Description
Vice President of Institutional Advancement/Chief Development Officer
Summary
Reporting to the President of WVSOM, the Vice President of Institutional Advancement/Chief Development Officer serves as the senior administrative officer responsible to the President for providing strategic leadership and direction for all institutional advancement functions. This includes development and fundraising, donor and alumni stewardship, stakeholder and community relations, and advancementrelated research and planning.
The Vice President establishes overall goals and strategies for increasing private and public philanthropic support, strengthening external relationships, and advancing WVSOM’s mission. This position works collaboratively with the President, Senior Leadership, the Alumni Association, and the WVSOM Foundation to build and sustain a comprehensive advancement enterprise. The Vice President will also serve as the primary administrative liaison to the Alumni Association Board and the WVSOM Foundation Board and will provide regular advancement updates to the WVSOM Board of Governors.
Specific Job Function
-Plans and directs all institutional advancement activities, including major fundraising campaigns, annual and planned giving, capital campaigns, and securing gifts and grants from corporations, foundations, alumni, individuals, and government entities.
-Develops and implements strategies to grow the WVSOM Foundation endowment.
-Identifies, cultivates, and solicits prospective donors and ensures appropriate stewardship and recognition of contributions.
-Coordinates fundraising strategies and activities with the Alumni Association and WVSOM Foundation; works closely with the Foundation and Alumni boards to support philanthropic growth and institutional engagement.
-Develops and manages a community relations program, representing WVSOM to external constituents, community organizations, legislative members, and governmental agencies.
-Participates with the President and senior leadership in institutional planning, policy development, and executivelevel decisionmaking.
-Advises the President on advancement policies, strategic planning, and both short and longrange advancement goals.
-Directs and manages advancement operations including financial processes, special events, prospect management, donor stewardship, donor recognition, research, data management, and reporting in accordance with IRS regulations and CASE standards.
-Oversees all endowments, including scholarships, and communicates with donors regarding earnings, award status, and fund usage.
-Ensures proper access and training for staff using fundraising and advancement databases.
-Provides training and guidance to administrators, faculty, and staff in fundraising techniques and best practices.
-Maintains a comprehensive and accurate fundraising database including donor history and engagement information.
-Oversees procedures and documentation related to gift processing and receipt.
-Communicates donor wishes and compliance requirements related to fund expenditures.
-Manages a corporate matchinggift program, including identification of participating organizations and donor outreach to increase participation.
-Collaborates with the Associate Vice President of Government and External Relations/Chief Communications Officer and the Director of Marketing to align messages, branding, and outreach efforts with institutional advancement goals.
-Represents WVSOM at events and travels as necessary to meet engagement and fundraising objectives.
-Maintains currency in the field through professional reading, conference participation, and engagement with trends in philanthropy and nonprofit leadership.
-Monitors emerging opportunities and trends in advancement and develops action plans as appropriate.
-Demonstrates excellent written and oral communication skills, including the ability to develop compelling cases for support.
-Provides leadership for WVSOM Foundation and Alumni Relations, overseeing strategic recruitment, mentoring, employee development, performance management, and succession planning to advance WVSOM's mission and goals.
-Serves on the President’s Senior Leadership Team and President’s Cabinet.
-Provides regular written and verbal reports on advancement, fundraising, and stakeholder engagement activities to the WVSOM Board of Governors, including committeelevel reporting as requested.
-Performs other related duties as assigned.
Administration
-Demonstrates an active and consistent commitment to the mission, vision, and values of WVSOM.
-Formulates and recommends policies, procedures, and practices for Advancement operations.
-Carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with West Virginia state policies, WVSOM policies and procedures, and applicable laws.
-Represents the President and institution in various capacities, including service on committees and task forces.
-Fosters collaborative working relationships with all areas of WVSOM and with external partners in higher education, community organizations, and government.
-Conducts all WVSOM business in a professional, ethical, and transparent manner.
-Performs other duties as assigned by the President.
Qualifications: A master’s degree in a related field is required, along with extensive experience in institutional advancement within higher education or the nonprofit sector. Candidates should have at least ten years of progressively responsible work in fundraising, development, or external relations, and a minimum of five years of seniorlevel administrative leadership experience. The position requires demonstrated success in major gift fundraising, donor cultivation and stewardship, campaign planning, and building strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders. Strong leadership and teammanagement abilities, excellent communication and strategic planning skills, and the ability to meet institutional priorities and statemandated deadlines are essential. Experience overseeing advancement operations, managing budgets, and ensuring compliance with applicable policies and regulations is also required.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
-Commitment to the mission of WVSOM and to advancing osteopathic medical education, healthcare access, and service to the residents of West Virginia.
-Extensive knowledge of fundraising principles, including major and planned giving, annual fund strategies, capital campaigns, donor stewardship, and endowment development.
-Proven success in securing philanthropic support from individuals, corporations, foundations, and governmental partners.
-Experience designing and implementing strategic advancement plans aligned with institutional goals and priorities.
-Ability to build and maintain strong donor, alumni, and stakeholder relationships, including highlevel volunteer boards, community leaders, government officials, and philanthropic partners.
-Skilled in managing comprehensive advancement operations, including prospect management, donor research, gift processing, database oversight, acknowledgement systems, stewardship activities, and IRS/CASE compliance.
-Strong understanding of nonprofit, foundation, and highereducation fundraising standards, including legal, regulatory, and ethical requirements.
-Demonstrated success in community relations and external engagement, with the ability to represent the institution effectively with civic, governmental, and legislative partners.
-Outstanding persuasive written and oral communication skills, including the ability to articulate a compelling case for support.
-Proven ability to lead, motivate, and develop teams, fostering collaboration and a shared commitment to advancement goals.
-Experience navigating change in a complex institution, including the ability to lead new initiatives and promote a culture of philanthropy across campus.
-Ability to work collaboratively with senior leadership, academic units, and foundation/alumni organizations to support institutional priorities.
-Strong organizational and strategic planning skills, with the ability to manage multiple projects, deadlines, and priorities.
-Demonstrated ability to maintain confidentiality, professionalism, and sound judgment in all donor and institutional matters.
-High level of initiative, selfmotivation, and attention to detail.
-Ability to thrive in a diverse, inclusive, and missiondriven environment, working effectively with students, alumni, faculty, staff, and community members.
Position
This is a full-time, non-classified administrative position with full state benefits based on the final candidate’s qualifications. The position is exempt from FLSA provisions regarding overtime. Not all activities of this position occur within the confines of an 8:00-4:30 schedule and will require regular evening and weekend scheduling. Travel including overnight travel is required. This position has been designated as essential. This means that when WVSOM is faced with an institutional emergency, employees in such positions may be required to remain at their work location or to report to work to protect, recover and continue operations at WVSOM.
The West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine is an equal opportunity employer.
