Assistant Vice President for Principal Gifts

Oct 15

Fordham University
New York, NY

Anticipated Start Date: TBD

Description

Reporting to the Vice President for Development Alumni University Relations (DAUR), the Assistant Vice President for Principal Gifts will play a pivotal role in the success of the University's upcoming comprehensive fundraising campaign. This position is tasked with driving the pursuit of excellence, or magis, at the highest levels of philanthropy. The incumbent will personally cultivate and solicit a select group of principal, major, and planned gift prospects while providing strategic oversight and mentorship to a multi-disciplinary team of gift officers comprising the principal and major gifts team and the gift planning team.

By aligning donor passions with the University's greatest philanthropic needs, as determined by the President and Board of Trustees, the SAVP ensures these critical units meet ambitious campaign targets while staying deeply rooted in the University's Jesuit mission. The AVP works closely with the VP, the Assistant Vice President and Campaign Director, and other DAUR senior leaders to develop, execute, and dynamically optimize annual and multi-year fundraising and donor engagement plans. Occasional evening and weekend work required.

Responsibilities

Essential Functions

Utilizes reflective discernment in partnership with the Vice President to align principal and major gift donors and prospects with the University's strategic campaign priorities, igniting excitement and inspiring transformational philanthropic support.
Collaborates with the Provost, Deans, and other university partners to develop compelling multi-million dollar gift opportunities, serving as the primary liaison and neutral partner for complex, multi-divisional gifts of $5M+, and ensuring all divisions' priorities are represented in strategic briefings and proposals.
Provides strategic oversight, leadership, and coaching to the Principal and Major Gifts and Gift Planning teams, ensuring these specialized units are fully integrated, effectively resourced, and structurally optimized to drive campaign success; Applies the principle of cura personalis to staff development, balancing ambitious fundraising targets with genuine care for team members' well-being, while intentionally upholding a culture of innovation, transparency, trust, accountability, and collaboration.
Builds and maintains a portfolio of approximately 75 principal, major, and planned gift prospects.
Devises individual engagement strategies for each prospect in their pool with the goal of soliciting annual gifts and/or multi-year gift commitments at the $100,000+ level with specific solicitation goals to be determined in an annual goal-setting process.
Navigates highly complex gifts and institutional relationships with integrity and ethical discernment required to advance proposals toward execution.
Collaborates with University partners and DAUR colleagues to develop creative and compelling stewardship programs and communication strategies to deepen principal donor engagement and connection to Fordham.
Serves as a member of the DAUR senior management team (SMT) and helps create a culture of excellence, accountability, and high performance.

Management Responsibilities

Provides strategic leadership to a department or division and supervises others who supervise.
Responsible for hiring, training and developing, managing performance and administering corrective action and making compensation decisions for staff.
Plans organizational structure and job content and is responsible for managing strategic aspects of the team at a high level, including compliance, budget, and deliverables.

Additional Functions

Serves as a resource for the Campaign Cabinet, and serves on university-wide committees as assigned.

Requirements

Education and Experience

Bachelor’s Degree.
Minimum of ten years of experience in development and managing fundraising teams.

Knowledge & Skills

Strong communication skills, high attention to detail and follow-up, and excellent organizational and project management skills. • Demonstrated track record of meeting capital and campaign goals and securing seven- and eight figure gifts.
Proven ability to provide strategic direction, leadership, and daily management of fundraising teams resulting in improved performance and increased philanthropic revenue.
Proven capacity to address unexpected challenges and adapt to change.
Demonstrated ability to navigate complex situations with integrity and a foundation of ethical discernment.
Proven ability to balance the drive to achieve aspirational fundraising targets while maintaining a person-centered approach with both donors and internal teams.
Demonstrated competency in using Google and Microsoft Office suites, as well as CRM and fundraising applications commonly found in higher education and non-profit organizations.

Preferred Qualifications