The URI Foundation & Alumni Engagement (URIFAE) seeks a dynamic and experienced advancement professional for the position of Vice President for Development to provide strategic and managerial leadership and oversight to all college-based, unit-based and regional major gifts officers. The Vice President oversees and manages an advancement staff of academic and athletic based fundraising officers, and annual and planned giving. The Vice President works closely and collaborates with deans, directors, and other URIFAE staff to best support the University’s priorities and strategic initiatives through philanthropic giving.

The Vice President for Development will build and manage relationships with others at the URIFAE, University Officers, deans, faculty and other members of the campus community and volunteers. This is a high visibility opportunity within the URI community and comes at a critical juncture in the University’s comprehensive campaign. The URIFAE President, to whom this new hire will report, values a person who is strategically oriented, knowledgeable about capital campaigns, experienced with major/principal gifts, a team player and goal oriented.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Demonstrated ability to manage and orchestrate the efforts of a major gifts fundraising team, including overseeing productivity against metrics, fundraising priorities, prospect strategies and proposals, teamwork, and professional development. Ensure collaboration for the team with central development and alumni engagement.
• Lead and mentor the major gifts fundraising team, annual fund and gift planning team to meet the ongoing opportunities and challenges of broadening and diversifying philanthropic support to the University of Rhode Island.
• Lead and facilitate the major gifts team to work closely with their respective deans and unit heads to clearly identify and communicate philanthropic priorities for their areas.
• Plan and execute monthly development and prospect strategy meetings to promote information sharing, donor-centric fundraising, collaboration, and comprehensive solicitations.
• Maintain a personal portfolio of assigned major gift prospects. Develop and implement comprehensive cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies for assigned prospects. Work both independently and in concert with other colleagues and volunteers to implement strategies including direct solicitation of gifts.
• Manage and maintain close collaboration on prospect strategies and activity, as well as on major gifts teams’ strategies and activity, with the URIFAE President, Vice President of Principal Gifts and Strategic Initiatives, Executive Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations, and Associate Vice President of Donor Relations and Engagement.
• Proactively cultivate and maintain effective partnerships with deans and unit heads to encourage donor-centric fundraising, collaboration, and accountability of major gift officers. Advise the deans on prospect management issues, or any challenges or opportunities that impact the division’s effectiveness.
• Participate in, and motivate team to participate in, signature events at the University that provide opportunities for strategic engagement with prospects and donors, including but not limited to Alumni & Family Weekend, Distinguished Achievement Awards, Leadership Summit, and athletic events

Education and Work Experience

• Bachelor’s degree.
• Ten years of fundraising experience, preferably in higher education; at least seven involving the solicitation of major gifts/principal gifts

Skills and Abilities

• Excellent interpersonal skills required to relate to donors, volunteers, colleagues, and high-level University administrators.
• Demonstrated leadership and managerial skills and abilities to lead and inspire a front-line advancement and research team.
• Demonstrated track record of cultivating, soliciting, and closing gifts of $100,000 or higher in a complex academic environment.
• Innovative and able to work with considerable independence within the context of a team environment and a network of relationships.
• Superior written and oral communication, negotiating, organizational, analytical, and fundraising skills.
• Comprehensive capital campaign experience preferred.

Other

• Knowledge of university governance and academic administrative and financial policies and guidelines.
• Familiarity with financial planning, tax and charitable gift laws and planned giving vehicles and methods highly desirable.
• Creativity, a positive outlook, and a sense of humor.
• A high level of integrity, an extraordinary work ethic and highly self-motivated.
• An articulate and persuasive presentation.
• Amenable to travel.