Associate Vice President, Development

The University of Iowa Center for Advancement (UICA) seeks a seasoned, collaborative, and strategic fundraising leader to serve as its associate vice president (AVP) for the University of Iowa’s storied creative campus and its largest college, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Reporting directly to the vice president for main campus development, the AVP will provide strategic leadership for five front-line fundraising teams and serve as a key member of the vice president’s executive leadership team. This is an exciting, newly created position to unite cross-constituency teams, with a focus on driving philanthropic support for artistic and scholarly priorities at the University of Iowa (UI).

Situated in a lively college town, the University of Iowa is one of the nation's leading public research universities, with more than 30,000 students from 100-plus countries and all 50 states. A member of the Association of American Universities (AAU) since 1909 and the Big Ten Conference since 1899, the University’s assets range from the prestigious Iowa Writers' Workshop to one of the largest and most acclaimed medical centers in the country.

The University of Iowa’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences holds among it some of the most distinguished academic units in the state’s flagship university. Equally impressive, the University’s creative campus boasts an impressive roster of public arts presenters who bring together artists, scholars, students, and the community in innovative ways across the visual, literary, and performing arts. This innovation is not new; Iowa’s first creative writing class took place in 1897, it established the nation’s first MFA degree in 1922, and by 1940 it had launched the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and established the Iowa Idea through the School of Art and Art History. The University takes great pride in this creative legacy and continues to invest in state-of-the art facilities and its talented faculty and students while building connections that nurture the creative process and a vibrant liberal arts experience at the heart of a major research university.

The AVP will lead a 14-person team responsible for fundraising efforts for the creative campus and CLAS with combined comprehensive campaign goals of $410 million. The team includes the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Performing Arts at Iowa, Writing at Iowa, the Stanley Museum of Art, and the UI Libraries. The AVP will foster a strong sense of team, a spirit of collective enterprise, and a shared commitment to the UICA’s organizational goals, policies, and procedures. In addition to leading a range of teams, the AVP will be a collaborative partner with peers on the executive leadership team and serve as a strategic advisor to the vice president for main campus development. The AVP will also manage a portfolio of major and principal gift prospects, demonstrating how to craft complex proposals and inspire a diverse group of donors to make transformational gifts. Critical to this position is the ability to collaborate with University colleagues beyond the UICA to drive prospect strategies for transformational gifts.

The ideal candidate will be a senior fundraising professional with robust strategic, managerial, and frontline fundraising skills, with a strong preference for experience with or a background in arts fundraising and/or creative disciplines and a strong understanding of the importance of a liberal arts education. The successful candidate will be a dedicated and motivational team leader adept at optimizing, retaining, and advocating for a seasoned, diverse, and talented staff, while facilitating team success. The AVP will be a self-assured, results-oriented development professional with a collegial and accessible leadership style. Collaboration and integrity are paramount in this position. A complete list of desired qualifications and characteristics can be found below.

Major Functions And Responsibilities

• Lead and set strategy for fundraising programs that include the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Performing Arts at Iowa, Writing at Iowa, the Stanley Museum of Art, and the University of Iowa Libraries.
• Provide leadership, supervision, and talent management for direct reports (assistant vice president, CLAS, Performing Arts at Iowa, and UI Libraries; senior director, Writing at Iowa; director, Stanley Museum of Art) including recruiting, hiring, onboarding, professional development, training, performance management, feedback, recognition, and retention. Promote equity and inclusivity throughout the employee lifecycle.
• Partner with fundraising managers to set performance metrics for individual fundraisers. Work in conjunction with staff to conduct annual strategy and goal setting, including setting measurable, meaningful, and appropriate targets for individual staff members.
• Serve as a strategic advisor to the vice president for main campus development and as an interactive and collaborative partner on the main campus development executive leadership team; demonstrate strong leadership and the ability to problem solve with peers to meet mutual objectives.
• Personally develop and manage a diverse portfolio of major and principal gift prospects. Facilitate productive relationships between donors, senior administrators, and colleagues to develop strategies to solicit individuals in support of fundraising priorities.
• Collaborate with fundraising and alumni engagement colleagues across the UICA to prioritize strategies that will result in the highest-level gifts and engagement activity.
• Ensure compliance with all relevant regulations, ethical standards, and reporting requirements related to fundraising. Uphold the highest ethical standards in donor interactions and gift management.
• Utilize data analytics and insights to inform decision-making, track progress, and refine fundraising strategies. Ensure the accuracy and completeness of alumni and donor records within the CRM database.
• Maintain best practice-expertise in the field of development through participation in regional and national network and industry-related associations.
• Perform other duties as assigned at the direction of the vice president.

Skills And Qualifications

• A deep appreciation for the mission, culture, achievements, and aspirations of the University of Iowa, and the ability to articulate the uniqueness and relevance of its liberal and creative arts assets. A passion for education, the pursuit of knowledge, and the creative process.
• Demonstrated success in personally cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding major, principal and transformational gifts.
• Demonstrated experience and expertise in developing successful fundraising strategies and new programs or teams; experience with fundraising campaigns.
• Proven management skills in establishing a team- and a goal-oriented environment that empowers staff through active communication, transparency, and delegation and that builds confidence, promotes diversity and creativity of thoughts, and celebrates achievements.
• The political savvy to navigate a complex academic community; the ability to build bridges and strong collaborative relationships with all members of an operation across the University and the UICA as well as with a diverse body of alumni and constituents.
• A decisive consensus-builder who enjoys cross-team collaboration. The ability to create excitement around the University of Iowa’s liberal and creative arts mission and encourage others to support the university.
• Superior written and oral communication skills; the ability to synthesize information from varying and complex sources to make decision thoughtfully and move to action quickly; the ability to understand and translate information for all audiences clearly and compellingly.
• An understanding of and appreciation for the use of technology.
• The flexibility to travel domestically and work evenings or weekends as required.
• This position is eligible for hybrid work (telecommuting) which includes working on-site at our office in Iowa City at least 3 days per week.**
• Required: Please submit cover letter with application.**

Education & Experience: Bachelor’s degree and 10+ years of fundraising experience required. Strong preference for a background in higher education or arts fundraising, with a demonstrated track record of increasing responsibility and leadership.

• This position is eligible for hybrid work (telecommuting) which includes working on-site at our office in Iowa City at least 3 days per week.**
• Required: Please submit cover letter with application.**

Please apply at the link below and provide resume / CV and cover letter.

03/17/2025