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George Mason University · 3 months ago

Associate Vice President of Development (Schools/Colleges)

Fairfax, VA

Full-time

Hybrid

Senior Level, Lead/Staff

10+ years exp

George Mason University is a diverse institution committed to quality education and lifelong learning. They are seeking an Associate Vice President of Development to oversee professional fundraising staff, manage the philanthropy program, and work closely with university leadership to secure significant philanthropic support. The role involves strategic planning, collaboration, and effective communication to enhance fundraising efforts and build relationships with donors.

Education

Culture & Values

No H1B

Responsibilities

Manages George Mason University's philanthropy program, including recruitment, orientation, mentoring and fundraising activities

Provides leadership and staff oversight for fundraising professionals

Coordinates and facilitates development to colleagues, faculty, Deans, unit directors, volunteers, administration and staff to identify and solicit support for strategic university and academic-unit priorities

In collaboration with the VP and Deans, develops and implements plans, monitors & reports progress towards goals, increases fundraising effectiveness and strives to attain greater levels of philanthropy for George Mason University within a collaborative team environment

Develops and maintains strong, positive, rapport with unit leadership, including Deans, and development officers to ensure optimum participation on fundraising and effective duel report system is functioning and effective

Works with direct reports and their respective teams on strategic planning efforts to establish college/unit and individual performance goals and associated metrics

Manages a team of fundraising professionals and maintains a personal portfolio of prospects with multi-disciplinary interests within a high-performance, metrics-based team environment

Trains, coaches and mentors team members in best fundraising and operational practices

Fosters a culture of collaboration and communication with academic leaders, among units and with central fundraising services

Ensures adoption and effective use of strategic tools and resources such as contact reports, prospect management, research, and the CRM database; and

Serves as a strategic partner to Advancement Operations in the recruitment, retention, development, and engagement of development team members

Builds, develops and manages a small individual portfolio of prospects/donors focusing on major and principal gifts

Identifies, cultivates, solicits and stewards donors for the purpose of securing gifts/grants for George Mason University's institutional priorities, academic programs and initiatives

Establishes long-term relationships on behalf of George Mason University

Works collaboratively with administration, faculty, development officers, academic programs, research centers and institutes to enhance relationships with the goal of securing and increasing philanthropic support

Maximizes support of key university priorities across all academic units

Identifies and cultivates prospect leads in industry to support Academic programs and presidential priorities with the goal of securing multiple new six-, seven-figure contributions

Provides stewardship to existing donors and secures ongoing renewed support

Collaborates closely with advancement and alumni relations colleagues to build out multidimensional strategic relationships with donors, and prospects to drive overall support

Builds and nurtures effective working relationships with alumni, parents, friends, volunteers and team members; and

Partners with colleagues and direct reports to elevate gift strategies on all prospects

Works closely with internal and external partners to promote and solicit funding from viable prospects

Must be all-inclusive, collaborative and demonstrate exceptional oral and written communication skills

Clearly articulates fundraising goals in the context of the overall Advancement mission, goals and objectives

Conducts research and maintains in-depth knowledge of all University policies and priorities

Participates in structured sessions with colleagues inclusive of Deans and VPs to coordinate prospect identification, engagement, strategy building, proposal development, solicitation and follow up

Leads proactive collaborative efforts to develop effective and coordinated strategies for prospects shared by more than one academic unit

Facilitates action plans and monitors implementation of strategies

Creates and executes events and activities for cultivation, stewardship, and solicitations to advance principal gifts

Serves as a strategist responsible for setting organizational priorities that strengthen the donor pipeline and lift the fundraising capacity to meet increasing annual goals and drive long-term results

Leads and oversees development performance metrics and analytics to measure and strengthen fundraising effectiveness and outcomes

Stays abreast of industry standards, trends, breakthroughs and best practices

Implements changes accordingly to maintain competitiveness among peers and to grow the philanthropic impact at the university

Coordinates the university’s relationships with businesses, industry leaders, national organizations, and other private entities seeking access to GM resources and forges research, workforce and philanthropic partnerships; and

Advises senior management team and staff on areas of interest to identify and develop new opportunities for support

Provides thoughtful, consistent and appropriate stewardship including impact statements/reports and other measures of accountability

Maintains current and accurate internal records of corporate donor relationships and interactions through the donor/prospect database

Writes and submits proposals directly or via staff

Participates in regular Development meetings to share updates of activities

Collaborates with Development staff, sharing best practices, current challenges, and opportunities and to assist in framing overall development strategy

Develops and coordinates and/or assign tasks regarding overall prospect research and proposal development including: tracking of cultivation, stewardship, and solicitation activity for prospects, partners, and supporters

Enters all development activity in the database system in an accurate and timely manner

Oversees site visits for donors/prospects, working closely with development officers, faculty and University partners

Arranges and participates in visits with University leadership, as needed

Develops and coordinates reports as required to industry partners; and

Utilizes donor database for reporting/analysis that measure progress against department goals

Qualification

Fundraising experienceStrategic planningDatabase managementLeadership skillsPhilanthropy best practicesNetworking skillsProject managementAnalytical skillsOral communicationWritten communicationInterpersonal skillsTeam management

Required

Master's degree in related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience

Extensive (typically ten or more years) development experience in higher education

Proven track record and experience in leadership and management of Advancement and Alumni Relations professionals within a complex organization

Significant (typically seven years) managerial experience of fundraisers, typically in large, complex institutions

Success working on teams to develop high-level gift agreements with funding opportunities across disciplines

Requires broad practical and substantive expertise across multiple related disciplines

Experience with fundraising database and knowledge of prospecting tools and reports within fundraising systems or other prospective donor relations systems, e.g. Advance, Raiser's Edge, Sales Force, etc

Demonstrated understanding of and success in advancement and philanthropy, their best practices and in managing and mentoring front line development directors

Proven track record of soliciting and closing gifts, including complex and blended gifts, from individuals, in the six and seven-figure range, preferably at a college or university

Demonstrated leadership skills with an ability to inspire staff and volunteers to achieve and surpass goals and objectives

Ability to develop strong presence in the community through effective networking, planning, and execution of fundraising strategies

Demonstrated ability to identify and implement strategic fundraising solicitation strategies in support of strategic initiatives

Demonstrate the ability to manage time and workload to multitask and achieve goals in a deadline driven environment

Proficiency in the utilization and application of data and analytics as a tool to inform donor strategy

Excellent computer skills including database management and proven understanding and proficiency with CRMs

High level of integrity, trustworthiness, and a record of working collaboratively across organizations to meet shared goals

Proficiency in word processing, spreadsheets, databases, and presentation software

Advanced skills in project management and budget

A high degree of integrity, drive, and persuasiveness – a self-starter who leads by example and measures success by results

Superior writing, oral communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills

Excellent flexibility and adaptability skills with a strong work ethic and entrepreneurial spirit to accommodate large responsibility and multiple priorities

Ability to work within a team framework and manage teams and projects