Assistant Vice President of Advancement and External Relations
About The Position
Reporting to the Vice President, the Assistant Vice President (AVP) of Advancement and External Relations is a senior front-line fundraiser and strategic leader who drives philanthropic revenue while providing executive oversight to critical advancement operations. Dedicating approximately 50-60% of their time to front-line fundraising, the AVP actively manages a curated major gift portfolio of 50–75 high-capacity prospects. To support the division's broader revenue and engagement goals, the AVP also provides strategic direction and mentorship to a multifaceted team of eight, overseeing The Adelphi Fund, Advancement Services, Donor Relations, and Special and Signature Events. By empowering these teams, the AVP ensures a seamless alignment between high-impact donor engagement and operational excellence.
Requirements
- Demonstrated success in personally identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and closing major gifts (five-, six-, or seven-figure commitments) from individuals, corporate partners, or foundations.
- Proven ability to manage major donor relationships through all phases of the qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship cycle.
- Strategic understanding of advancement operations, prospect research, and database management systems (e.g., Raiser’s Edge, Salesforce, or similar platforms), with the leadership skills to effectively oversee the staff executing these functions.
- Experience in leveraging and guiding the strategy for large-scale, high-profile donor events to yield measurable fundraising outcomes and drive portfolio growth.
- High analytical and problem-solving skills with a commitment to process optimization and data security.
- Excellent communication, interpersonal, team-building, and cross-departmental coordination skills.
Nice To Haves
- Master’s degree is preferred.
Responsibilities
- Actively cultivate, solicit, and steward a personal major gift portfolio of 50–75 high-capacity prospects.
- Develop comprehensive strategies for each prospect, conduct regular face-to-face visits, and leverage institutional touchpoints, academic leadership, and special events to secure five-, six-, and seven-figure commitments.
- Manage, mentor, and empower a team of approximately 8 staff across operations, annual giving, and events.
- Establish strategic goals for these units, promote cross-functional teamwork, establish operational standards, and manage unit budgets effectively so staff can execute day-to-day operations autonomously.
- Provide executive guidance over prospect research, database administration, gift processing, reporting, and regulatory compliance.
- Ensure the Advancement Services team maintains institutional data integrity, strong internal controls, and seamless workflows between event attendance, gift recording, and prospect research.
- Guide the strategic vision for the Adelphi Fund and the University's signature events (e.g., Annual Gala, Golf Classic, Giving Day).
- Ensure event and direct-response strategies are explicitly designed to maximize donor engagement, build the major gift pipeline, and drive growable, unrestricted support.
- Maintain up-to-date knowledge of IRS regulations, CASE standards, higher education fundraising technology, and database management best practices.
- Perform other job related duties as assigned.
Benefits
- Comprehensive benefit package for faculty and staff employees.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
