Senior Vice President, Advancement
- Compensation
- Not disclosed
- Location
- Employees, United States
- Work setup
- Remote
- Seniority
- C level
- Employment
- Not specified
- Experience
- 5+ years
- Category
- Not specified
- Posted
Skills
Must have
- Provide Team Vision & Leadership: Lead all Advancement activities based on a philosophy of relational, trust-based giving, including major gifts, annual giving, corporate and foundation relations, pla
- Oversee Campaign Strategy: Design and execute comprehensive fundraising campaigns, from quiet phase through public launch, aligned with strategic priorities.
- Build the Major Gifts Pipeline: Work closely with the Advancement team to build the major gifts pipeline: Identify major donors and prospects and lead them through Powerful Conversations — grounded in
- Advise Leadership: Act as an advisor to the President and the Board, providing insights into fundraising strategy and donor engagement.
- Partner Across the Institution: Manage relationships with internal teams, ensuring gift processes, donor agreements, and public-facing materials are aligned and accurate.
- Steward Donor Relationships: Oversee team members to ensure donor recognition, stewardship reporting, and gift acknowledgment processes make donors feel genuinely known and valued, not just informed —
- Ensure Compliance: Ensure compliance with gift-accounting standards, laws, and regulations, preparing necessary reports for the Board and external stakeholders.
- Prepare Advancement Reports: Manage the team that creates and presents fundraising reports, dashboards, and presentations related to advancement performance.
- Promote a Culture of Philanthropy: Work with all departments to build broad-based understanding of and engagement with Reach's fundraising priorities, championing a relational mindset that reaches bey
- Support Strategic Decision-Making: Engage in constant analysis of giving trends and donor data to inform decision-making and long-term planning.
Full description
You will play a central role in developing the philanthropic engine that fuels Reach University’s impact. Fundraising isn't a transactional function to you, it's a relational giving practice — a core driver of institutional capacity, credibility, and long-term impact. You are motivated by building lasting, trust-based relationships with donors, partners, and champions who believe in expanding access to higher education, and you know that resources flow most powerfully when people feel genuinely seen, not solicited.
In this role, you will lead the Advancement capability, which includes all fundraising, donor relations, and advancement communications functions. You will help Reach build major gift pipelines and campaign strategies that support Reach's next stage of growth. You will partner closely with the President and the Board, bringing a thoughtful, strategic lens to donor discovery and the Powerful Conversations that build trust, surface shared vision, and open the door to meaningful investment. At the same time, you are deeply invested in how the work gets done.
If you are a leader who develops people as intentionally as you build relationships, this could be the ideal role for you. You will build alignment across a growing Advancement team to ensure Reach is strengthening donor stewardship practices, and ensuring that systems, processes, and tools for gift tracking, reporting, and communications are both effective and efficient. In this executive advancement job, you will create clarity in role expectations, invest in the growth of your team, and foster a culture of accountability, learning, and continuous improvement.
Every relationship you build and every gift you help unlock in this role will move Reach closer to its North Star: a world where it takes skill and effort, not money or connections, to get ahead, and no one has to choose between a job and a degree. We achieve this North Star by pioneering pathways to upward mobility through higher education in the workplace.
Responsibilities
- Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree a plus
- 15+ years of experience in fundraising, sales, development, or advancement, or similar role
- Strong track record of securing major and principal gifts through relational, trust-based donor engagement
- Demonstrated people management skills
- Strong proficiency with CRM/donor databases
- Knowledge of gift-accounting principles and nonprofit fundraising regulations
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
- Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment
- Strong attention to detail and problem-solving abilities
Requirements
**What You’ll Do:
- Provide Team Vision & Leadership: Lead all Advancement activities based on a philosophy of relational, trust-based giving, including major gifts, annual giving, corporate and foundation relations, planned giving, and donor communications, ensuring they align with Reach’s goals and mission. Mentor, develop, and coach team members — including in the practice of Powerful Conversations — setting goals and conducting performance evaluations to ensure success and growth within the team.