Vice President for Institutional Advancement

Apr 3

Anticipated Start Date: 08/30/2026

Description

Reporting to President Sandra Doran, J.D., the Vice President for Institutional Advancement (Vice President and/or VPIA) serves as a member of the President’s Executive Leadership Team and will define a vision and approach to philanthropy that supports the University’s strategic priorities and emergent initiatives. The Vice President manages and provides strategic guidance for a team that encompasses individual giving (annual, major, principal, planned giving), corporate and foundation giving, alumni and constituent relations, stewardship, and advancement services, ensuring the team collectively surpasses ambitious fundraising goals as well as activity benchmarks.

Leading by example, the Vice President will manage a portfolio of major and principal gift prospects, and work closely with President Doran in expanding philanthropic support and raising public awareness of the relevance and impact of Bay Path’s initiatives, faculty, and student and alumni achievements. Fostering an advancement enterprise that mirrors the dynamism, resourcefulness, inclusivity, and responsiveness that is emblematic of the Bay Path community, the Vice President for Institutional Advancement will serve as a thought leader and chief architect for Bay Path’s targeted and comprehensive campaign efforts, including charting a course for a comprehensive campaign.

The Vice President will work internally and externally to accelerate collaborative fundraising and engagement activities and to deepen partnership around intersectional goals—inspiring and co-designing with colleagues across the faculty, student affairs and career services, finance, enrollment, and marketing. Leading through influence and example, the VPIA will engender a spirit of shared success and greater collective impact. The successful candidate is expected to have at least ten years of increasing advancement leadership and fundraising achievement at a higher education, higher education-adjacent, or purpose-aligned institution with proven success building and leading adaptive and high-functioning teams, ideally in a campaign environment. They should have demonstrable success in identifying and securing major and principal gifts as well as cultivating mutually beneficial corporate and institutional partnerships.

A skilled storyteller and clear communicator, the VPIA will bring an accessible and collegial leadership style and the energy to inspire open dialogue, connection, and collaborative action with varying constituencies and across multiple industries and geographic markets around new ideas and strategic directions. Excellent organizational and interpersonal skills are necessary, along with a philosophy of teamwork and hands-on implementation. The candidate will bring a data-informed approach to decision making and measuring outcomes and an appetite for leveraging technology and digital tools for smarter workflows and the optimization of resources. A bachelor’s degree is required. In accordance with its core values and mission, Bay Path is especially interested in recruiting members of diverse communities and individuals with a commitment to multiculturalism and serving the educational needs of all students.

Responsibilities

Collaborate with the President and other critical stakeholders to develop effective and motivating “cases for support” for myriad initiatives, time-sensitive projects, and potential campaigns that align with the University’s priorities & vision, including the creation of robust solicitation materials and gift proposals.
Develop a strategy that will enable Bay Path to strengthen relationships with current donors and partners while launching a systematic initiative to identify and target a broad, regional, and national constituency of individuals (alumni and friends), foundations, and corporations capable of making major gifts ($25,000+ annual or restricted gifts).
Establish and implement prospect qualification, cultivation, and solicitation strategies for Bay Path’s major and planned giving donors and prospects. Maintain and continue to develop team and personal frontline responsibility for a major gifts portfolio with a focus on five-, six-, and aspirational seven-figure gift prospects. Apply various giving methods such as current giving, deferred giving, and non-cash gifts.
In collaboration with academic and administrative colleagues, explore opportunities for partnership with corporate and foundation donors that capitalize upon Bay Path’s career-ready programming and outcomes including experiential learning, workforce training, and certification, and allied professional offerings.
Set and achieve ambitious fundraising goals including those related to pipeline development and management. Build and maintain best-practice strategies through rigorous data analysis and program assessment. Provide strategic oversight of advancement services to ensure qualification, engagement, and solicitation targets are met, moves are tracked, and donor information is up to date.
Inspire the advancement staff through effective motivation, mentoring, active communication, and team building. Leverage the strengths of individual staff members, ensure team accountability toward incrementally increasing financial goal outcomes.
Guide and support the President in their role as chief spokesperson and fundraiser, as well as the Board of Trustees and volunteer leadership in development and alumni-related areas. Capitalize on and support public awareness and special event opportunities for Bay Path such as its annual Women’s Leadership Conference.
Staff the Institutional Advancement Committee of the Board of Trustees, working closely with the Committee chair and vice chair to develop agendas and present salient information. Guide the Committee’s activities as University ambassadors, champions, and philanthropists.
Elevate the importance of authentic and innovative stewardship that strengthens donors’ interest in, satisfaction with, and commitment to Bay Path, leading to sustained and increased giving.
Develop a multi-faceted outreach approach to engage and involve Bay Path’s diverse and geographically dispersed alumni in ways that link their own important experiences to equally transformative experiences for future cohorts of students— ultimately encouraging their commitment and contribution of both a greater number of gifts and greater levels per gift.
Outside of Bay Path, serve as one of the “leading representatives” of the University, building relationships with major donors, community leaders, and successful business leaders on a continual basis. Exemplify Bay Path’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. Strengthen linkages and engage authentically with a broad range of constituents as an ambassador for Bay Path, representing the University positively at all times, and strongly articulating the quality and value of a Bay Path education.
Apply a keen eye to operational efficiency, optimal use of resources, and digital productivity tools and platforms; plan, monitor, and rigorously manage a development budget, which includes both revenues and expenses.
Explore opportunities for modifying existing advancement organizational structure, to ensure coordination, productivity, and responsiveness in ways that enhance communication; and to promote team collaboration and professional satisfaction.

Requirements

A bachelor’s degree and/or graduate degree, preferred. CFRE is not required but will be a plus.
At least ten years of increasing advancement leadership and fundraising achievement at a higher education, higher education-adjacent, or purpose-aligned institution.
Proven ability to acquire six-figure+ individual and/or institutional major gifts in higher education or nonprofit environments is required for this position, preferably in the context of a comprehensive campaign. Track record of prior professional coaching of staff resulting in the attainment of major gifts, planned or legacy gifts, and/or increasing annual funds.
A successful track record of working directly with the most senior levels of an organization and its transformational donors is critical, as is a sophisticated, nuanced understanding of the confluence of relationships that facilitate major and principal gift discussions and propel them forward.
Strength in developing the case and support for strategic and complex fundraising plans. Demonstrated ability to think strategically and to shape messaging to move individuals across the spectrum of prospect development, culminating in significant and potentially game-changing solicitations appropriate to organizational priorities and donor interests.
Ability to engage and motivate volunteers and other constituent groups and appreciate their role in building an effective fundraising network, inspiring them to action, and making the experience satisfying and fun.
Diplomacy, tact, and the ability to work across diverse internal and external constituents, building credibility and constructive professional relationships. Demonstrated facility in cultivating relationships and operating through influence rather than authority.
Capacity to build an advancement platform for a productive and effective division—one where staff are committed to the organization and feel ownership and pride in their work, and where openness and communication are valued.
Knowledge and comfort with technology, including familiarity with analytic platforms for the purposes of both accurate donor base information and analytic planning.
Ability to adhere to University policies and procedures and to use discretion in handling confidential information within FERPA and HIPAA guidelines.
Comfort with ambiguity and change.
Demonstrated tact, sensitivity, maturity, and good judgment.
Proven record of professionalism, entrepreneurialism, organization, and creativity.
Extensive travel, nights and weekends required.
Respect for Bay Path students and alumni, many of whom are/were first in their families to attend college and/or are non-traditional students balancing their work and studies; the ability to act with shared purpose alongside the Bay Path ecosystem of students, alumni, faculty members, administrators, volunteer leaders, strategic partners, and supporters in to build affinity for philanthropic support.

Salary Range and Employee Benefits

$200,000 - $225,000

How to Apply for this Job

Apply Now

About the Organization

Bay Path University (Bay Path), a private comprehensive university with an innovative and responsive approach to student-centered, career-focused education, seeks an enterprising and purposeful Vice President for Institutional Advancement to lead university-wide fundraising and engagement efforts during an exciting time of expanded reach, impact, and preparation for a comprehensive campaign. Known for its commitment to providing affordable, workforce-aligned programs that ensure graduates are career-ready, Bay Path educates and empowers students of all backgrounds, including working adults and first-generation learners, to lead with confidence and make meaningful impact in their professions and communities.

Consistently recognized among Top Performers for Social Mobility in the North by U.S. News & World Report and respected for strong allied health, education, and business programs; accessible online options; and its supportive community, Bay Path’s practical, applied learning model successfully demonstrates the value of pursuing a college degree and continued career credentialing—serving as an exemplar for strategic academe/industry synergy at a time when educational ROI, workforce development, and economic mobility are pressing challenges across higher education and beyond. Bay

Path offers a residential bachelor’s degree for women only on its Longmeadow, Massachusetts campus, as well as bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs for all learners on campuses in East Longmeadow and Boston, Massachusetts; Guaynabo, Puerto Rico; and online. In 2024, Bay Path expanded its reach and program offerings through the acquisition of Cambridge College, increasing its enrollment to approximately 5,000 learners, gaining new locations, strengthening its online presence, broadening its programs, and expanding its ecosystem of corporate and community partners, alumni, and philanthropic supporters.

WOC is not responsible for the content of job postings.