies that achieve ambitious philanthropic goals. 
• Demonstrated leadership in planning, launching, and executing comprehensive or capital campaigns. 
• Experience partnering effectively with presidents, governing boards, campaign volunteers, and senior institutional leaders. 
• Demonstrated success building high-performing advancement organizations through talent development, fundraising accountability, prospect management, stewardship, and operational excellence. 
• Experience with advancement technology, donor databases, fundraising analytics, and constituent relationship management systems. 

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree. 
• Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE). 
• Successful advancement leadership experience within private higher education. 
• Understanding of Catholic higher education and mission-driven institutions. 
• Experience leading organizations through significant fundraising growth and campaign expansion. 

Benefits
Mount St. Joseph University offers a wide array of benefit options, to meet the financial, educational, health, and wellness needs of you and your family. Eligibility varies by position and FTE.

• Tuition Remission for you and your family.
• 403b Retirement
• Excellent benefits including medical, employer HSA contributions, dental, vision, life, parental leave.
• Generous PTO.
• 16 paid holidays.
• Competitive salaries.
• Opportunity to work in a dynamic and collaborative educational environment.
• Professional development opportunities.

Application Process 

Gonser Gerber LLP is assisting Mount St. Joseph University with this executive search. For questions about the application process, please contact Gonser Gerber Search at [email protected].

To apply, please upload the cover letter, resume, and contact information with three professional references via Paycom.

A review of resumes will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.

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Mount St. Joseph University is an Equal Opportunity Employer