The Vice President for Institutional Advancement (VPIA) serves as the client’s chief external affairs and fundraising officer, responsible for building durable relationships and securing significant philanthropic, governmental, and community support aligned with the client’s mission and strategic priorities. As a member of the President’s Cabinet, the VPIA leads a team covering major gifts, alumni relations, government and community affairs, workforce partnerships, and strategic campaign development.
In this role, the VPIA provides senior advisory support to the President and designs and leads an institution-wide fundraising strategy aligned with the client’s strategic pillars, working closely with Cabinet members to help ensure operating units generate revenue. The VPIA aggregates unit-level fundraising data and integrates it into institutional advancement dashboards, reports, and strategy, and leads the integration of advancement systems, including the client’s CRM, to ensure donor, partner, and alumni engagement is data-informed, strategic, and focused on strengthening the client’s financial vitality and reputation.
The VPIA personally manages a major donor and prospect portfolio and leads all aspects of major fundraising campaigns, as well as related community engagement initiatives and the development of endowed scholarships and professorships. The role also includes overseeing the creation and dissemination of multiple cases for support each year and serving as the primary liaison to government agencies and elected officials, advancing legislative and civic funding priorities, and representing the client in public-facing settings.