Sr AVP for Principal Gifts & Family Philanthr

PCN 2089

Position Description

Merrimack College seeks an accomplished, entrepreneurial and highly relational fundraising leader to serve as Senior Associate Vice President for Principal Gifts & Family Philanthropy. Reporting directly to the Senior Vice President of Institutional Advancement & Chief Advancement Officer, the Senior Associate Vice President will be a senior, revenue-producing member of the Institutional Advancement leadership team responsible for advancing three interconnected areas of philanthropic opportunity for the College: principal gifts, family philanthropy and Merrimack’s Boards of Advisors (BOA).

The Senior Associate Vice President will build and lead Merrimack’s comprehensive family philanthropy program, including the development of a Parents Leadership Council; advance the philanthropic potential of the College’s Boards of Advisors and their networks; and manage a highly qualified portfolio of principal gift prospects. Central to the role is creating stronger pathways from engagement to philanthropy—identifying and developing high-capacity individuals and families, expanding Merrimack’s network of prospective donors, and translating these relationships into significant philanthropic support for the College.

Working closely with the President, Senior Vice President and other College leadership, the Senior Associate Vice President will develop strategies that deepen engagement, connect donor interests with Merrimack’s priorities, and cultivate and close significant campaign and principal gifts.

This position will play an important role in the continued growth of the Together We Rise campaign and in expanding the constituencies, relationships and philanthropic pipeline necessary to support Merrimack’s long-term fundraising ambitions.

Key Responsibilities

Boards of Advisors & Strategic Engagement

• Lead the philanthropic and engagement strategy for Merrimack’s Boards of Advisors in partnership with College senior leaders and academic leadership.
• Partner with College and academic leadership on BOA meeting strategy, helping to shape agendas, experiences and engagement opportunities that deepen members’ connection to Merrimack, advance institutional and academic priorities and create pathways to greater philanthropic involvement.
• Develop strategies to increase philanthropic participation and deepen individual relationships with BOA members.
• Partner with Prospect Research and the Major Gifts team to identify and recruit prospective BOA members with strong philanthropic and strategic potential, while developing engagement and cultivation strategies for current members with major and principal gift capacity.
• Leverage BOA members’ professional and personal networks to generate introductions and expand Merrimack’s pipeline of prospective donors.
• Partner with College and academic leadership to identify and recruit new BOA members who bring philanthropic potential, strategic expertise, influence and networks aligned with the priorities and aspirations of the College and its schools.
• Connect BOA members and prospective donors with the priorities and philanthropic opportunities of Merrimack’s schools, programs and strategic initiatives.
• Develop opportunities for BOA members to serve as philanthropic ambassadors and connectors for the College.
• Establish goals and measures for BOA engagement, philanthropic participation, membership development and prospect generation, and assess progress over time.
  
  

Family Philanthropy

• Lead Merrimack’s major and principal gift strategy for family philanthropy, establishing current and former families as a significant and sustainable source of major, principal gift support for the College.
• Develop an integrated family philanthropy strategy that creates clear pathways from engagement and annual giving to major and principal gifts, working in partnership with the Annual Giving team at the annual giving level.
• Identify, cultivate, solicit and steward current and former families with significant major and principal gift capacity.
• Strengthen and expand Merrimack’s Parents Leadership Council, increasing its philanthropic leadership, engagement and impact while developing members as ambassadors, connectors and prospective major and principal gift donors.
• Partnering with annual giving, identify families demonstrating increased engagement, giving and philanthropic potential and develop strategies to move qualified prospects into major and principal gift relationships.
• Develop meaningful engagement opportunities that deepen relationships with high-capacity families and connect their interests with Merrimack’s institutional, academic and campaign priorities.
• Partner with Prospect Research, the Major Gifts team and colleagues across the College to identify and engage families with the interest and capacity to become significant philanthropic partners.
  
  

Principal & Campaign Gifts

• Manage a highly qualified portfolio of individuals and families with significant principal and campaign gift capacity.
• Develop and execute individualized engagement, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship strategies designed to secure significant philanthropic commitments to Merrimack.
• Build principal gift opportunities from family philanthropy, Boards of Advisors and other high-capacity relationships and networks.
• Maintain an active pace of meaningful donor engagement, solicitations and closed gifts consistent with established annual fundraising goals.
• Partner closely with the President, Senior Vice President of Institutional Advancement & Chief Advancement Officer and other College leaders to engage and solicit Merrimack’s highest-capacity prospects.
• Translate Merrimack’s institutional and campaign priorities into compelling philanthropic opportunities aligned with donor interests.
• Coordinate strategies for significant and complex gifts in partnership with Advancement colleagues and College leadership.
• Serve as a senior representative of Merrimack College with donors, prospects, families and volunteer leaders.
  
  

Leadership & Collaboration

• Serve as a senior member of the Office of Development and Alumni Relations leadership team.
• Work collaboratively with the major gift team and prospect research to ensure coordinated prospect strategy and a seamless approach to donor engagement.
• Provide strategic counsel, preparation and support to the Senior Vice President and other College leaders for significant donor and prospect engagement.
• Develop strong partnerships with deans, faculty, Athletics, Student Affairs and other areas of the College to identify philanthropic opportunities and prospective donors.
  
  

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred.
• Significant progressively responsible experience in advancement, development or a related field, preferably within higher education or another complex nonprofit organization.
• Demonstrated record of cultivating, soliciting and closing significant major and/or principal gifts.
• Demonstrated ability to build strong, trusted relationships with high-capacity individuals, families and volunteer leaders.
• Experience developing new philanthropic constituencies, programs or revenue channels is highly desirable; experience with family philanthropy, volunteer leadership groups or advisory boards is a plus.
• Experience working effectively with senior executives, academic leaders and other highly visible institutional stakeholders.
• Strong understanding of major and principal gift strategy, moves management and donor pipeline development.
• Demonstrated ability to identify philanthropic potential within relationships and networks and translate engagement into fundraising opportunities.
• Exceptional relationship-building, communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to translate institutional priorities into compelling philanthropic opportunities.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to build new programs and strategies while also personally managing and soliciting a portfolio of high-capacity prospects.
• Strong judgment, discretion and professionalism when working with donors, families, volunteer leaders and senior College leadership.
• Evening and weekend work required for events and College activities as well as availability outside of normal business hours when necessary to support time-sensitive initiatives.
  
  

Application Materials Should Include

• Resume
• Cover letter stating motivation and interest in the position, citing experience relevant to the qualifications and including experience with, and commitment to, our Catholic Augustinian mission and our values.
  
  

This position is subject to the successful completion of a criminal background check.

Statement on Our Mission

Merrimack College is a Catholic Augustinian institution of higher education committed to building an accepting and respectful community. Our mission is to enlighten minds, engage hearts and empower lives and is inspired by our Catholic faith and the Augustinian tradition of seeking truth through inquiry and dialogue.

Merrimack College seeks candidates who understand, respect, and can contribute to Merrimack’s Catholic and Augustinian mission. All candidates should describe in their application how they will foster a culture that supports our mission.

About Merrimack College

The only Catholic, Augustinian institution of higher education in New England, Merrimack College is a private, independent, coeducational institution with more than 4,100 undergraduate, 2,500 graduate students and 50 doctoral students from 48 states and 63 countries. The College features more than 160 career-focused undergraduate, professional and graduate programs, all taught by exceptional faculty who are passionate about their subject and student success. The College has six schools: arts and sciences, engineering and computational sciences, nursing and health sciences, education and social policy, the Girard school of business and the graduate school of counseling and social work. The College’s suburban 220-acre campus is just north of Boston in North Andover, Massachusetts. Merrimack is a Master’s Colleges and Universities/Larger Programs (M1) institution in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. Merrimack is one of the fastest growing educational institutions in the country and has steadily climbed up in the U.S. News & World Report’s ranking of Best Colleges, ranking 38th in the Regional Universities North category in 2026. Merrimack is a NCAA Division I athletic institution.

Merrimack College is an Equal Opportunity Employer.