Assistant/Associate Vice President for Advancement

Job Details

The Assistant or Associate Vice President for University Advancement is a executive officer of the University and a member of the President's Cabinet. This position provides strategic leadership and administrative oversight for a comprehensive advancement operation that advances Piedmont University's mission, strategic priorities, and long-term institutional sustainability.

The Assistant or Associate Vice President is responsible for planning, implementing, evaluating, and maintaining a broad-based advancement program, including major and principal gifts, annual giving, comprehensive and capital campaigns, corporate sponsorships, corporate and foundation relations, planned giving, alumni relations, donor stewardship, advancement operations, and advancement-related events. The incumbent serves as the President's chief advisor and lead gift officer for leadership-level philanthropy and plays a central role in cultivating a culture of philanthropy and engagement across the University community.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Provide vision and leadership for the University's advancement strategy in alignment with the institutional strategic plan and long-term financial goals.
• Advise the President and Board of Trustees on advancement performance, campaign progress, philanthropic trends, corporate partnership development, and emerging revenue streams.
• Foster a campus-wide culture of philanthropy, engagement, and stewardship.

Fundraising and Campaign Management

• Lead the planning, execution, and successful completion of the University's fundraising campaigns and initiatives, including annual giving, major gifts, and special fundraising efforts.
• Direct major and principal gift strategies, including prospect identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
• Oversee annual giving, planned giving, leadership gifts, and corporate sponsorship initiatives to ensure balanced, diversified, and sustainable growth.
• Provide executive oversight of foundation and corporate strategy, including prospect development, proposal prioritization, alignment with institutional goals, and coordination across academic and administrative units.
• Strengthen and expand corporate partnerships and sponsorships that support academic programs, student success initiatives, athletics, events, and strategic priorities.
• Ensure fundraising and sponsorship activities adhere to ethical standards, donor intent, and applicable laws and regulations.

Alumni Relations and Engagement

• Provide leadership for alumni relations programs that build and sustain meaningful engagement across generations and geographies.
• Engage alumni as volunteers, ambassadors, advocates, donors, and corporate or foundation partners in support of the University's mission.
• Oversee alumni events, volunteer leadership structures, and engagement initiatives aligned with institutional priorities.

Donor Stewardship and Advancement Operations

• Ensure effective donor and sponsor stewardship practices that demonstrate accountability, transparency, compliance, and impact.
• Oversee advancement operations, including advancement services, prospect research, data management, reporting, compliance, and performance metrics.
• Ensure appropriate coordination with Finance & Administration on budgeting, restrictions, reporting, and closeout.
• Utilize data analytics, dashboards, and CRM systems to support informed decision-making and continuous improvement.
• Establish and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) to evaluate advancement, sponsorship effectiveness, and return on investment.

Leadership and Administration

• Provide leadership and supervision for a multidisciplinary advancement team, including professional staff, support personnel, and volunteers.
• Recruit, develop, and retain high-performing advancement, and corporate partnership professionals.
• Manage the division's budget and resources responsibly and in alignment with institutional priorities.
• Promote collaboration across University divisions to advance shared fundraising, and sponsorship goals.

Other relevant duties as assigned. Regular and predictable attendance is required. On-site work is required. Incumbents must remain relevant in the area of employment and flexible to changes in work related to institutional needs.

Typical Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

Master's degree required; terminal degree preferred. Minimum of ten (10) years of progressively responsible leadership experience in university advancement, fundraising, or related philanthropic leadership. Demonstrated success in major and principal gift fundraising, corporate sponsorship development, and comprehensive campaign leadership. Proven experience managing complex advancement and teams, and budgets. Strong strategic planning, analytical, and organizational skills. Excellent interpersonal, communication, and relationship-building abilities. Commitment to ethical fundraising, and mission-driven leadership.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience leading advancement, and sponsorship efforts at a tuition-dependent, mission-driven institution. Successful experience working with Boards of Trustees and senior executive leadership. Experience expanding foundation, corporate, government, and sponsorship funding portfolios.

Licenses and Certification

Valid Georgia Driver’s License (or obtained within 30 days of hire date) and satisfactory MVR.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Strong strategic planning, analytical, and organizational skills. Excellent interpersonal, communication, and relationship-building abilities. Commitment to ethical fundraising, and mission-driven leadership. Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing Effectively manage a diverse population of employees. Ability to work in a diverse and inclusive environment collaboratively and effectively.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities

Essential functions and responsibilities of this position are performed in an inside environmental condition, where there is protection from weather conditions but not necessarily temperature changes. Essential functions and responsibilities require light work: Exerting up to 20 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 10 pounds of force frequently, and/or a negligible amount of force constantly to move objects. If the use of arm and/or leg controls requires exertion of forces greater than that for Sedentary Work and the worker sits most of the time, the job is rated for Light Work.

Essential functions and responsibilities require incumbents to: climb or ascend and descend stairs or ramps using feet and legs; stoop by bending the body downward and forward by bending the spine at the waist; kneel by bending legs to come to rest on knee or knees; crouch by bending the body downward and forward by bending leg and spine; reach or extend hands and arms in any direction; stand by remaining upright on the feet; walk or move about on foot to accomplish tasks; lift by raising objects from a lower to a higher position or moving objects horizontally from position-to-position; finger, grasp, or feel objects; talk to exchange and express ideas; and to hear to perceive the nature of sounds at normal speaking levels.

Incumbents must have close visual acuity to perform activities such as extensive reading and operating computers and other office equipment.