Job Details

VICE PRESIDENT FOR PRINCIPAL GIFTS, INTERNATIONAL & FOUNDATION ADVANCEMENT, Advancement

Position Number: 6401146
Location: Boston, MA
Position Type: Development and Fund Raising

VICE PRESIDENT FOR PRINCIPAL GIFTS, INTERNATIONAL & FOUNDATION ADVANCEMENT, Advancement

Job Description
VICE PRESIDENT FOR PRINCIPAL GIFTS, INTERNATIONAL & FOUNDATION ADVANCEMENT, Advancement

Category
Charles River Campus --> Professional
Job Location
Boston, MA, United States
Tracking Code
25500897870722
Posted Date
7/22/2025
Salary Grade
Grade 00
Position Type
Full-Time/Regular

Boston University Advancement

With a team of over 270 employees, Boston University's Advancement division plays a vital role in fostering connections between the University and its community of supporters, including alumni, donors, parents, and friends, to elevate the university's academic and research initiatives. We harness the power of philanthropy and engagement to make an excellent education accessible and welcoming to all, and to advance BU's global leadership in research, scholarship, the arts, and professional practice. To support our work, we have built-and are continuing to build-an outstanding team of dynamic, mission-driven advancement professionals who constantly strive to create an environment where everyone belongs.

Boston University Advancement has prioritized staff development and growth, recognizing that a skilled and motivated team is essential to its success. Through ongoing professional development opportunities, tailored training, mentorship programs, and a collaborative work environment, we foster continuous learning and career progression for our staff. This commitment to nurturing talent not only enhances our effectiveness but also ensures sustainable, long-term relationships that benefit the entire Boston University community.

Michele Schiele, Senior Vice President for Advancement

To lead our community, University President Melissa Gilliam has appointed Michele Schiele as Advancement's new Senior Vice President. Michele is a proud Terrier, having graduated from the College of Communication with a degree in journalism. Most recently, she was deputy vice president and campaign director at Stanford University, where she secured more than $1.4B in annual philanthropic revenue, working with advancement professionals at all seven of the university's schools, its multiple centers and institutes, and other administrative units. Before arriving at Stanford, Michele served in various roles at the University of Chicago, including interim vice president for university alumni relations and development and vice president and associate dean for development at the medical center.

Vice President for Principal Gifts, International & Foundation Advancement

Position description:

The inaugural Vice President for Principal Gifts, International and Foundation Advancement (VPPIF) at Boston University will have the opportunity to establish first in class Principal Gifts, International and Foundation Relations programs. Building on the momentum of a new, dynamic University President who is focused on securing impactful gifts to advance Boston University's growing reputation on the global stage as a R1, internationally diverse university.

Reporting to the recently announced Senior Vice President for Advancement, the VPPIF will serve as a key member of the Advancement leadership team. A central priority of the new SVP's vision is for 60% of philanthropic contributions to Boston University come from individuals and foundations with principal gift ($5M+) capacity. In close collaboration with senior colleagues, the VPPIF will design and implement integrated, strategic programs for principal gifts, international and foundation relations that will have the following features:

Principal Advancement

Portal to the President's and Provost's Offices - dedicated team member(s) will partner closely with the President's and Provost's office on calendaring, communications, correspondence and ensuring that both offices always have the information and materials needed for principal gift related work. All advancement team members needing to communicate with the President and Provost offices will be through this portal.
Data protocols - dedicated team member(s) will identify data needed for a comprehensive/matrixed program, establish data hygiene for principal gift prospects, establish the approval process for identifying, cultivating and soliciting principally rated prospects, and implement a process to ensure that all advancement professionals working with principal gift prospects are aware and use these protocols.
Prospect Management protocols - dedicated team member(s) will establish a central process for assigning principally rated prospects, guidelines for number of principally rated prospects in a portfolio and hosting weekly meetings to establish strategies foreach prospect that will likely include colleagues from multiple schools and units across campus.
Research expertise - establish and oversee the research component for the principal gift program, ensuring all schools and units have access to the same quality of information.
Stewardship and Donor relations expertise - establish and oversee stewardship and recognition opportunities for principal gift donors, principally rated prospects and identify opportunities for bringing the entire principal gift community together on an appropriate cadence.
Communications - establish a communication process so that all BU leaders and advancement professionals working with principally rated prospects are informed.

The new VPPIF will have the opportunity to organize a team of BU advancement professionals and as needed, grow the team to achieve success. The VPPIF will maintain a personal portfolio of principal gift and presidential prospects, manage a team of principal gift, international and foundation relations officers, and at times staff the President's prospect visits. They will also ensure that the SVP, Advancement is staffed by the team for her portfolio.

Working closely with deans, faculty, and development and alumni relations officers, the VPPIF will ensure that principal gift prospects are impactfully cultivated, solicited and stewarded in each of BU's schools and colleges.

International Advancement

Boston University is proud of its globally diverse community, with over 43,000 international alumni representing nearly 10% of its alumni population. Building on this strong foundation, the Vice President for Principal Gifts, International and Foundation Advancement (VPPIF) will lead and expand the university's international advancement efforts. This includes overseeing a successful existing team and developing a comprehensive, integrated strategy that aligns alumni engagement, major and principal gifts, annual giving, and global family philanthropy.

The VPPIF will be a visionary leader who can inspire and grow the International Advancement team, while also building a cohesive international alumni engagement strategy that supports the university's long-term philanthropic goals. This role requires a deep understanding of global relationship-building, creative engagement approaches, and the ability to align international advancement with institutional priorities.

Key Responsibilities:

Lead and Expand the International Advancement Team: Provide strategic direction and mentorship to the current team, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and high performance. Identify opportunities to grow the team and enhance its impact across regions.
Develop a Comprehensive International Advancement Strategy: Integrate alumni engagement, major gifts, annual giving, and family philanthropy into a unified global strategy. Emphasize the development of a robust principal gift pipeline while nurturing long-term relationships with international alumni and donors.
Innovate in Digital and Global Engagement: Leverage technology and creative online platforms to engage international alumni and donors, especially in regions where in-person engagement is limited. Explore new tools and strategies to enhance virtual outreach and storytelling.
Coordinate Strategic International Travel and Engagement: Collaborate with BU's 17 Schools and Colleges, as well as university-wide centers and initiatives, to plan meaningful international travel and events that involve deans, faculty, and university leadership in donor cultivation and stewardship.
Grow the Global Parents Network: Expand this initiative to ensure a continuous pipeline of parent donors, engaging them throughout their family's journey with BU.
Support Presidential and Provost-Level Engagement: Partner with the SVP of Advancement and the Office of the President to plan and execute high-level international travel and engagement strategies.
Strengthen Advisory and Global Networks: Support the recruitment and engagement of the International Advisory Board (IAB) and identify strategic opportunities for IAB members to enhance BU's global presence. Expand networks for international foundation and corporate relations.
Enhance Infrastructure and Processes: Recommend and implement tools, platforms, and procedures to improve international advancement operations, including prospect research, engagement tracking, and performance analytics.

Foundation Advancement

Consisting of ten team members, the office of Foundation Relations secures invaluable support from private philanthropic foundations (and organizations, associations, and societies) to advance scholarly and scientific research, educational initiatives, and community outreach. The office partners with faculty, academic leaders, researchers, and key staff members to build sustainable, mutually beneficial partnerships between the University and charitable organizations that share BU's research, teaching, and social service missions. University-wide, foundations typically contribute $60 million annually.

The Foundation Relations team identifies funding opportunities, connects faculty with funders, and assists in the development of competitive funding requests. In addition, the team has built and maintains a number of resources to increase success in securing funding. These resources are rare or nonexistent at other universities, but at BU, they have led to higher funding levels and a greater sense of support for faculty members.

Key Responsibilities:

Guide the management and expansion of the Foundation Relations team to achieve the next level of fundraising success.
Identify new principal-gift level foundation prospects ($5M+), especially at the intersection of Principal Gifts, International Advancement, Parent Philanthropy, and Schools and Colleges.
Work closely with the President, Provost, SVP of Advancement, and other colleagues to drive relationship-driven proposals to foundations in university priority areas.
Create processes and systems to guide and optimize the collaborative work of Foundation Relations with other Advancement teams.
In partnership with the leader of the Foundation Relations team, develop new tools and resources, leveraging AI when appropriate, to better support faculty, optimize team operations, and derive insight.
Also in partnership, recruit new Foundation Relations Advisory Board members, particularly from principal gift-level foundations.
Also, to establish a new suite of metrics to incentivize collaboration across Advancement to secure funding, especially from relationship-driven, principal gift-level foundations.

Leadership

The VPPIF will serve as a senior member of the Advancement strategy team and will have the opportunity to play a key role in the planning and execution of the University's next fundraising campaign.

The VPPIF will have the opportunity to build and train the next generation of senior development officers and to design the structure and processes best suited to raising funds for the university. Perhaps most importantly, they will help set the course of the University for the foreseeable future. Boston University is at an inflection point. There is now an opportunity to accelerate this progress - the current leadership of the University views this as one of their highest priorities. The VPPIF will play a vital role in fueling acceleration.

Essential Functions:

Program Development

Create first-in-class principal, international and foundation advancement programs that exemplify the following principles: Integrity, Trust, and Excellence. Components will include strategic program development, operations and donor services and donor relations to achieve significant growth in funding to BU's strategic priorities. Recognize the changing needs of principally rated donors, international donors and foundations, and create and implement systems to ensure mutually beneficial partnerships.
The VPPIF will play an essential role in helping to identify and create transformational opportunities from BU's strategic priorities and effectively communicate them to BU's community of principal, international and foundation prospects and donors.
All this building will be done while also conducting strategic and opportunistic engagements with BU alumni, donors and friends.

Fundraising

Cultivate and nurture a portfolio of principal gift and presidential prospects, and ensure BU has adequate gift officers to meet the aspiration of 60% of giving from this important community of prospects and donors. This leader will also provide strategic leadership for the Deans and Assistant Deans at each school, working closely with the VP of Schools and Units. Cultivate and engage Trustees and other volunteers to help identify, cultivate, solicit and steward principal, international and foundation prospects and donors.

Leadership

Collaborate with Advancement leaders to prepare for and implement the next campaign for Boston University.
Manage budgets, strategic operations, and personnel issues for all direct reports and departments.
Provide guidance and promote excellence through well-defined and measurable goals for staff members and administrative support personnel; ensure staff members understand their work within the context of the university's mission and strategic priorities.
Recruit experienced advancement professionals; train and mentor committed and productive staff members who are well prepared and have the skills to meet the ongoing challenges and aspirations of Boston University and who may assume greater responsibilities and advance within the office.
Foster a culture of achievement through mastery of best practices and implementation of new ideas in which effective teamwork, collaboration, accountability, and innovation are expected, recognized and rewarded; lead by example regarding professionalism, mutual respect, creativity, entrepreneurship, appropriate risk-taking, and cross-organizational cooperation.
Ensure that staff members execute effective strategies that result in meaningful engagement of donors and prospects; in partnership with staff members, continue to build a culture of philanthropy within the Boston University community.
Provide professional development opportunities and encourage staff to pursue personal growth goals.

Required Skills

Qualifications & Experience:

A bold strategist with experience building successful relationships with like-minded individuals who share BU's values.
Experience in motivating teams to achieve transformational giving. A track record of creative and entrepreneurial staff leadership; the ability to build, lead, mentor, and motivate staff, and encourage change and growth in both people and programs.
Exemplary interpersonal and communications skills as well as a high degree of comfort and cultural sensitivity engaging donors throughout the United States and around the world; the ability to serve as a primary face of the university to donors. Effective presenter who can command, improvise and engage prospects and donors.
The intellectual depth, experience, and confidence to work with and command the respect and confidence of the president, alumni, students, faculty, senior administrators, donors, prospects and trustees.
A problem solver with the ability to analyze information and think strategically, critically, and creatively.
A collaborative leadership style that is well suited to management in a complex organizational setting; the ability to manage effectively in an environment with multiple constituencies.
The ideal candidate will have personal success identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding transformational gifts, and the ability to inspire discerning individuals give through BU.
Proven track record of building successful programs that drive philanthropy for an institution's priorities.
Proven track record of thinking strategically and an ability to identify and build transformative funding opportunities with faculty and senior leaders.
Proven track record of identifying talented team members to realize the team's mission, and guiding and motivating them to build lifelong relationships with the institution.
Global and cultural competency and the ability to successfully build and steward international prospects.
Understanding and experience in Foundation Relations, including working closely with faculty and Deans.
Superb judgment and the sensibility to adjudicate wisely among competing priorities;
Excellent written and oral communication;
A disposition to listen and circulate widely;
Outstanding interpersonal skills;
Superb organizational skills and the ability to multi-task;
Ability to work independently as well collaboratively with team members;
Energy and stamina, self-confidence and humility, a strong sense of purpose, a tolerance for ambiguity and a sense of humor; and
A bachelor's degree, with an advanced degree preferred.
Extensive travel, nights and weekends required.

But that's not all we're looking for; we want someone who embodies our values:

Teamwork, transparency, and mutual respect, because we value every member's contribution and know that leadership can come from anywhere.
Diversity, equity, inclusion, and a commitment to ensuring that each of us knows we belong here.
Integrity in how we work and how we treat one another.
Strategic thinking and curiosity in the relentless pursuit of fresh approaches and measurable results.
Continuous growth and improvement, both as individuals and as a team.
Joy and shared appreciation for working hard toward goals that matter.

We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, natural or protective hairstyle, religion, sex, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, military service, pregnancy or pregnancy-related condition, or because of marital, parental, or veteran status. We are a VEVRAA Federal Contractor.

If you require reasonable accommodation in order to complete the employment application process, please contact the Equal Opportunity Office at 617-358-1796

Required Skills

Job Location: Boston, MA
Position Type: Full-Time/Regular
Salary Grade: Grade 00

To apply, visit https://jobs.silkroad.com/BU/External/jobs/315663