Associate Vice President, Annual Giving and Alumni Engagement

The Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons Office of Development (VP&S OOD), a part of the Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC), is dedicated to facilitating relationships that support the vision and mission of CUIMC and VP&S: to transform health by driving discovery, advancing care, and educating leaders.

Position Summary

Reporting to the Senior Vice President of CUIMC development, the Associate Vice President for Annual Giving and Alumni Engagement is responsible for the core functions of programming to strengthen alumni affinity and secure annual and recurring gifts from alumni, grateful patients, and other stakeholders. This is accomplished in alignment with the strategic and philanthropic priorities of the Vagelos College for Physicians and Surgeons.

The AVP, as a leader, manager, and thought leader, develops and executes effective strategies to increase VP&S alumni engagement, build loyalty, and cultivate a culture of philanthropy to support fundraising efforts at all levels. The AVP uses data and assessments to evaluate current programming and alumni interests and needs, sunset programming as appropriate, and creates new programming of interest to alumni. The AVP provides guidance and leadership to the VP&S Alumni Board and is a key resource for the VP&S Alumni Association.

The AVP also leads annual and direct response giving, primarily focused on alumni and grateful patients of ColumbiaDoctors. This position is responsible for building this function with a best practices mindset to grow fundraising results through innovative and expert strategies, incorporating technology and other tools as appropriate.

The AVP will work closely with colleagues including the Vice President for Development to ensure that all fundraising and alumni programming is integrated and supports a sustained and robust donor and prospect pipeline. The AVP will also work in partnership with alumni and annual giving directors from all CUIMC schools to ensure a consistent standard of service across the medical center.

The AVP is a member of the CUIMC Development Office Leadership and is a key advisor to the senior vice president. The AVP partners with the Office of the Dean of VP&S, the Office of the Vice Dean for Medical Education, faculty and administrative leadership, CUIMC IT, the university’s Office of Alumni Relations and Development, and the Columbia Alumni Association, among others.

Responsibilities

• Manages and builds a comprehensive alumni engagement and annual giving strategy. Creates a framework for encouraging alumni to engage in the life of VP&S and to provide philanthropic support. Sets the strategic direction, alignment, and integration of targeted and appealing programs that provide a variety of access points for alumni across all class years, specialties/careers, and interests.

• Will lead an analysis of current alumni relations and annual giving programming, identifying areas of success and areas for review. This will be a comprehensive analysis, generating quantitative and qualitative data, to direct future activities and identify key performance indicators.

• Will lead a review and re-envisioning of the VP&S Alumni Board, creating a strategic plan for the Board, standardized roles and responsibilities, and a strong pipeline of future potential alumni leaders.

• Designs, implements, and manages alumni programs and initiatives, including on-campus and regional events; ensures that the quality of these events and the participant experience demonstrate that the school values its relationships with alumni.

• Develops and manages key performance indicators, informed by peer schools and industry best practices, to track success and areas for review and refinement.

• Leads and builds an effective alumni annual giving program, using tools including digital outreach and channels and AI, to increase discretionary giving, secure gifts for student-focused initiatives, and identify emerging philanthropic leaders.

• Leads and strengthens grateful patient direct response fundraising across all clinical departments; partner with department chairs and development colleagues to create effective communication and solicitation strategies to drive grateful patient fundraising.

• Manages a team of colleagues to their individual and collective success, as measured by quantitative and qualitative goals that align with VP&S and CUIMC strategic priorities.

• Develops, in partnership with development leadership and colleagues at the Columbia School of Nursing, the School of Dental Medicine, and the Mailman School for Public Health, strategies to collaborate and integrate alumni engagement and annual giving activities that strengthen programming and outcomes across all CUIMC schools.

• Serves as a member of the CUIMC Development Senior Management Team.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent in education and experience, plus ten years of related experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree preferred.

Other Requirements

• Minimum 10 years of experience in fundraising and alumni relations in positions of increasing responsibility; preference for experience in health care, academic medical center, or higher education environment

• Expertise in the fields of annual and direct response giving and alumni relations

• Demonstrated leadership and management experience; ability to motivate, direct and evaluate staff and volunteers, and to create a strong culture of team, collaboration, mutual respect, and commitment to excellence

• Demonstrated success building productive relationships with donors and leadership volunteers

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills; ability to collaborate and create strong working relationships with colleagues

• Superior competency in problem-solving and judgment

• Ability to work in a fast-paced and metric-driven environment

• This position requires work beyond regular hours, including evenings and weekends, as projects and events require

• Cover letter required

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.

• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Standard Work Schedule: M-F