Assistant Vice President for Development - University Advancement - Full-time / Part-time

About Central Washington University

Founded in 1891, Central Washington University (CWU or Central) is a public, four-year university located in Ellensburg, Washington. One of six public baccalaureate universities in Washington State, CWU provides high quality undergraduate and graduate programs to over 10,000 students and employs about 1,800 faculty and staff. The University has distinguished itself through its high-quality teaching and academic programs and student-centered orientation and approach. Central is committed to providing a range of research, outreach, and international experiences for faculty and students that includes lifelong learning opportunities. CWU received recognition from several national publications, including being ranked as one of the top 50 universities in the West by U.S. News & World Reports, ranked fourth in the state of Washington on Money magazine's Best Colleges List, and being named one of Sierra Magazine's "Cool Schools."

Central Washington University is known for its welcoming culture where everyone gives back and cares deeply about each other, and strives to ensure equity, diversity, and inclusion are embedded in every program, every College, and all throughout their campuses. Student to faculty ratio is 20-to-1. CWU has over 135 accredited college majors and 32 accredited graduate-level programs. CWU is comprised of four main colleges: College of Arts and Humanities, College of the Sciences, College of Education and Professional Studies, and College of Business. CWU's dedicated, talented faculty, numbering more than 600, have an impressive track record of teaching, scholarship, and service. Central's residential campus in Ellensburg encompasses 380 acres with 20 residence halls, five apartment complexes, and 14 Living, Learning, and Theme communities. In all, there are 59 academic and 35 auxiliary buildings. CWU is co-located with community colleges in Edmonds, Everett, Des Moines, Steilacoom/Puyallup, Kent, Yakima, Moses Lake, and Wenatchee along with two instructional sites in Joint Base Lewis-McChord and Sammamish.

Central Washington University has been very successful in adding and maintaining modern, state-of-the-art facilities. The state has invested almost $500 million in CWU facilities since 2009. In recent years, campus construction and remodeling projects have included impressive science and technology academic buildings, a music building, a spacious student union and recreation facility, and new residence halls. This spring a new state-of-the-art health sciences building will open and work will begin on renovating and expanding health education facilities. Regionally, CWU plays a key role in the economic, educational, and cultural vitality of the greater community. For the seventh time in eight years, CWU has been the recipient of the prestigious Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity magazine in higher education.

Leadership

Central Washington University, an agency of the State of Washington, is governed by a seven-member Board of Trustees appointed by the Governor with the consent of the Senate. One member is a full-time University student. By statute, the Board of Trustees has full control of the university and its various properties. In 2021, the Board of Trustees appointed Jim Wohlpart as Central Washington University's 15th President. Strongly committed to the CWU's mission of preparing students for enlightened and productive lives, President Wohlpart has made civic engagement, sustainability, and diversity the leading themes of his new administration. In October 2021, the Board of Trustees and President Wohlpart agreed on three primary performance goals for 2021-2024: (1) to elevate a collaborative, inclusive, and transparent shared governance across the university; (2) to expand and develop intentional and strategic high-impact practices for student engagement and success; and (3) to build a culture of philanthropy internally and externally and execute the launch of CWU's first comprehensive fundraising campaign.

University Advancement and CWU Foundation

CWU's Department of University Advancement (UA) has a team of over 35 professional positions. The Department includes Alumni and Constituent Relations, UA Operations (Advancement Services), Development, Donor Relations, and Communications teams. UA's goal is to create a culture of philanthropy that will build a movement of greater community, connection, and capacity for Central Washington University. In August 2021, President Jim Wohlpart appointed Paul Elstone as the new Vice President of University Advancement. A veteran of public higher education fundraising, Elstone is responsible for leading comprehensive fundraising activities and strategic advancement initiatives that support CWU's multi-faceted mission, advance the broad range of education, research, and student activities, and design and implement future campaign initiatives. He also serves as the Executive Director of the CWU Foundation, an independent, nonprofit charitable organization with a $40 million endowment. With a strong foundation to build an increasing base of fundraising, Central Washington is also well-positioned for launching a successful future fundraising campaign, particularly with a new aspirational President, supportive Foundation board of directors, and committed Board of Trustees. Over the next five years, Elstone and the UA team aspires to build an Advancement program capable of launching and executing a major comprehensive campaign and build a regional alumni network that will support and enhance CWU's vision and mission.

The Position

The Assistant Vice President for Development, an inclusive, strategic, and collaborative leader, provides vision, leadership, and management for all facets of University Advancement's development programs, particularly annual, foundation, mid-level, major, and principal giving. This newly created position reports directly to the Vice President of University Advancement and Executive Director of the CWU Foundation and leads a talented development team of eight development professionals. The Assistant Vice President serves as an active, collegial member of the Advancement Leadership Team and works closely with the highest levels of senior university staff, trustees, and volunteers. The AVP will be a key leader in the creation and execution of a comprehensive fundraising campaign. This position is based in Ellensburg with the flexibility for working remotely as needed.

Leadership/Management
- Lead, actively recruit, hire, inspire, and grow UA's dynamic, talented team of development professionals, ensuring staff are fully trained, resourced, and supported and provided professionaldevelopment opportunities.
- Work in close partnership with Deans and other university leadership as appropriate, ensuring clearly defined expectations, goal setting, and accountability for staff utilizing all institutional performance tools.
- Develop and foster supportive working relationships, motivation, and engagement and communicate information to staff on an ongoing basis to influence and increase staff engagement throughout the greater CWU community.
- Recognize the value of and promote a diverse workforce; champion Central's shared values and encourage inclusivity, diverse perspectives, creativity, and teamwork.
- Build a strong achievement-focused advancement infrastructure that optimizes CWU's fundraising potential and leverages the strengths of the development team.
- Develop and maintain positive, collaborative working relationships with the UA team and the university community to maximize philanthropic impact for CWU and for their donors.
- Perform other duties as assigned by the Vice President.

Planning, Strategy and Integration
- Oversee overall planning, development, and implementation for a robust and fully functioning fundraising strategy for the university, including staffing, training, and professional development of all relevant staff.
- Oversee all fundraising outcomes assessment and program evaluation.
- Contribute to and participate in UA's leadership decisions and strategies as a senior member of the Advancement Leadership Team.
- Contribute to and occasionally lead the updating and development of new development policies and procedures.
- Actively work to maintain an equitable and inclusive workplace and promote a culture of mutual respect, collegiality, and collaboration.

Fundraising
- Identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit, and steward major and principal gift prospects that meet and exceed all activity metrics and revenue goals.
- Build and maintain a personal portfolio of major and principal gift donors and prospects; work closely with the university community to identify new major and principal gift donors and prospects.
- Develop and implement individualized strategic cultivation plans for new and existing donors and prospects that meet or exceed annual and major gift objectives for each assigned prospect.

The ideal candidate will bring most of the following qualifications and skill sets:

• A genuine passion for student-oriented education at a comprehensive university; a commitment to - and the ability to effectively communicate - the mission, vision, and values of Central Washington University.
• A minimum of five to seven years of senior-level leadership experience in managing successful fundraising teams, including experience with multi-year campaigns, preferably in a university or educational setting.
• A demonstrated track record of personal success in soliciting high-level major gifts.
• Ability to successfully hire, develop, inspire, train, and lead strong fundraising teams in a collaborative, team-oriented approach, with a strong commitment to promoting a diverse, inclusive, and equitable work environment.
• Proven success in building productive, long-term relationships with senior administrators, staff, faculty, boards, volunteers, and donors.
• Proven record of successfully developing and leading advancement programs and achieving fundraising goals and excellence. * Outstanding organizational skills and ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously and meet deadlines and goals.
• A creative, collaborative, and flexible leader who projects executive maturity, confidence, and credibility and brings exceptional skills as an active listener and consensus builder.
• Solid command of advancement technology and donor database management, ideally Raiser's Edge software.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills with an inspiring and persuasive ability, including superior written, verbal, research, critical thinking, and presentation skills.
• Ability to travel extensively, complete tasks with minimal oversight, and manage up when necessary.
• A bachelor's degree is required; an advanced degree would be an advantage.

The salary range (or hiring range) for this position has been established at $104,655 to $162,215. The salary range of the finalist(s)s selected for this role will be based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to, internal equity, experience, education, specialty, and training. The above salary range (or hiring range) represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of the posting. This includes CWU's impressive array of benefits: medical, dental, life and disability insurance, flexible spending account (FSA), dependent care assistance plan (DCAP), retirement plans that include employer matching and optional savings plans, supplemental retirement savings plans, 10 holidays with personal holidays, vacation and sick leave plans, tuition assistance for staff and dependents, town-wide discounts, an employee assistance program for individualized counseling, telework option, and a wellness incentive program. Learn more at .