Job description
Division:
Institutional Advancement
Department:
Institutional Advancement
Reports to:
President
Position Summary
Livingstone College seeks a seasoned and results-driven Vice President/Senior Institutional Advancement Officer to provide strategic leadership and operational oversight of the College’s comprehensive fundraising and development programs. This senior-level role is responsible for advancing philanthropic support through annual giving, major gifts, planned giving, corporate and foundation relations, and the effective use of donor data and CRM systems.
The successful candidate will bring 8–10+ years of progressive advancement experience, a strong record of fundraising success, and the leadership capacity to strengthen donor engagement, institutional partnerships, and long-term philanthropic sustainability in alignment with Livingstone College’s mission and strategic priorities.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities
The results you will deliver each day that matter most!
Strategic Leadership & Advancement Planning
- Develop, implement, and continuously refine a comprehensive institutional advancement strategy aligned with College priorities, strategic plans, and campaign objectives.
- Establish annual fundraising goals, operating plans, and budgets; monitor progress and adjust strategies to ensure performance targets are met.
- Provide regular, data-informed reports and analysis to senior leadership and governing bodies.
Fundraising & Program Oversight
Provide leadership, direction, and hands-on engagement across the following functional areas:
Annual Giving
- Plan, execute, and optimize annual fund programs, including direct mail, digital giving, donor appeals, and stewardship initiatives.
- Support phonathon and emerging donor engagement strategies, as applicable.
Major Gifts
- Identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward major gift prospects.
- Manage a personal portfolio of high-capacity donors and prospects, with responsibility for closing significant gifts.
- Partner with senior leadership, Board members, and key stakeholders in solicitation efforts.
Planned Giving
- Develop and grow a planned giving pipeline, promoting legacy and deferred giving opportunities.
- Coordinate planned gifts with donors, legal counsel, and financial advisors in accordance with college policy.
Corporate & Foundation Relations
- Research, cultivate, and secure corporate sponsorships, foundation grants, and strategic philanthropic partnerships.
- Oversee proposal development, submission, reporting, and stewardship for institutional funders.
Database & CRM Strategy
- Provide strategic oversight of donor database and CRM systems, ensuring data integrity, effective segmentation, accurate reporting, and alignment with fundraising strategy.
- Leverage data to inform prospect research, moves management, pipeline development, and campaign planning.
Team Leadership & Collaboration
- Build, lead, and support a high-performing advancement team; hire, train, mentor, set performance objectives, and conduct evaluations.
- Foster collaboration across departments, including Finance, Alumni Relations, Communications, and Academic and Student Affairs.
- Engage faculty, staff, alumni, volunteers, and external partners in cultivation and stewardship activities.
Stewardship, Compliance & Governance
- Design and implement donor stewardship and recognition programs that strengthen retention and lifetime donor value.
- Ensure compliance with college gift acceptance policies, donor gift agreements, ethical fundraising standards, and applicable legal and regulatory requirements.
- Uphold the highest standards of professionalism, discretion, and confidentiality in all donor interactions.
- Additional Duties as Assigned.
Education/ Experience
What you will need to be successful!
Required Qualifications
- Minimum 8–10+ years of progressive advancement or fundraising leadership experience with documented, measurable fundraising results.
- Demonstrated success securing six- and seven-figure gifts and leading multi-channel fundraising programs.
- Proven experience developing and managing annual giving, major gifts, planned giving, and corporate/foundation fundraising initiatives.
- Strong experience with donor databases and CRMs (e.g., Raiser’s Edge, Salesforce for Nonprofits, or equivalent), including reporting and data-driven decision-making.
- Successful experience leading and managing teams and cross-functional initiatives.
- Excellent written and verbal communication, presentation, and relationship-building skills.
- High level of integrity, judgment, and professionalism in handling sensitive donor and institutional information.
- Bachelor’s degree required.
Preferred Qualifications
- Advanced degree and/or CFRE (Certified Fund-Raising Executive) credential.
- Experience in higher education, nonprofit, or faith-based institutional advancement.
- Familiarity with capital campaigns and comprehensive fundraising initiatives.
- Experience working closely with Boards of Trustees and senior executive leadership.
Key Competencies
- Strategic and results-oriented leadership approach.
- Strong relationship builder with the ability to engage senior executives, trustees, alumni, and external partners.
- Data-informed decision-maker with comfort using metrics to demonstrate impact.
- Entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to adapt in a dynamic, collaborative environment.
- Strong project management and organizational skills.
Reporting & Work Expectations
- Reports To: Vice President for Institutional Advancement
- Supervises: Advancement staff as assigned (e.g., annual fund, major gifts, grants, database personnel)
- Travel & Schedule: Some travel and evening/weekend work required for donor cultivation, events, and institutional functions
Measures of Success
- Sustained year-over-year growth in philanthropic revenue across all giving channels.
- Increased donor retention, engagement, and pipeline advancement.
- Successful cultivation and closure of major and planned gifts meeting or exceeding targets.
- Accurate, timely, and actionable fundraising data and reports supporting executive decision-making.
Working Conditions
- Standard business hours with occasional evenings or weekends required to support events, campaigns, or reporting deadlines.
- Hybrid work arrangements may be available based on departmental needs and institutional policy.
Life at Livingstone College
Why we believe you will love working at Livingstone College!!
Livingstone College is a private historically black college that is secured by a strong commitment to quality instruction, academic excellence, and student success. Through a Christian-based environment suitable for holistic learning, Livingstone provides excellent business, liberal arts, STEAM, teacher education, and workforce development programs for students from all ethnic backgrounds designed to promote lifelong learning and to develop student potential for leadership and service to a global community.
About Livingstone College: http://Livingstone.edu
Livingstone College is an equal opportunity employer that employs qualified individuals based upon job related qualifications regardless of race, religion, ancestry, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, marital status, domestic partner status, medical condition, political affiliation or any other classification proscribed under applicable federal, state or local law. Livingstone College complies with all laws regarding reasonable accommodation for disabled candidates and employees. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation in order to participate in the interview process are requested to contact Human Resources in order to arrange such accommodation. We offer competitive compensation and an attractive benefits package. No recruiters or agencies without a previously signed contract.
