Vice President for Development and Philanthropy

Farmingdale State College

Vice President for Development and Philanthropy

About Farmingdale State College:

Farmingdale State College, a campus of the State University of New York, is a college of applied science and technology with diverse student body of more than 9,000 students. As the largest of SUNY's colleges of technology, Farmingdale equips students with the resources and critical thinking skills sought by today's emerging industries through its Schools of Business, Engineering Technology, Health Sciences, and Liberal Arts and Sciences. Farmingdale offers 38 undergraduate degree programs and will offer its first Master's program in the Fall 2017. The college is a pioneer in environmental sustainability and alternative energy, and boasts a highly successful NCAA Division III athletics program.

According to the 2016 U.S. News and World Report, Farmingdale State College is ranked #9 among public colleges in the north and #28 among all colleges in the region. Farmingdale has been ranked as one of the top colleges in return on investment and as one of the safest colleges in the nation according to multiple rankings. The campus is located on 380 lush acres in the heart of Long Island, approximately 45 minutes by rail or automobile from New York City. 

Read a message from Farmingdale State College's President.

Job Description:

As a member of the President's Cabinet, the Vice President for Development and Philanthropy works collaboratively with the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, the Vice President of Administration and Finance/CFO, the Vice President for Student Affairs, the Vice President for Institutional Advancement and Enrollment Management, the College Foundation and the Chief Diversity Officer to fulfill the College's mission, ensure financial growth and promote and environment of continuous improvement.

The Vice President for Development and Philanthropy has a major role in positioning the institution for growth through highly effective fundraising. This senior administrator is responsible for developing, implementing, and managing comprehensive programs in alumni affairs, donor cultivation, and college advancement. Reporting directly to the President, the Vice President will work with all of the College's constituencies and serves the Foundation Board and its Alumni Association. The Vice President ensures a coordinated approach to development that supports the College's top strategic priorities.

The Vice President for Development and Philanthropy serves as the college liaison to the private sector in strengthening business partnerships and building endowments via the Major Gifts Campaign, the Annual Fund initiative, and similar fundraising initiatives.  This senior officer will set ambitious, clear, and achievable goals and will inspire the staff to meet or exceed these expectations. Active in the College and surrounding community, the Vice President will participate in the identification, solicitation, and stewardship of major gifts.

The ideal candidate will possess a proven track record of securing the maximum level of gift support for both scholarship and capital needs. She or he must possess management skills including hiring, training and inspiring the development and alumni relations team to be accountable and deliver results.

The Vice President will work closely with both the Farmingdale College Foundation and its Alumni Association.  The College Foundation is a not-for-profit corporation that provides financial assistance in advancing the purposes and development of Farmingdale State College. The Foundation provides scholarships and faculty development grants, and supports programs and projects not funded by the State budget. The Foundation also receives gifts and bequests from individuals, foundations, and other organizations and institutions.  The current endowment for the College is approximately $5.6 million.  For the fiscal year which ended June 30, 2016, the Foundation awarded 271 scholarships, totaling almost $250,000.  The 2015 Annual Internal Campaign for Farmingdale raised over $24,700. 

The College is rapidly growing and has a distinguished history of building relationships with businesses and industry in the vibrant Long Island economy.  This history, and the College alumni base of more than 94,000, make this an outstanding opportunity for a development professional seeking to grow and excel. 

KEY RESPONSBILITIES

• Reporting to the President, the Vice President for Development and Philanthropy will:
• Establish productive partnerships and relationships with corporations, businesses, Foundation board members, and others within the communities served by the College;
• Create and implement a College Foundation development plan with the participation of the College leadership, faculty, staff and benefactors;
• Provide input into the marketing, and branding of the College;
• Work with the Foundation's investment managers and the Foundation Board to oversee appropriate and effective management of Foundation assets and to meet or exceed the goals outlined in the Foundations investment policy;
• Provide strategic direction and leadership for the University's fundraising and alumni programming, and other college-wide functions;
• Develop and propose strategies for the solicitation of gifts, determines ongoing relationships with prospects/donors and recommends specific purpose and level of gift;
• Oversee the development process, including identification, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship of donors;
• Manage staff with a concentration on accountability, based on performance reviews and clear annual goals;
• Inform the Foundation Board of Directors and College leadership about trends, issues, and best practices in philanthropy in order to recommend and implement policy changes;
• Provide staff management of the Foundation budget, the investment and spending policies, and all other governance policies and liaison with the Foundation Board of Directors to ensure proper communication and transparency and increased effectiveness;
• Work with the President and Foundation Board to establish and implement short and long-range fundraising strategies, including capital campaign-related goals and objectives to secure funding for college priorities;
• Build relationships with campus partners to expand alumni engagement, benefit students and increase fundraising.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• MBA, or Master's degree in finance, business, or related area;
• Significant experience in progressively responsible positions in campus fundraising and philanthropy;
• The ability to work constructively and effectively with the academic community, University System, and state officials;
• Significant experience analyzing, and making recommendations to build a development operation;
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and team-building skills;
• Adherence to strong ethical principles of financial management;
• Demonstrated commitment and ability to work with a diverse group of students, faculty, staff and constituents in support of campus and department mission;
• Proven track record of consistently meeting and exceeding fundraising objectives;
• Demonstrated success as an inspirational team builder and leader;
• Ability to build internal and external relationships;
• Excellent oral and written communication skills that are effective across a variety of constituencies;
• Ability to maintain confidentiality at the highest level.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• 7+ years' experience in progressively responsible positions in development;
• Experience fundraising with an alumni population as well as a proven track record of improving their participation rate;
• Experience in public higher education administration;
• Experience in the SUNY System and/or public higher education;
• Experience with higher education budgetary processes, and operational and accountability measures;
• Experience in a unionized environment;

Additional Information:

BENEFITS

• Comprehensive benefits plan including health, dental, prescription, and vision insurance;
• Retirement plan options including a fixed pension plan or a 401(A) with generous employer contributions;
• Generous paid leave provisions including vacation, sick and holiday leave;
• A rich array of services, programs and benefits to help employees advance in their career and enhance the quality of their personal life, including professional development programs, Employee Assistance Program (EAP), employee wellness programs, discounted membership to the on-campus fitness center, and access to the Campus Child Care Center.

To see the full benefits available to employees go to: http://www.suny.edu/benefits/

This is a full-time, 12-month, Management/Confidential position beginning June 1, 2017.

The salary range for the position is $140,000 per year, but may increase commensurate with education and experience.

Application Instructions:

Interested candidates may apply and submit the required documents listed below online at www.farmingdale.edu/employment .  Although the committee will review applications until the position is filled, complete applications received by March 10, 2017 will be given full consideration.  We require the following documents:

• Cover Letter
• Resume/CV
• Names and contact information for five professional references

Note: After submitting your Resume/CV, the subsequent page gives you instructions that enable you to upload the additional, required documents.

Confidential inquiries and nominations ONLY may be sent to:

• Ms. Marybeth Incandela 
• Director of Human Resources
• Email: incandm@farmingdale.edu
• Phone: 631-420-2542

The Consumer Information web page can be viewed at the following link  http://www.farmingdale.edu/consumer-information/ This page describes various services, information and statistics on many different aspects of the College's operations.

VISA SPONSORSHIP IS NOT AVAILABLE FOR THIS POSITION

Farmingdale State College seeks a broad and diverse pool of candidates for this position. The College is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, creed, age, disability, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, familial status, pregnancy, predisposing genetic characteristics, military status, domestic violence victim status or any other legally protected status.

URL: www.farmingdale.edu