Saint Martin's University
Assistant Vice President-Development
Saint Martin's University, Lacey, Washington, us, 98509
POSITION SUMMARY
Saint Martin’s University is seeking a dynamic and collaborative fundraising leader to join the Institutional Advancement leadership team as the Assistant Vice President (AVP) of Development. The AVP ensures administrative oversight of the University’s individual giving in addition to managing a robust portfolio of around 100 major and planned gift prospects and donors. The AVP has a key leadership role in building a high-performing frontline fundraising program, leveraging the momentum of successfully raising $101.5 million in the historic “For Every Saint” Comprehensive Campaign and the appointment of Saint Martin’s new president, Dr. Bill Brownsberger. Reporting to the Vice President of Institutional Advancement (VPIA), the AVP will oversee direct management of a Director of Development with a leadership annual giving and major gifts portfolio. The AVP, along with the VPIA, works with University and Academic Leadership in developing fundraising priorities and securing resources to support those priorities.
MISSION & STRATEGIC PLANNING
The Assistant Vice President of Development supports Saint Martin’s University’s mission and strategic plan by driving essential fundraising initiatives that expand access to education, foster student success, and strengthen the university’s Benedictine values of service, stewardship, and community. In this role, the AVP cultivates relationships with donors to secure funding that directly enhances the university’s academic and co-curricular programs, ensuring that financial resources are available to meet the institution’s most pressing needs. Through leadership and collaboration with university and academic leaders, the AVP helps establish strategic priorities that advance the university’s mission and empower students to achieve their full potential and contribute to the greater good.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS & RESPONSIBILITIES
Collaborates with the VPIA and appropriate teammates to develop metric-driven strategies for a comprehensive fundraising program designed to raise gifts between $10K and $5M.
Oversees the Director of Development offering mentorship for them and the entire team of fundraisers as-needed.
Assists in setting annual fundraising goals, monitoring progress, and help to launch initiatives for reaching them. With the VPIA, establish fundraising targets and strategies for achieving them.
Meet or exceed assigned annual and monthly goals including, but not limited to, goals for face-to-face and virtual visits, solicitations, successful gift closures, and dollars raised.
Manages a portfolio of around 100 prospective and current donors with an individual fundraising goal comprised of annual giving, gifts and pledges, and planned giving.
Maintain knowledge of planned giving opportunities; use knowledge in prospect cultivation and solicitation, as appropriate.
Serve in an ongoing stewardship capacity for current donors, creating meaningful Saint Martin’s connections and experiences as well as recognition opportunities for donors.
Assists the VPIA in staffing members of the Board of Trustees.
Serves as a cultivation and solicitation partner to the President, Trustees, VPIA, Deans, and others.
The AVP is also required to develop and maintain a strong working relationship with the Institutional Advancement leadership team to facilitate partnerships around goals, priorities, and outcomes.
This position will also develop prospect strategies for the effective utilization and deployment of university leaders around the most significant fundraising opportunities that support the SMU’s mission.
Prepare well-written correspondence, visit briefings, strategy documents, solicitation proposals, and stewardship reports.
Perform other functions as assigned or requested.
COMPETENCIES
Working with donors and prospects:
Sophistication in prospect identification, cultivation, and solicitation with a demonstrated ability to serve as a core anchor relationship between donors and the campus.
Strong ability to build comprehensive five-year donor pipeline strategies, cultivate families as well as individuals, maximize gift potential, and solicit major and planned gifts.
Established ability navigating six-figure asks and complex multi-interest university priority gifts.
Professionalism and citizenship:
Strong leadership skills and executive presence, including the ability to regularly mentor and steward a broader team toward success.
Inclination to regularly provide learning opportunities and resources for growing and high-potential team members.
Possess a high degree of tact and discretion, which will benefit interactions with a broad array of internal and external stakeholders, including the President, University Leadership, Deans, Trustees, leadership volunteers, faculty, staff, monks and donors.
Institutional navigation and industry knowledge:
High level of programmatic and institutional knowledge, with the ability to take a leadership role in using past successes and failures to inform new strategies.
Ability to maintain strong partnerships with on- and off-campus partners to create and sell the narrative of new programs and initiatives.
Develop an in-depth understanding of the Catholic Benedictine educational mission, vision and values as well as the strategic priorities for Saint Martin’s University.
Management and coaching of employees:
Demonstrated ability to manage a successful team that allows individual team members opportunities for professional growth, including setting integrated metrics for all employees, inspiring performance and engagement for the team, and empowering them to proactively partner with senior staff and campus affiliates.
Academic leadership:
Ability to act as a core advisor and partner to the multiple campus leaders, especially in aligning central programs to meet the needs of multiple initiatives, units, and academic programs.
Strategic planning:
Ability to provide leadership in advancement-wide discussions of fundraising initiatives planning, strategic staffing, and 3-5-year trends in the industry.
Ability to communicate and articulate how individual initiatives, programmatic direction, and overall advancement strategy will shape the university.
Working style:
Be highly organized, adept at coordinating multiple tasks, and able to shift priorities with ease.
Display initiative, take a solutions-oriented approach to problem-solving, invite input from colleagues, and have the ability to make independent decisions.
Ability to accomplish divisional goals according to set deadlines and within budgetary guidelines.
Effectively establish and maintain a healthy, fair and inclusive work environment by promoting diversity, exercising teamwork, and collaboration with diverse groups, donors, volunteer groups, and coworkers.
Ability to travel.
REQUIREMENTS AND/OR CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT
Minimum qualifications
Bachelor's degree and / or equivalent knowledge / skills / training.
Minimum five years of progressively responsible field fundraising experience with experience in securing leadership annual, major and planned gifts.
Proficient in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook).
Must be able to work some evenings and weekends, as needed.
Valid driver’s license is required and some driving for off-site events and meetings.
Successfully pass a background check.
Preferred qualifications
Supervisory/management experience.
Significant experience at a higher education institution.
Experience in using a CRM database.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORKING ENVIRONMENT
Work is performed in a standard office environment. Physical demands include:
Moves objects (less than 20 pounds) long distances (more than 20 feet).
Ability to be mobile campus wide for appropriate business needs.
Due to the nature of the work, some evening and weekend hours as well as travel, will be required.
Operates a variety of standard office equipment requiring continuous or repetitive arm-hand movements.
Reading, writing, speaking, hearing, standing, bending, sitting.
Learning and comprehending.
Requires visual concentration on detail.
Manual dexterity and precision required for keyboarding.
Must be able to sit for long periods at a time at a computer.
May occasionally be required to deal with distraught people.
Must be able to concentrate on details and process complex information while experiencing frequent interruptions.
Must be able to communicate effectively with people at all levels under stressful conditions.
#J-18808-Ljbffr
Saint Martin’s University is seeking a dynamic and collaborative fundraising leader to join the Institutional Advancement leadership team as the Assistant Vice President (AVP) of Development. The AVP ensures administrative oversight of the University’s individual giving in addition to managing a robust portfolio of around 100 major and planned gift prospects and donors. The AVP has a key leadership role in building a high-performing frontline fundraising program, leveraging the momentum of successfully raising $101.5 million in the historic “For Every Saint” Comprehensive Campaign and the appointment of Saint Martin’s new president, Dr. Bill Brownsberger. Reporting to the Vice President of Institutional Advancement (VPIA), the AVP will oversee direct management of a Director of Development with a leadership annual giving and major gifts portfolio. The AVP, along with the VPIA, works with University and Academic Leadership in developing fundraising priorities and securing resources to support those priorities.
MISSION & STRATEGIC PLANNING
The Assistant Vice President of Development supports Saint Martin’s University’s mission and strategic plan by driving essential fundraising initiatives that expand access to education, foster student success, and strengthen the university’s Benedictine values of service, stewardship, and community. In this role, the AVP cultivates relationships with donors to secure funding that directly enhances the university’s academic and co-curricular programs, ensuring that financial resources are available to meet the institution’s most pressing needs. Through leadership and collaboration with university and academic leaders, the AVP helps establish strategic priorities that advance the university’s mission and empower students to achieve their full potential and contribute to the greater good.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS & RESPONSIBILITIES
Collaborates with the VPIA and appropriate teammates to develop metric-driven strategies for a comprehensive fundraising program designed to raise gifts between $10K and $5M.
Oversees the Director of Development offering mentorship for them and the entire team of fundraisers as-needed.
Assists in setting annual fundraising goals, monitoring progress, and help to launch initiatives for reaching them. With the VPIA, establish fundraising targets and strategies for achieving them.
Meet or exceed assigned annual and monthly goals including, but not limited to, goals for face-to-face and virtual visits, solicitations, successful gift closures, and dollars raised.
Manages a portfolio of around 100 prospective and current donors with an individual fundraising goal comprised of annual giving, gifts and pledges, and planned giving.
Maintain knowledge of planned giving opportunities; use knowledge in prospect cultivation and solicitation, as appropriate.
Serve in an ongoing stewardship capacity for current donors, creating meaningful Saint Martin’s connections and experiences as well as recognition opportunities for donors.
Assists the VPIA in staffing members of the Board of Trustees.
Serves as a cultivation and solicitation partner to the President, Trustees, VPIA, Deans, and others.
The AVP is also required to develop and maintain a strong working relationship with the Institutional Advancement leadership team to facilitate partnerships around goals, priorities, and outcomes.
This position will also develop prospect strategies for the effective utilization and deployment of university leaders around the most significant fundraising opportunities that support the SMU’s mission.
Prepare well-written correspondence, visit briefings, strategy documents, solicitation proposals, and stewardship reports.
Perform other functions as assigned or requested.
COMPETENCIES
Working with donors and prospects:
Sophistication in prospect identification, cultivation, and solicitation with a demonstrated ability to serve as a core anchor relationship between donors and the campus.
Strong ability to build comprehensive five-year donor pipeline strategies, cultivate families as well as individuals, maximize gift potential, and solicit major and planned gifts.
Established ability navigating six-figure asks and complex multi-interest university priority gifts.
Professionalism and citizenship:
Strong leadership skills and executive presence, including the ability to regularly mentor and steward a broader team toward success.
Inclination to regularly provide learning opportunities and resources for growing and high-potential team members.
Possess a high degree of tact and discretion, which will benefit interactions with a broad array of internal and external stakeholders, including the President, University Leadership, Deans, Trustees, leadership volunteers, faculty, staff, monks and donors.
Institutional navigation and industry knowledge:
High level of programmatic and institutional knowledge, with the ability to take a leadership role in using past successes and failures to inform new strategies.
Ability to maintain strong partnerships with on- and off-campus partners to create and sell the narrative of new programs and initiatives.
Develop an in-depth understanding of the Catholic Benedictine educational mission, vision and values as well as the strategic priorities for Saint Martin’s University.
Management and coaching of employees:
Demonstrated ability to manage a successful team that allows individual team members opportunities for professional growth, including setting integrated metrics for all employees, inspiring performance and engagement for the team, and empowering them to proactively partner with senior staff and campus affiliates.
Academic leadership:
Ability to act as a core advisor and partner to the multiple campus leaders, especially in aligning central programs to meet the needs of multiple initiatives, units, and academic programs.
Strategic planning:
Ability to provide leadership in advancement-wide discussions of fundraising initiatives planning, strategic staffing, and 3-5-year trends in the industry.
Ability to communicate and articulate how individual initiatives, programmatic direction, and overall advancement strategy will shape the university.
Working style:
Be highly organized, adept at coordinating multiple tasks, and able to shift priorities with ease.
Display initiative, take a solutions-oriented approach to problem-solving, invite input from colleagues, and have the ability to make independent decisions.
Ability to accomplish divisional goals according to set deadlines and within budgetary guidelines.
Effectively establish and maintain a healthy, fair and inclusive work environment by promoting diversity, exercising teamwork, and collaboration with diverse groups, donors, volunteer groups, and coworkers.
Ability to travel.
REQUIREMENTS AND/OR CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT
Minimum qualifications
Bachelor's degree and / or equivalent knowledge / skills / training.
Minimum five years of progressively responsible field fundraising experience with experience in securing leadership annual, major and planned gifts.
Proficient in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook).
Must be able to work some evenings and weekends, as needed.
Valid driver’s license is required and some driving for off-site events and meetings.
Successfully pass a background check.
Preferred qualifications
Supervisory/management experience.
Significant experience at a higher education institution.
Experience in using a CRM database.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORKING ENVIRONMENT
Work is performed in a standard office environment. Physical demands include:
Moves objects (less than 20 pounds) long distances (more than 20 feet).
Ability to be mobile campus wide for appropriate business needs.
Due to the nature of the work, some evening and weekend hours as well as travel, will be required.
Operates a variety of standard office equipment requiring continuous or repetitive arm-hand movements.
Reading, writing, speaking, hearing, standing, bending, sitting.
Learning and comprehending.
Requires visual concentration on detail.
Manual dexterity and precision required for keyboarding.
Must be able to sit for long periods at a time at a computer.
May occasionally be required to deal with distraught people.
Must be able to concentrate on details and process complex information while experiencing frequent interruptions.
Must be able to communicate effectively with people at all levels under stressful conditions.
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