Vice President for Institutional Advancement

The Aspen Leadership Group is proud to partner with McDaniel College in the search for a Vice President for Institutional Advancement.

Reporting to the President, the Vice President for Institutional Advancement will bring focus and leadership to a program that is ready to move to the next level. Many of the internal building blocks in Advancement are in place; what is needed is the planning and execution of a plan to capitalize on those strengths to increase giving across the board: annual; capital; and planned giving. There is untapped potential in parent engagement and philanthropic support; reunion giving; athletic giving; and leadership gifts. The Alumni Council has recently been restructured and re-invigorated and alumni dedication to the college is legendary. The President, the Board of Trustees, and the President’s Leadership team will be ready partners in assisting the new Vice President in their work. 

The successful candidate will be expected to plan, execute, and grow programs that cultivate, solicit, and steward philanthropic support from alumni, parents, and friends of McDaniel in alignment with the college’s strategic plan. The Vice President will oversee 28 accomplished professionals, developing and implementing clear policies and procedures tied to accountability and performance.  They are expected to carry forth these responsibilities in accordance with best practices of the advancement profession and provide ethical, creative, and focused leadership while serving as a partner to the President of the college for philanthropic leadership at McDaniel. 

A nationally recognized four-year independent college of the liberal arts and sciences, McDaniel is known for its diverse, tight-knit, and student-centered community, where students receive personal attention.  Founded in 1867 as one of the first coeducational colleges in the nation and the first south of the Mason-Dixon Line, the college changed its name in 2002 from Western Maryland College (after the Western Maryland railroad), to better reflect the identity of the college and its location in central Maryland, just a short distance from Baltimore and Washington, D.C. McDaniel’s nearly 30,000 alumni reside in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, as well as 75 countries.

At McDaniel College, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion matters. It seeks a Vice President for Institutional Advancement who will join it in this work. McDaniel’s community is fully committed to breaking down the walls of division, rejecting acts of exclusion, and challenging injustice, prejudice, and ethnocentrism. It seeks to promote the presence and expressions of all groups, including those historically and/or currently marginalized. It recognizes that the list is evolving and that creating opportunities for dialogue and mechanisms for actions will create an inclusive, open, and accessible community. McDaniel strives to cultivate the skills needed to become competent, projective leaders and allies in a pluralistic and diverse world. 

A bachelor’s degree is required for this position as is at least seven years of increasingly responsible fundraising experience in a non-profit organization, preferably in an educational setting. All applications must be accompanied by a cover letter and résumé. Cover letters should be responsive to the mission and values of McDaniel College as well as the responsibilities and qualifications presented in the prospectus.