What are the responsibilities and job description for the Vice President for Institutional Advancement position at Inside Higher Ed?
Responsibilities
The Vice President for Institutional Advancement is JCSU’s chief advancement officer, a key advisor to the President, and an energetic and a seasoned external ambassador. The VP for PAE provides vision and executive leadership for a modern, integrated advancement enterprise, including principal and transformational gifts, major gifts, annual giving, corporate and foundation relations, planned/estate giving, philanthropic and alumni engagement, donor and constituent relations, and advancement operations (prospect development, analytics, CRM, gift administration, donor relations/stewardship). Reporting directly to the President, the VP for IA works in close partnership with the University Communications and Marketing team, External Relations area, and the President’s Executive Cabinet to elevate JCSU’s visibility, brand, and reputation; to translate institutional priorities into compelling cases for support; and to secure high-impact philanthropic investments.
COMMITMENT TO MISSION and VALUES
As an HBCU rooted in legacy, excellence, and opportunity, JCSU seeks a VP for PAE who champions student success, inclusive belonging, ethical fundraising, alumni and donor engagement and community impact. The VP models integrity, transparency, and donor-centric practice; builds trust with alumni and partners; and advances equity through access to education.
Specific Job Functions
Key Responsibilities include the following:
Executive Leadership and Strategy
Education
To apply, please include a cover letter, resume/CV, and contact information for three supervisory references including the most recent supervisor.
Finalists for this position are subject to a background check. Employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a background investigation including criminal history and identity check.
The Vice President for Institutional Advancement is JCSU’s chief advancement officer, a key advisor to the President, and an energetic and a seasoned external ambassador. The VP for PAE provides vision and executive leadership for a modern, integrated advancement enterprise, including principal and transformational gifts, major gifts, annual giving, corporate and foundation relations, planned/estate giving, philanthropic and alumni engagement, donor and constituent relations, and advancement operations (prospect development, analytics, CRM, gift administration, donor relations/stewardship). Reporting directly to the President, the VP for IA works in close partnership with the University Communications and Marketing team, External Relations area, and the President’s Executive Cabinet to elevate JCSU’s visibility, brand, and reputation; to translate institutional priorities into compelling cases for support; and to secure high-impact philanthropic investments.
COMMITMENT TO MISSION and VALUES
As an HBCU rooted in legacy, excellence, and opportunity, JCSU seeks a VP for PAE who champions student success, inclusive belonging, ethical fundraising, alumni and donor engagement and community impact. The VP models integrity, transparency, and donor-centric practice; builds trust with alumni and partners; and advances equity through access to education.
Specific Job Functions
Key Responsibilities include the following:
Executive Leadership and Strategy
- Serves on the President’s Executive Cabinet; partners with the President and Board to set an ambitious, measurable advancement strategy and cultivate a culture of philanthropy across campus.
- Translates academic and strategic priorities into fundable initiatives with clear goals, budgets, outcomes, and ROI; leads multiyear planning cycles and quarterly KPI reviews.
- Designs and leads campaigns (comprehensive and targeted): readiness assessment, goal setting, volunteer structure, prospect strategy, gift counting/crediting policies, and progress reporting.
- Advises on naming opportunities, endowment growth strategies, and gift acceptance considerations in alignment with University policy.
- Maintains a high-value portfolio (~40-60 or more prospects); personally cultivates, solicits, and stewards 6-, 7-, and 8-figure gifts; sets the pace in prospect activity and results.
- Orchestrates philanthropic engagements of the President, Trustees, deans, and volunteer leaders in donor strategy and solicitations; prepares briefings and ensures timely follow-through.
- Develops compelling cases for support and gift opportunities (endowed scholarships and chairs, academic programs, student success initiatives, athletics, facilities, and innovation funds).
- Advances a pipeline from discovery to principal gifts with disciplined portfolio management, stage movement goals, contact strategies, and proposal calendars.
- Oversees prospect development/research, portfolio optimization, analytics/BI, CRM integrity and adoption, gift processing, acknowledgments, stewardship plans, and reporting cadence.
- Implements data standards and operating policies (contact reports, moves tracking, pipeline reviews) to drive forecasting accuracy and continuous improvement.
- Ensures donor-intent compliance, fiscal stewardship, receipting/tax compliance, and timely acknowledgments; partners closely with Finance, Legal, and Audit.
- Grows alumni participation and lifelong engagement through segmented communications, regional programming, volunteer leadership, and digital communities.
- Drives annual giving with integrated, multichannel campaigns (email, direct mail, social, phone/text, day-of-giving), clear value propositions, and strong testing/analytics.
- Leads corporate and foundation relations to align proposals and partnerships with institutional priorities; strengthens grants management and stewardship.
- Expands planned/estate giving, endowment building, and legacy society engagement; integrates bequest pipeline development into portfolio and campaign strategy.
- Partners with University Communications and Marketing to deliver compelling advancement storytelling, creative collateral, campaign microsites, impact reports, and media strategies.
- Serves as a visible ambassador to alumni, parents and families, corporate partners, foundations, community leaders, and civic organizations; represents JCSU at events and in the media.
- Recruits, develops, and retains a high-performing, diverse team; sets clear goals, coaches to outcomes, and promotes accountability and collaboration.
- Establishes professional development pathways for gift officers and advancement staff; embeds metrics literacy and donor-centric habits across the division.
- Develops and manages budgets, staffing plans, and vendor/technology investments; allocates resources toward strategies with the highest return.
- Negotiates and manages key advancement platforms and services (CRM, research/wealth screening, email/marketing automation, online giving, stewardship tools).
- Growth in principal/major gift pipeline (qualified prospects, stage movement, proposals delivered).
- Increases in commitments and cash/in-kind revenue; documented transformational gifts.
- Campaign readiness milestones (case for support, volunteer structure, goal/strategy, baseline dashboards).
- Operational benchmarks (CRM adoption and data quality, stewardship SLAs, portfolio coverage, forecasting accuracy).
Education
- Master’s degree required; terminal degree preferred.
- 8 years of progressive advancement leadership in higher education (HBCU or a mission- aligned institution strongly preferred), including campaign leadership.
- Demonstrated record of closing principal/transformational gifts (7- and 8-figure) and consistent personal production at the major-gift level.
- Experience staffing Presidents/Chancellors and Trustees in high-level donor strategy and solicitations.
- Expertise in advancement operations: portfolio management, analytics/BI, prospect research, gift administration, stewardship, and CRM utilization.
- Strategic, data-informed, and outcome-oriented leadership; exceptional relationship-building and communication skills.
- High integrity and sound judgment; strong planning, project management, and change-management skills.
- Comfort with frequent travel and evening/weekend engagements; ability to thrive in a fast-paced, growth-oriented environment.
To apply, please include a cover letter, resume/CV, and contact information for three supervisory references including the most recent supervisor.
Finalists for this position are subject to a background check. Employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a background investigation including criminal history and identity check.