Senior Vice President, Advancement and Alumni Relations

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Job Title:  Senior Vice President, Advancement and Alumni Relations

Essential Job Functions and Responsibilities

The successful candidate will embody proven leadership traits, a collaborative spirit, and have a results-oriented mindset. Lindenwood values accountability and action, especially at a time when student enrollment is highly competitive and the value of higher education is closely scrutinized. Delivering an exceptional experience remains central to the institution’s mission. The essential skills areas are described below:

Strategic Leadership

We seek an experienced, seasoned Advancement Executive who has honed their skills in comparable or larger, dynamic, and growth-oriented higher education or non-profit environments. The ideal candidate will have:

A. A demonstrated track record of scaling philanthropic programs and driving significant revenue growth

B. Experience progressing from smaller to larger institutions or learning systems and assuming increasing responsibility across all core fundraising functions

C. A history of elevating campaigns from single-digit to double-digit million-dollar outcomes

Key responsibilities include:

• Develop and execute a comprehensive advancement strategic plan aligned with board approved institutional priorities
• Set ambitious yet achievable fundraising goals with direct accountability for achieving results
• Provide strategic counsel to the President and Board of Trustees on key philanthropic opportunities
• Build a campus-wide culture of philanthropy
• Collaborate with marketing and communications teams to amplify Lindenwood’s mission, impact, and message

Fundraising and Development

This is a proactive, entrepreneurial institution that values disciplined planning and execution. We seek a datadriven, detail-oriented communicator who will engage at any level of the organization and community to ensure priorities, metrics and milestones are met with excellence.

• Manage a personal portfolio of major gift prospects and donors
• Design and execute programs for major gifts, planned giving, corporate and foundation relations, and annual giving
• Develop and drive innovative fundraising strategies and tactics supporting capital projects, endowment growth, and annual operations
• Deliver measurable fundraising growth annually, with clearly defined performance targets

Alumni Relations and Engagement

• With a large and diverse student and alumni population, Lindenwood seeks a leader who can:
• Strengthen alumni loyalty and philanthropic participation
• Develop dynamic programs that keep alumni engaged beyond traditional events
• Leverage alumni networks and organizations for student recruitment, career services, internships, and institutional visibility
• Establish modern engagement platforms and communications that connect multi-generational alumni communities

Advancement Operations

The successful SVP will be a data-driven, dashboard-savvy operator who ensures the effectiveness and integrity of all advancement systems.

• Oversee advancement services including gift processing, CRM optimization, prospecting research, reporting, and board-level metrics
• Ensure adherence to the highest ethical standards and ensure compliance with all applicable (fundraising) regulations
• Lead continuous improvement and implement best practices in donor stewardship
• Manage the advancement budget to ensure effective as well as efficient resource allocations

Employee Management & Organizational Culture

The chosen candidate will step into the 192-year history and legacy that is Lindenwood. Pride in the past and great energy around an even brighter future as established by the Lindenwood board and leadership sets the tone.

• Recruit, mentor, and lead a high-performing advancement team that embodies the university’s mission and values
• Foster a culture of collaboration, transparency, and innovation
• Implement performance-based evaluations aligned to measurable outcomes
• Provide professional growth opportunities that enhance team capacity and retention

Measures of Success (KPIs & Impact)

Performance will be evaluated through quarterly progress reviews and comprehensive assessments at 90 days, 6 months and annually.

• First 90 days – full assessment and recommendations across people, process, systems, and donor pipeline
• 180 days – strategic implementation of key initiatives; establish/update KPIs, dashboards, and reporting rhythms
• 365 days – demonstrate making sustainable, measurable impact across fundraising, alumni engagement, and advancement operations

Sample success metrics:

Fundraising – 10-25% growth in total giving; 15 plus major gift solicitations closed annually (includes $100K to over $1M), 10-15 % growth in total number of donors, expanded pipeline including growth in the $500K plus qualified prospects

Alumni Engagement – 10 to 15% increase in alumni event engagement/participation, 3-5% increase in alumni giving participation, measurable expansion in the mentor/internship network

Operational Excellence – 95% CRM completeness and accuracy; quarterly advancement dashboards; donor experience scorecards program

Leadership – Increased team stability, skills growth, capacity and reduced unwanted turnover; performance based evaluations fully deployed It is expected that this role/team will deliver double digit growth in donations with milestones of $10M/$15M/$20M serving as early benchmark targets

Educational Background and Qualifications

• An equivalent combination of education, training, and experience will be considered. Additional requirements may be designated by position.
• Master’s degree in Business Administration, Accounting, Finance, or a related field
• Minimum of 15 years of progressive advancement and fundraising leadership experience in higher education. Minimum of 3 years at the VP (no. 1) or higher level at a comparable or larger institution
• Documented expertise and success in major gift fundraising with personal solicitations resulting in six and seven-figure individual commitments
• Experience in planning and executing $25M capital campaigns
• Comprehensive knowledge of major gifts, planned giving, corporate/foundation relations, annual giving, and multi-generational alumni relations
• Proven leadership and communications skills with any audience while balancing coaching and managing duties of a high-performance team
• Strategic thinker who is adept at translating vision (the WHAT) into actionable plans (the WHY and HOW)
• Relocation to the greater St. Louis area is a pre-requisite

A very competitive compensation package will be offered to the successful candidate who best meets the criteria as presented herein, combined with online and in-person interviews, and added assessments.

Additional Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities desired

• Experience at another private, established, comprehensive university of at least comparable size and complexity
• Track record leading advancement through growth, turn around or transformational change
• CFRE or comparable certification
• Established networks across the mid-west/central region including the greater St. Louis area or similar metropolitan markets
• Strong relationships with corporate, civic, non-profit and government partners