SUMMARY The Vice President, Advancement and Alumni Engagement at South Texas College of Law Houston is responsible for designing and implementing comprehensive institutional advancement programs and recruiting and developing talented team members focused toward the ultimate goal of significantly increasing constituent engagement and fund raising outcomes. The advancement function includes responsibility for annual fund, corporate and foundation relations, major gifts, gift planning, endowment, capital campaigns, alumni and other constituent relations efforts, stewardship, and advancement services. This position must ensure effective and successful capital campaigns, including the law school’s upcoming centennial celebration.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Advance the mission, vision, and short and long-term goals of the law school in concert with the President and Dean and senior administrative colleagues.
Work closely with the President and Dean in all phases of advancement and campaign leadership activities.
Serve as a member of the law school leadership team and maintain close working relationships with members of the Board of Directors and key alumni and friends of the law school.
Prepare for all aspects of the law school’s centennial celebration, in consultation with the law school’s leadership, including capital campaigns and alumni engagement events.
Maintain a dynamic portfolio of high net worth individuals and secure major, principal, and planned gifts.
Participate in strategic planning and implementation to strengthen the law school’s community engagement and financial resources.
Create and execute fundraising plans that utilize best practices in annual, major, and planned gift programs to meet fundraising goals.
Ensure dynamic processes in all phases of donor qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
Hire, train, inspire, and lead direct reports and the entire advancement team to meet or exceed all individual and department goals.
Develop and manage annual plans and budgets for all aspects of the Advancement and Alumni Engagement department.
Engage law school faculty, administration, board of directors, staff, students, and alumni and enhance the overall culture of philanthropy with all audiences. Maintain high quality working relationships with faculty, alumni, board members, and law school departments whose cooperation is essential to effective outreach and fund raising.
Provide leadership to constituent relations programs in the areas of alumni relations, parent relations, and other key constituent relations.
Work closely with Marketing and Communications to devise and implement effective internal and external messaging and methods of philanthropic communication.
Identify funding prospects and develop fundraising strategies that include goal setting, performance metrics, and evaluation of the overall effectiveness of the philanthropy program.
Increase the law school’s donor base while strengthening relationships with current donors.
Ensure timely and accurate reporting and data analysis using Raiser's Edge, Excel, and PowerPoint.
Manage a portfolio of top prospects and ensure proper allocation of prospects across all gift officers. Develop, implement, and manage a prospect tracking system to drive fundraising activity and goals.
Comply with all aspects of the law school’s Customer Service Standards.
All other duties as assigned by the President and Dean.
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:
The Vice President oversees the entire Advancement and Alumni Engagement function, with five direct reports.
QUALIFICATIONS
The successful candidate must be able to document a record of leadership and accomplishment in philanthropy with a proven record of accomplishment in fundraising, especially with capital campaign planning and execution, and in securing major and principal gifts. Strong organizational, project management, and leadership capabilities are required. Exemplary interpersonal skills are essential, as is the ability to engage sophisticated donors and volunteers.
EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE
Bachelor’s degree is required and master’s degree is preferred. A minimum of ten years of experience as a senior level advancement professional is highly preferred, and experience in higher education is strongly preferred. The ability to work effectively with many diverse constituencies in higher education should be evident. Other important characteristics include a strong work ethic, competitive nature, personal integrity, emotional intelligence, a sense of humor, excellent communication skills, strategic thinking, and planning skills. Evidence of a commitment to lifelong learning and professional growth is also required. The successful candidate will be an accomplished philanthropy leader with a clear record of success in fundraising and deep professional knowledge of best practices.
REASONING ABILITY
Ability to define routine problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions to solve routine problems. Must be able to successfully deal with ambiguity.
CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS
N/A
PHYSICAL DEMANDS
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit and talk or hear. The employee is regularly required to stand and walk. Occasional light to moderate lifting from floor level, at waist, and above shoulders required. Infrequent bending and stooping necessary. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision in order to accurately input data and proofread; distance vision in order to recognize and assist visitors to the department.
WORK ENVIRONMENT
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Fast paced, multi-tasking, non-smoking work environment. Must be able to work the general business schedule of the law school (9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.) plus evenings and weekends as needed. Some travel is required.
Required Skills Required Experience
Minimum two years' professional experience in industry. Prefer teaching experience at the college level. Demonstrated ability to work with diverse populations representing a wide range of abilities, ages, nationalities and cultures. Experience with instructional technology preferred.
Responsible for instruction and facilitating student learning; committed to student recruitment, retention and success; assessment of learning, development of curriculum and use of instructional delivery modes utilizing both traditional and non-traditional methodology.
PHYSICAL, MENTAL, AND ENVIRONMENT REQUIREMENTS INCLUDE:
MENTAL DEMANDS:
☒ Detailed Work ☒ Student Contact
☒ Deadline oriented ☒ Problem Situations
☒ Multiple Priorities & Demands ☒ Emergency Situations
☒ Confidentiality ☐ On-call Availability
☒ Continual Interruptions ☒ Working Alone
☒ Faculty Contact ☒ Working with Others
PHYSICAL DEMANDS:
☐ Standing & Walking ☒ Sitting
☒ Carrying
☐ Lifting up to 10 lbs. ☒ Up to 25 lbs. ☐ Up to 50 lbs. ☐ 80 + lbs.
☐ Pushing, Pulling, Twisting, Bending ☐ Climb or Balance
☐ Stoop, Kneel, Crouch, or Crawl ☐ Squatting
☐ Handle or Feel ☐ Reach with Hands and Arms
☒ Talking or hearing ☐ Tasting/Smelling
☐ Working Overhead ☒ Speak in English via Phone or In Person
☒ Close, Distance, Peripheral, and Color Vision along with Depth Perceptions
☒ Ability to Adjust and Focus
WORK ENVIRONMENT:
☐ Exposure to wet, humid conditions (non-weather), fumes or airborne particles, toxic or caustic chemicals; extreme heat/cold; and moderate to loud noise levels.
☒ Normal Office environment with little, if, any, discomfort due to heat, dust, noise and the like. Ability to travel to all campus locations required.