Academic Career & Executive Search is pleased to assist Elmira College in its search for Vice President of Advancement and Alumni Engagement.

This is an exciting time to join the Elmira team as the College prepares to launch a new capital campaign. The next Vice President of Advancement and Alumni Engagement (VPAAE) is a strategic, results-focused fundraiser and relationship cultivator with demonstrated experience developing successful, long-term relationships with external and internal key constituents as well as the ability to run a successful capital campaign. The ideal candidate desires an opportunity to shape the future of advancement and leave a lasting and positive impact on Elmira College. 

The Vice President for Advancement and Alumni Engagement is responsible for the strategic planning and execution of fundraising and alumni engagement priorities for the institution, including management of the fundraising campaign and direct supervision of teams responsible for corporate, foundation, and individual major gifts. In addition, the VPAAE is responsible for personally managing a portfolio of principal gift donors. Reporting to the President, the successful candidate will take an active role in attracting talent to the organization and investing in the professional development of the entire development and alumni engagement team. The next Vice President will set goals for staff and administration serving in the department that are in line with the College’s strategic plan.  

The Vice President of Advancement and Alumni Engagement is the chief advancement and alumni relations officer of the College, responsible for the oversight of the Offices of Advancement and Alumni Engagement, and for working with the President to provide strategic leadership in these operational areas. The VPAAE serves as a key member of the College’s senior leadership team and President’s Cabinet. Additionally, the VPAAE will build and cultivate positive relationships across campus, including close partnerships with Academic Affairs, Admissions, Campus Life, and Athletics. 

This position is an onsite position offering generous benefits. 

Essential Functions & Responsibilities

• Senior advisor to the President on fundraising and alumni engagement.
• Staff to the Board of Trustees Advancement & Alumni Engagement Committee, attending meetings and reporting on activities as needed.
• Collaborate on major initiatives to advance the mission of the College.
• Lead the College’s work in identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of donors, governmental agencies, and philanthropic foundations to secure financial support for the College.
• Lead the College’s work in stewarding the relationship between the College and its alumni, including oversight of the College’s annual alumni reunion and the Alumni Association Board of Directors meetings and activities.
• Provide oversight and leadership for the upcoming capital campaign.
• Oversee donor relations and advancement services, including responsible stewardship protocols, such as timely gift acknowledgment and accurate donor records management, and efficient and transparent financial tracking and reporting processes. 
• Oversee departmental activities related to the College’s strategic plan, including evaluating progress and implementing needed strategies and initiatives to ensure optimal progress toward goals. 
• Evaluate the performance of department staff.
• Manage the department’s budget.
• Travel may be required.
• Other duties as assigned by the President.

Required Qualifications: 

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution; master’s preferred.
• Significant experience in fundraising with most experience in higher education development.
• Track record of success as a major gift and/ or principal gift fundraiser with demonstrated responsibility and success in the supervision of a professional fundraising staff.
• Experience expanding and cultivating existing donor relationships over time.
• Strong organizational and time-management skills with exceptional attention to detail.
• Proven ability to build a team and unite individual contributors with strong personalities and varying levels of experience into a cohesive unit.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, across various audiences including college administration and leadership, alumni, donors, foundations, and corporations.
• Ability to engage and cultivate a wide range of donors and build long-term relationships.
• Valid U.S. driver’s license.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience using Raiser’s Edge or similar fundraising and donor management programs.
• Experience securing significant corporate philanthropic support from a diverse set of donors and industries for higher education priorities and missions.
• Experience with organizing a major capital campaign.

About the Institution

Elmira College is a private, coeducational, Phi Beta Kappa college located in Elmira, New York. Founded in 1855, Elmira was the first college for women with a course of study equal in rigor to the best men's colleges. Becoming coeducational in 1969, today Elmira College offers rigorous academic programs with an undergraduate enrollment of approximately 800 full-time, mostly residential students. The College also offers advanced certificates, master’s degree programs, and non-credit courses for professional development. 
 
Elmira was named by U.S. News & World Report 2020 as sixth among the Best Regional Colleges and second among Best Value in the Northeast. The Best Value Colleges list also considers a school's academic quality. The College also ranked fifth in the Most Innovative Schools and Top Performers on Social Mobility lists. Other accolades include Princeton Review, Best 385 Colleges in the nation; Washington Monthly, #17 on the list of the Top 200 Bachelor's Colleges; and Forbes, list of America's Top Colleges. 
 
As the guardian of Quarry Farm, where Mark Twain summered for twenty years and wrote many of his most iconic novels, Elmira College is home to the Center for Mark Twain Studies, one of four nationally recognized Twain sites which serves as a research center for visiting Twain scholars.  

Vision: Elmira College will be recognized as a leader in broad-based, interdisciplinary education, offering innovative programs that combine experiential learning, on- and off-campus leadership opportunities, and community engagement. The College’s curricular and co-curricular programs will demonstrate a commitment to diversity, inclusion, and global awareness with a strong emphasis on the interconnectedness of world cultures and the historical exchange of ideas.
 
Living in the Area 

With a population of nearly 35,000, Elmira, New York, is located in the Southern Finger Lakes. The City of Elmira and surrounding Finger Lakes region offer opportunities for skiing, golf, hiking, water sports, bike touring, museums, restaurants, wineries, and breweries. The area is surrounded by scenic hills and hardwood forests and boasts a cost of living more than 25% less than the national average. There are museums, farmers markets, a performing arts center, a downtown community, and even a historic baseball field. Throughout the year, Elmira Downtown Development hosts events in the City such as outdoor concerts, a weekly farmers market, street painting festivals, outdoor movie nights, and more. Elmira is 90 minutes south of Rochester and about 4 hours from Philadelphia, New York City and Toronto.  
 

To Apply 

Please apply through the application link and do not email applications. 

Applications will be reviewed as they are received and should include a cover letter and curriculum vitae. Ideally cover letters should not exceed two pages. All applications are treated confidentially.

Inquiries, referrals, and nominations are also treated confidentially.

Inquiries and questions: Please send to ElmiraVPAAE@acesrch.com  
Nominations and referrals: Please send the nominees’ name, title, and contact information if available to nominations@acesrch.com.

Institution’s EEO Statement
In compliance with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and all other applicable non-discrimination laws, Elmira College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, veteran’s status, or genetic information in its educational programs and activities, admissions, and with regard to employment.