Senior Vice President, Central Development Programs

Description

The University of Illinois Foundation (UIF) seeks a strategic, collaborative, and highly versatile development leader to serve as the senior vice president (SVP) for central development programs and help shape and execute fundraising strategy across the University of Illinois System. The SVP will report to Foundation President James H. Moore, a nationally regarded thought leader in higher education advancement, and serve as a key member of UIF’s senior leadership team, driving philanthropic growth, enhancing donor engagement, and strengthening fundraising effectiveness in support of institutional priorities. The SVP will partner closely with university and advancement leaders to develop and implement high-impact strategies, programs, and services that strengthen fundraising effectiveness; play a critical coordinating role in future campaigns; enhance the donor experience; and maximize philanthropic support across the University of Illinois System.

As UIF looks towards its ambitious future, the SVP will provide visionary leadership for a comprehensive advancement enterprise, integrating people, processes, technology, and strategy to create a high-performing fundraising ecosystem. Through operational excellence, innovation, donor-centered engagement, and enterprise-wide collaboration, this leader will drive philanthropic growth, strengthen constituent relationships, and advance the university's mission and long-term strategic aspirations.

Reporting directly to the President and CEO, the SVP will serve as a key member of the foundation's executive leadership team. This leader will partner closely with key stakeholders to strengthen alignment across a distributed fundraising enterprise, ensuring that advancement strategies, donor engagement efforts, and philanthropic priorities are integrated and positioned for long-term success. Simultaneously, the SVP will serve as an active major and principal gifts fundraiser, cultivating philanthropic partnerships and advancing the university's most significant priorities.

The SVP will oversee a 50-person team across several critical functions including gift planning and trust services, foundation relations, strategic innovation, major and principal gifts support, donor services, and board and donor engagement. As a strategic leader, the SVP will champion innovation, enhance operational effectiveness, leverage data-informed decision-making, and strengthen donor-centered programs that elevate fundraising performance across the system.

University of Illinois Foundation

Established in 1935, the University of Illinois Foundation is the official fundraising and private gift-receiving entity for the University of Illinois System and its three universities: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, University of Illinois Chicago, and University of Illinois Springfield. The Foundation, a 501(c)3 charitable organization, is an independent and separate nonprofit entity from the University of Illinois. Its mission is to encourage and administer private gifts and serve the UI System by working closely with alumni, faculty, corporations, foundations, and development staff to create fundraising programs and opportunities that benefit the University of Illinois.

The foundation offers leadership and coordination across the development program at the University of Illinois to identify strategic opportunities for continued growth and enhancement. Additionally, it provides leadership and guidance in areas that require specialized expertise, including campaign planning and deployment, donor engagement, marketing, and events management. The foundation’s gift planning experts also share their extensive knowledge in matters of taxation, investments, estate planning, and financial management, specifically as it relates to benefits donors can take advantage of through their giving to the University of Illinois.

The foundation is guided by a dedicated Board of Directors and an Executive Operations team that are committed to advancing the mission of the University of Illinois. Together, they provide governance, leadership, and operational expertise that enables the Foundation to serve donors, support the University of Illinois System, and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the University of Illinois Chicago, and the University of Illinois Springfield.

Role of the Senior Vice President for Central Development Programs

The senior vice president (SVP) will provide enterprise-wide leadership for the University of Illinois Foundation’s central development programs, partnering with university, foundation, and advancement leaders to align strategy, services, and resources with institutional priorities and ambitious campaign goals. The role oversees an integrated portfolio spanning gift planning and trust services, donor relations and stewardship, foundation relations, strategic innovation, board engagement, and major and principal gifts support, while also serving as a senior fundraiser and trusted advisor on the university system’s most consequential philanthropic relationships. By establishing consistent standards, performance measures, governance, and operating practices, the SVP will strengthen UIF’s distributed fundraising model, advance innovation and donor-centered engagement, and build high-performing teams and organizational capacity to accelerate philanthropic growth across the system. The expected salary range for the Senior Vice President will be $275,000 - $325,000.

Key Opportunities and Challenges for the Senior Vice President

The success of the Senior Vice President for Central Development Programs will be determined by how well they address the following leadership opportunities and challenges:

Strategic Leadership, Executive Support, and Systemwide Alignment

· Provide strategic leadership and oversight for all central development programs and services as a strategic advisor to the president and key member of his senior leadership team, ensuring alignment with system fundraising priorities, campaign objectives, and institutional strategic plan(s).

· Partner with university vice chancellors in a distributed fundraising model to create programs and align services with the needs of the individual universities and associated units.

· Support and engage the foundation board of directors by providing guidance, resources, training, and relationship management that enable effective governance and philanthropic leadership.

· Lead, develop, and mentor high-performing teams by establishing clear goals, supporting professional development, driving accountability, and fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, customer service, and continuous improvement.

· Serve as a thought leader in advancement services and philanthropy, continuously monitoring emerging trends, technologies, and industry best practices to anticipate change, influence organizational strategy, and advance innovation across the fundraising enterprise.

Increase Philanthropic Growth and Donor Engagement

· Serve as a major/principal gifts fundraiser and ambassador for philanthropic engagement.

· Direct donor engagement strategy and services, providing leadership for donor relations, stewardship, impact reporting, and engagement initiatives that strengthen donor retention and lifetime philanthropic support.

· Maintain a portfolio of select board members, major donors, and principal gift prospects, serving as a strategic relationship manager and ambassador for the foundation and university.

· Direct a team of major gift officers to support specific university and system fundraising priorities.

· Oversee gift planning and trust services, including charitable estate planning, complex gifts, life-income agreements, trusts, bequests, and other planned giving vehicles; ensure effective collaboration between gift planning professionals and frontline fundraising teams.

Enhance Advancement Operations

· Coordinate and direct UIF Strategic Innovation programs including the Foundation Resource Center (FRC), which focuses on sourcing private funding from Foundation partners.

· Establish service standards, operating procedures, and governance structures that create efficiencies while meeting the unique needs of university partners.

· Utilize data analytics and insights to inform decision-making, track progress, and refine fundraising strategies.

· Ensure compliance with the foundation, University of Illinois System, and all relevant regulations, ethical standards, and reporting requirements related to fundraising. Uphold the highest ethical standards in donor interactions and communication principles.

· Develop and manage departmental budgets, staffing plans, and organizational structure to ensure effective stewardship of resources and achievement of institutional goals.

Qualifications and Characteristics

· Minimum of 15 years of progressively responsible leadership experience in advancement, development, fundraising operations, advancement services, philanthropy, higher education administration, or a related field.

· Demonstrated success leading within a multi-unit, decentralized, or matrixed organization.

· Proven ability to develop and implement enterprise-wide strategies that improve fundraising effectiveness, organizational performance, operational efficiency, and donor experience.

· Experience partnering with senior institutional leaders, fundraising executives, governing boards, and key stakeholders to achieve strategic objectives.

· Strong understanding of fundraising principles, philanthropic trends, campaign operations, donor lifecycle management, and advancement best practices.

· Demonstrated success leading organizational change, process improvement, and technology initiatives within a complex environment.

· Experience overseeing gift planning and trust services, including complex gifts, estates, trusts,

and life-income arrangements preferred.

· Experience serving as a principal gifts fundraiser and managing relationships with major donors, institutional leaders, and governing board members preferred.

· Bachelor's degree required, advanced degree preferred.

Applications, Inquiries, and Nominations

Screening of complete applications will begin immediately and continue until the completion of the search process. Inquiries, nominations, referrals, and CVs with cover letters should be sent via the Isaacson, Miller website: https://www.imsearch.com/open-searches/university-illinois-foundation/senior-vice-president-central-development-programs

All correspondences can be directed to the Isaacson, Miller representatives below:

Jack Gorman, Partner

Grace Zakim, Managing Associate Kahn Lee, Managing Associate

Sandeep Kaur, Managing Search Coordinator