Assistant Vice President of University Advancement

Assistant Vice President of University Advancement

DEPARTMENT: University Advancement

REPORTS TO: Sr. Vice President of Institutional Advancement & Strategy

POSITION SUMMARY: The Assistant Vice President (AVP) for Advancement plays a critical role in leading and overseeing the advancement efforts of the university. This position is responsible for developing and executing strategies to cultivate relationships with alumni, donors, and other stakeholders to secure financial support and engagement with the university’s mission and goals. The AVP for Advancement provides strategic leadership to the advancement team, collaborates with university leadership, and ensures the successful implementation of fundraising and engagement initiatives.

Additionally, the AVP provides leadership and direction for foundation, corporate, and government funding, annual giving, donor relations, database management and prospect research as well as supports individual major gifts and planned giving.

The AVP reports to the Senior Vice President, assists with strategic planning and implementation of fundraising priorities, ensures related administrative oversight and is responsible for personally managing a portfolio of donors and prospects.

JOB QUALIFICATIONS:

Education required: Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree with advanced degree or professional certifications preferred.

Experience required: Eight to ten years of experience in fundraising involving direct personal solicitation and demonstrated ability to close major gifts (individual, foundation, corporate, and government).

Skills Required: A demonstrated success for interacting and building relationships with administrators, faculty, trustees, volunteer leaders, donors and prospects. Successful track record of team building and staff supervision. Experience with Raiser’s Edge software, preferred.

PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES:

• Commitment to the mission of Point Park University.
• Experience in education, business, or the charitable sector.
• Management orientation which focuses on results and the planning necessary for success, including critical thinking skills and the ability to set priorities.
• Working knowledge of best practices in all aspects of fundraising.
• Positive attitude with the capacity to motivate staff and work cohesively with other university departments.
• Creative outside the box thinker, both big picture and meticulous.
• High ethical standards.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Willingness to travel.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Works with the SVP, Advancement team, and University faculty and staff partners to lead planning and implementation of long- and short-term strategies to secure funding from individuals, foundation, corporate, and government sources through major, planned, and annual gifts.
• Manages and builds a portfolio of donors and prospects with the goal of cultivating and stewarding excellent relationships with alumni and potential donors.
• Meets monthly established goals for number of visits and proposals and provides regular reports on Portfolio movement to university leadership to ensure its strategic growth.
• Qualifies major gift prospects. Make initial contact with new prospects to arrange meetings. Determine if the prospect has the capacity and inclination to make a major gift to the University.
• Personally solicits contributions from major donors; support SVP, alumni volunteers, and members of the University’s leadership team with major gift planning visits; and prepares and tracks stewardship processes as follow up.
• Leads, manages, and mentors the advancement team, including professionals responsible for fundraising, donor relations, alumni engagement, and communications.
• Supervises Annual Giving in developing effective programs to set, meet, and increase alumni participation and fundraising goals.
• Supervises Foundation, Corporate, and Government funding and post-award management efforts University-wide working with a range of administration, faculty, and staff teams.
• Supervises Database & Donor Services in maintaining the alumni and development database, managing the donor research process, and ensuring accurate and timely Raiser’s Edge gift entries and updates.
• Monitors and analyze fundraising metrics, donor engagement trends, and alumni participation rates to inform decision-making and adjust strategies as needed.
• Collaborates with university leadership, academic departments, and other stakeholders to ensure alignment of advancement efforts with overall university objectives, including establishing and maintaining effective communication channels to keep internal and external stakeholders informed.
• Represents the University at various internal and external meetings and community events, activities, and professional organizations, as requested. Maintains a consistent presence with individuals and community-based organizations whose philanthropic missions closely align with Point Park’s mission.
• Other related duties as assigned.

Qualified applicants should forward a cover letter and resume via email to HROffice@pointpark.edu (preferred) or mail to: 

Point Park University

Human Resources Office

201 Wood Street

Pittsburgh, PA 15222

When responding via email please reference – AVP – UNIVERSITY ADVANCEMENT  - in the subject line.

Please submit documents in Rich Text (.txt) Word document (.doc) or Adobe Portable Document Format (.pdf).

All emails submitted will receive an automatic confirmation email.  Due to some junk mail filters, the confirmation email may not reach you.  To ensure receipt of the confirmation email, utilize the return receipt option built into your email program when sending your information.

NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE.  Due to the high volume of resumes received, Point Park University will not be able to respond to inquiries regarding the status of your resume. If we determine that your skills and experience match the position requirements, we will contact you to discuss the opportunity further. If you do not hear from us, we encourage you to revisit our website at www.pointpark.edu for the status of the position and future opportunities.

Point Park University is an Equal Opportunity Employer.