Assistant Vice President of Development (Central/Non-Academic Units)

Department: Advancement and Alumni Relations

Classification: Administrative Faculty

Job Category: Administrative or Professional Faculty

Job Type: Full-Time

Work Schedule: Full-time (1.0 FTE, 40 hrs/wk)

Location: Fairfax, VA

Workplace Type: Hybrid Eligible

Sponsorship Eligibility: Not eligible for visa sponsorship

Salary: Salary commensurate with education and experience

Criminal Background Check: Yes

About the Department:The University Advancement division is a comprehensive development and alumni relations enterprise with a staff complement of approximately 125 FTE. Functional units within Advancement include development/fundraising, alumni relations, stewardship and donor relations, advancement communications, special events, gift processing, research, prospect management, gift planning, corporate and foundation relations, information systems and management, and infrastructure services.

Advancement's mission is to build strong, lifelong relationships with George Mason University's alumni and constituents, while matching their philanthropic interests with the university aspirations and priorities. The division is committed to serving the needs of the university, our alumni, and the greater community by providing access to quality education and lifelong learning. Respect, service, integrity, collaboration, transparency, and creativity are the values that guide our work and culture.

About the Position:
Supports the Vice President for Advancement and Alumni Relations (VP) in identifying and implementing strategies for success in securing significant philanthropic support for George Mason University. The Assistant VP is responsible for the strategic planning and implementation of comprehensive marketing and solicitation initiatives aimed at growing, diversifying, and sustaining fundraising revenues. Manages a team of professional gift officers and fundraising program directors to include University Life, Athletics, Libraries, and Planned Giving.

The position reports directly to the Vice President for Advancement & Alumni Relations and is a member of a senior management team.

The Assistant VP will collaborate with university stakeholders to foster a philanthropic culture within Mason to establish a pipeline of future donors. Develops and implements innovative marketing plans and programs for enhanced fundraising efforts and outcomes. This individual will provide service and leadership to the George Mason University community by developing and leading high performing teams, acting as a strategic partner in developing, managing and sustaining relationships with key partners, and will contribute to the implementation of a strategic vision for a highly effective philanthropy program at George Mason University.

This position is expected to work non-routine hours in order to successfully achieve goals and objectives, and travel as necessary.

Responsibilities:Leadership and Coaching
Manages George Mason University's central philanthropy programs, including recruitment, orientation, mentoring and fundraising activities. Provides leadership and staff oversight for fundraising professional;In collaboration with the VP and other University Leaders, the Associate VP develops and implements plans, monitors & reports progress towards goals, increases fundraising effectiveness and strives to attain greater levels of philanthropy for George Mason University within a collaborative team environment;Develops and maintains strong, positive, rapport with unit leadership, including Deans, and development officers to ensure optimum participation on fundraising;Works with direct reports and their respective teams on strategic planning efforts to establish college/unit and individual performance goals and associated metrics;Manages a team of fundraising professionals and maintains a personal portfolio of prospects with multi-disciplinary interests within a high-performance, metrics-based team environment;Trains, coaches and mentors team members in best fundraising and operational practices;Fosters a culture of collaboration and communication with academic leaders, among units and with central fundraising services;Ensures adoption and effective use of strategic tools and resources such as contact reports, prospect management, research, and the CRM database;Serves as a strategic partner to Advancement Operations in the recruitment, retention, development, and engagement of development team members; andIdentifies and implements best practices to support a culture of all-inclusion in the workplace.

Revenue Responsibility
Builds, develops and manages a small individual portfolio of prospects/donors focusing on major and principal gifts;Identifies, cultivates, solicits and stewards individuals for the purpose of securing gifts/grants for George Mason University's initiatives;Establishes long-term relationships on behalf of George Mason University;Works collaboratively with administration, faculty, development officers, academic and athletic programs, research centers and institutes to enhance relationships with the goal of securing and increasing philanthropic support;Collaborates with fundraising efforts outside of the AVP’s direct responsibility to maximize fundraising across all units of the university;Provides stewardship to existing donors within assigned portfolio and secure ongoing renewed support;Collaborates closely with advancement and alumni relations colleagues to build out multidimensional strategic relationships with donors, and prospects to drive overall support; andBuilds and nurtures effective working relationships with alumni, parents, friends, volunteers and team members.

Strategic Planning/Collaboration and Communication
Works closely with internal and external partners to promote and solicit funding from viable prospects;Must be collaborative and demonstrate exceptional oral and written communication skills;Clearly articulates fundraising goals in the context of the overall Advancement mission, goals and objectives;Collaborates with alumni relations and university relations to increase alumni support, grow alumni giving, and maximize conversion of suspects to prospects;Coordinates with marketing and communications to synchronize marketing with donor messaging;Conducts research and maintains in-depth knowledge of all University policies and priorities;Serves as a strategist responsible for setting organizational priorities that strengthen the donor pipeline and lift the fundraising capacity to meet increasing annual goals and drive long-term results;Leads and oversees annual giving and planned giving performance metrics and analytics to measure and strengthen fundraising effectiveness and outcomes;Stays abreast of industry standards, trends, breakthroughs and best practices;Implements changes accordingly to maintain competitiveness among peers and to grow the philanthropic impact at the university and;Responds to queries as the expert on funding priorities.

Reporting and Analysis/Stewardship and Donor Management
Provides thoughtful, consistent and appropriate stewardship including impact statements/reports and other measures of accountability;Maintain current and accurate internal records of relationships and interactions through the donor/prospect database;Writes and submits proposals directly or via staff;Participates in regular Development meetings to share updates of activities;Collaborates with Development staff, sharing best practices, current challenges, and opportunities and to assist in framing overall development strategy;Enters all development activity in the database system in an accurate and timely manner; andUtilizes donor database for reporting/analysis that measure progress against department goals.

Required Qualifications:
Master’s degree in related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience;Extensive (typically ten or more years) development experience in higher education;Proven track record and experience in leadership and management of Advancement and Alumni Relations professionals within a complex organization;Significant (typically seven years) managerial experience of fundraisers, typically in large, complex institutions;Proven track record of soliciting and closing gifts, including complex and blended gifts, from individuals, in the six and seven-figure range, preferably at a college or university;Success working on teams to develop high-level gift agreements with funding opportunities across disciplines;Requires broad practical and substantive expertise across multiple related disciplines;Experience with fundraising database and knowledge of prospecting tools and reports within fundraising systems or other prospective donor relations systems, e.g. Advance, Raiser's Edge, Sales Force, etc;Demonstrated understanding of and success in advancement and philanthropy, their best practices and in managing and mentoring front line development directors;Demonstrated understanding of Planned Giving best practices, and program development;Demonstrated leadership skills with an ability to inspire staff and volunteers to achieve and surpass goals and objectives;Ability to develop strong presence in the community through effective networking, planning, and execution of fundraising strategies;Demonstrated ability to identify and implement strategic fundraising solicitation strategies in support of strategic initiatives;Demonstrate the ability to manage time and work load to multitask and achieve goals in a deadline driven environment;Proficiency in the utilization and application of data and analytics as a tool to inform donor strategy;Excellent computer skills including database management and proven understanding and proficiency with CRMs;High level of integrity, trustworthiness, and a record of working collaboratively across organizations to meet shared goals;Proficiency in word processing, spreadsheets, databases, and presentation software;Advanced skills in project management and budget;A high degree of integrity, drive, and persuasiveness – a self-starter who leads by example and measures success by results;Superior writing, oral communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills;Excellent flexibility and adaptability skills with a strong work ethic and entrepreneurial spirit to accommodate large responsibility and multiple priorities; andAbility to work within a team framework and manage teams and projects.

Instructions to Applicants: George Mason University has retained Opus Partners to support this recruitment. Kenna Boyd, Partner, and Abigail Maynard, Managing Associate are leading the search. Inquiries and nominations should be sent to abigail.maynard@opuspartners.net. To apply, visit https://jobs.gmu.edu/. Required application materials include a resume and cover letter. For best consideration, please apply by October 22, 2025. The search process will unfold with the greatest possible attention to candidate confidentiality.George Mason University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, committed to promoting all-inclusion within its community. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability or veteran status, or any characteristic protected by law.

Posting Open Date: September 22, 2025
For Full Consideration, Apply by:  October 22, 2025
Open Until Filled:  Yes