Vice President for Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement

About this role

Job Description Embry-Riddle: Celebrating 100 Years of Leadership in Aviation and Aerospace  

As Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University marks its Centennial, we proudly celebrate 100 years of advancing the future of flight and aerospace education. With vibrant residential campuses in Daytona Beach, FL, and Prescott, AZ — and a Worldwide network spanning nearly 120 global locations — Embry-Riddle stands as the world’s largest aviation and aerospace university.  

For a century, we have led innovation in STEM education, serving more than 30,000 students around the globe. Our cutting-edge programs in Applied Science, Aviation, Business, Technology, Engineering, Safety, Security, and Space empower the next generation of leaders to shape the future of flight, exploration, and discovery.  

As we launch our next century, we remain committed to excellence, innovation, and preparing graduates who will transform industries and redefine what is possible.  

The Opportunity  

    Vice President for Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement

Division of Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement (PAE) The Division of Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement (PAE) is seeking a Vice President for Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement who reports to the Senior Vice President for Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement. PAE leads the University’s fundraising and alumni engagement efforts and advances a culture of philanthropy across the University community, including alumni, students, parents, faculty, staff, corporations and foundations, and friends.

As a member of PAE’s senior leadership team, the Vice President contributes to the division’s growth in philanthropic revenue toward annual and campaign goals. The Vice President will play a key leadership role in leveraging ERAU’s history, leadership, and philanthropic partnerships to strengthen and scale a best-in-class individual giving program. This position partners closely with PAE leadership and campus stakeholders to plan and execute a comprehensive and integrated development program grounded in collaboration, accountability, continuous improvement, and data-driven decision-making.

The Vice President provides strategic leadership for fundraising efforts aligned with ERAU’s highest institutional priorities and establishes direction and goals for the individual giving program (principal, major, planned, and lead annual giving) in coordination with the Senior Vice President. The Vice President serves as a senior advisor to the Senior Vice President and provides executive leadership and management of the front-line fundraising team, including principal and major gift officers and related frontline roles, with day-to-day oversight of fundraising activity supporting top strategic initiatives identified by the Senior Vice President and the President.

The Vice President will convene regular prospect strategy and management meetings with front-line fundraisers to assess progress, optimize engagement plans, and accelerate movement of top prospects through the pipeline. Importantly, the Vice President will personally manage and grow a high-level portfolio of seven-figure prospects and will represent the University with professionalism, discretion, and confidence across high-stakes donor and partner relationships. The Vice President serves as a senior representative of the University and must be available for travel and relationship-building activities that include donor meetings, strategic events, and leadership engagements, including occasional evenings and weekends.

Specific Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership, Management, and Communication • Plan and implement an integrated individual giving program that maximizes philanthropic support for ERAU, including principal, major, planned, and lead annual giving.

• Partner with Assistant and Associate Vice Presidents and other PAE leaders to develop and achieve annual and campaign fundraising goals, including strategies for sustained donor engagement and outreach.

• Recruit, develop, supervise, and evaluate a high-performing major gifts team; set clear expectations and manage performance against established goals and metrics.

• Actively support the work of gift officers through training, joint visits, and coaching throughout the fundraising process.

• Strengthen collaboration across the University by engaging academic and administrative leadership, faculty, and key stakeholders in donor strategy, relationship development, and solicitation planning.

• Lead and support development of high-quality proposals, presentations, and solicitation strategies, including preparing senior leaders to participate in donor meetings and solicitations.

• Lead and coordinate strategies for prospects shared across colleges, or campuses to ensure alignment, clarity, and disciplined execution.

• Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of cultivation, stewardship, and solicitation activities to ensure progress toward revenue goals and strong donor experiences.

• In consultation with the Senior Vice President, establish and manage annual operating budgets to ensure fiscally responsible and high-impact fundraising operations.

• Strengthen forecasting and performance reporting to support accurate goal tracking.

• Maintain awareness of best practices and emerging trends in advancement and evaluate approaches that may strengthen performance and donor engagement at ERAU.

• Contribute to talent planning and management discussions, including identifying gaps, strengthening team performance, and building bench strength.

• Partner with data and reporting teams to define reporting needs, ensure transparency, and support internal and external progress reporting.

• Ensure all fundraising activity is conducted in accordance with University policies, gift acceptance guidelines, and applicable ethical and legal standards; maintain appropriate confidentiality and professional discretion.

Fundraising • Manage a personal portfolio of principal and major gift

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