Vice President of Institutional Advancement

Title:  Vice President of Institutional Advancement

Classification:  Exempt

Department:  Advancement                                                   

Status:  Full-Time, 12 Month, in person, 20% travel

Reports to:   President

Overview

De La Salle Institute is currently accepting applications for the position of Vice President of Institutional Advancement. This position reports directly to the President and is a part of the Leadership Team that is comprised of the Principal, Vice President of Finance, and Vice President of Operations and External Relations. The Vice President of Institutional Advancement will work in conjunction with the Development Director, Events Manager, Marketing/Communications Director and Board Development and Marketing Committees to implement advancement efforts inclusive of The De La Salle Fund for Excellence, Major Gifts, Capital Campaigns, Special Events, Planned Gifts, Grants, and Corporation and Foundation gifts.  

School Description

De La Salle Institute is an independent Catholic secondary school rooted in the tradition of Christian education begun by St. John Baptist de La Salle. Founded in 1889, its mission has been, and is, to foster a desire for excellence in education. Young people from a variety of ethnic and economic backgrounds are given the opportunity to fully develop their abilities so they may be active, contributing members of our complex changing society. Lasallian educators strive to model the values expressed in the Five Principles of Lasallian education:  respect for all persons, inclusive community, faith in the presence of God, concern for the poor and social justice, and academic excellence.

General Position Summary

The Vice President of Institutional Advancement oversees and manages the organization’s fundraising strategy, development and execution. The Vice President of Institutional Advancement role requires an individual who is a strong leader, understands and is passionate about communicating the mission and vision of De La Salle Institute to donors and prospects in a way that both educates and compels them to give. The successful candidate will have experience meeting 7-figure annual fundraising goals utilizing multiple fundraising channels. The successful candidate will be an experienced advancement professional with progressively responsible managerial and leadership positions in advancement; a proven track record in principal and major gift fundraising; and a broad understanding of the various roles, functions and responsibilities of the different units within the Office of Advancement.  The successful candidate will continue building relationships with vital constituencies and securing the financial resources necessary to ensure the school’s vitality. The successful candidate will also be an engaged, analytical, and entrepreneurial leader with a demonstrated commitment to academic excellence, student success, innovative enrollment growth, and the art and science of philanthropy to support a 133-year old school, its educators and alumnae/i.

Successful candidates will possess: 

• An appreciation for De La Salle Institute’s mission as a Catholic, Lasallian, college preparatory school serving a diverse population.
• A bachelor’s degree; master’s degree and CFRE credential preferred.
• Significant experience conducting or managing prospect discovery and pipeline development, as well as cultivating and soliciting major gifts from individuals, foundations, and/ or corporations.
• Successful experience participating in the planning for, or implementation of, a multi-faceted comprehensive campaign.
• Demonstrated experience in developing traditional and virtual alumnae/i and constituent engagement efforts while unapologetically championing philanthropic participation.
• History of identifying, cultivating, and retaining trustee candidates and other key volunteer committee members.
• Ability to serve and add value to the senior leadership of the Institute.
• Experience managing and mentoring staff to effective, metrics-driven performance, leading with a sense of confidence and honesty, and challenging them to meet aspirational goals and outcomes in a cooperative, inclusive, and competitive team environment.
• Models and embodies a personal values system that promotes and celebrates a collaborative workplace climate that recognizes and values diversity.
• Demonstrated ability to act with discretion and maintain confidentiality.
• Proven ability to multitask with strong time management skills and the ability to address competing priorities in a dynamic, high-performance environment.

Responsibilities

The Vice President of Institutional Advancement is responsible to work with and for the President in the successful advancement of the mission of the Institute. In order to accomplish this, the Vice President’s responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

Crafting a vision for the advancement program in support of the strategic plan’s goals and strategies by:

• Promoting and actively supporting a culture of philanthropy at the Institute.
• Developing and successfully executing a long-range, data-driven, aggressive strategic plan for Advancement that supports this vision, updating the plan annually.
• Ensuring all annual plans, goals, action plans, timelines, budgets, and outcomes for each of the advancement departments are completed and implemented.
• Crafting and implementing a vision and plan for an innovative alumnae/i engagement strategy reflective of the diversity of the school.

 Fostering a strong and collaborative partnership with school leaders by:

• Serving as a member of the Leadership Team, gaining broad awareness of school operations while educating faculty, staff and students on the school’s culture of philanthropy.
• Actively supporting the President’s work with major and principal gift generation and cultivation.
• Attending Board of Directors meetings and serving as a school liaison to the Development Committee and Marketing/Enrollment Committee of the Board; including, and in conjunction with the Chair and internal staff of the Committee, developing an agenda and relevant materials for review at such meetings.
• Strengthening the policies, processes, and procedures that facilitate collaboration within the school operations including but not limited to school communications; finance and administration; enrollment; and financial aid.
• Identifying and cultivating new relationships with alumnae/i and friends.
• Further developing and stewarding established relationships with alumnae/ and friends.
• Demonstrating a culture of transparency, collaboration, and open communication about philanthropic and alumnae/i strategies with the school community, key volunteers, etc.
• Drafting and implementing a vision and plan for an innovative alumnae/ engagement strategy reflective of the diversity of the school.
• Developing and successfully executing long-range plans.

Providing effective leadership by: 

• Overseeing all aspects of the Advancement Office including annual, major, and planned giving activities; engagement of alumnae/i, current parents, Board and Former Board, friends, and other constituencies; stewardship and reporting; endowments; prospect research and management; advancement services; and event management.
• Managing the staff, supervising the creation of measurable outcomes through annual operational plans with key performance indicators, and evaluating performance.
• Developing and implementing an effective prospect management system to ensure productive donor identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship, working closely with the President, Trustees, and others who can assist with this process.
• Working with advancement to develop and implement complex and sensitive strategies and plans for solicitation of individual, corporate, and foundation prospects.
• Managing a focused personal portfolio of 50 principal and leadership gift prospects and donors.
• Providing executive leadership to key volunteer committees.
• Creating within the department a commitment to team unity and success while allowing for the praise of individual performance contributing to such success.
• Providing professional development and performance assessment.
• Representing the Institute at events and functions, traveling as necessary to achieve the school’s goals.

Desired Characteristics

• Possesses a growth and builder mindset, entrepreneurial spirit, and a commitment to continuous quality improvement.
• Demonstrates strategic leadership and an energetic, driving personality that proactively pursues collaborative teamwork and partnerships, both internally with school leadership and externally in the community.
• Ability to successfully implement a comprehensive alumnae/i relations program with the use of Class Representatives, Reunion Giving Chairs, Reunion Committee Chairs and Alumnae/i Board.
• Understands the requisite groundwork for organizational transformation and change management.
• A persuasive communicator who is able to listen effectively, has strong oral and written communication skills, and a demonstrated ability to compellingly and comfortably communicate with a variety of audiences, inspiring support, involvement, and investment.
• Has a proven ability to initiate and nurture highly effective interpersonal relationships with individual trustees; prospects and donors; faculty, staff, students; and other external constituencies.

Applications should consist of:

1. A detailed cover letter addressing the expectations of the position and your qualifications in meeting them.
2. A current curriculum vitae (CV).
3. Contact information for five professional references, including three direct supervisors, with a brief description explaining the professional relationship.

Please submit your application to:

Anne Marie Tirpak

President

De La Salle Institute

3434 S. Michigan

Chicago, IL 60616

president@dls.org

De La Salle Institute is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate.