Vice President for External Relations and Communication

CASE; Charlottesville (VA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

CASE seeks a results-driven Vice President for External Communications and Engagement to lead the donor experience for the College Foundation of the University of Virginia. This role partners with senior development leadership to shape a unified donor engagement strategy and elevate philanthropy across the University.

The VP will oversee stewardship, recognition, events, and communications, building trust and advancing long-term philanthropy while aligning with campaign priorities and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field; advanced degree preferred.
• At least ten years in advancement, development, or nonprofit leadership.
• Proven record leading, developing, and motivating high-performing teams.
• Deep understanding of stakeholder communications, donor psychology, and donor relations.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership: oversee development and execution of a holistic donor engagement strategy.
• Donor Engagement and Experience Design: create distinctive engagement pathways and recognition programs.
• Team Leadership and Development: mentor a team of about eight staff and align performance expectations.
• Stewardship and Impact Reporting: manage stewardship programs with timely donor reporting.
• Events and Experiences: oversee donor events and hybrid engagement options.
• Boards Management: support governance and fundraising for volunteer boards.
• Strategic Communications, Messaging, and Creative: align messaging with fundraising priorities.
• Team Cross-Functional Collaboration: partner with frontline fundraising, analytics, and university communications.

Skills

Strategic Leadership

Donor Engagement

Communications Strategy

Relationship Management

Team Leadership

CRM Systems

Budgeting

Project Management

Stakeholder Management

Data-Driven Decision Making

Education

Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field

Advanced degree preferred

Tools

Salesforce CRM

Data analytics tools

Microsoft Office/GSuite

Job description

The Vice President for External Communications and Engagement will lead the strategy and execution of a best-in-class donor experience for the College Foundation of the University of Virginia, ensuring all engagement, recognition, and stewardship efforts reflect the priorities of the College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

Reporting to the President & CEO and partnering closely with senior development leadership and the Dean, the VP will shape a cohesive, unified approach to donor engagement that strengthens relationships and inspires long-term philanthropic investment.

The VP will oversee stewardship, recognition, events, volunteer boards management, creative, and communications, and messaging, delivering a personalized and consistent experience across the donor lifecycle. This leader will elevate the visibility and impact of philanthropy. By developing integrated engagement and communications strategies that connect donors meaningfully to the people and programs they support, strengthen the Foundation’s brand and reputation, and build awareness and understanding of the impact of philanthropy. The VP will lead the development of systems, processes, content strategies, and channels needed to scale high-quality engagement and ensure that communications and messaging efforts are aligned with fundraising priorities and institutional goals.

In close collaboration with the SVP for Development, the SVP for Development Strategy, and the development team, the VP will support principal and major gift strategies by deepening donor trust and strengthening long-term retention. The VP will also partner across the Foundation and the University to align messaging, events, and stewardship with institutional priorities and campaign efforts.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic Leadership: The VP will oversee the development and execution of a holistic donor engagement strategy that creates meaningful, personalized experiences throughout the donor lifecycle. They will lead and manage donor relations, boards administration, creative and communications, and events teams to ensure seamless, integrated donor experiences and a culture of donor-centricity. The VP will lead the team in establishing metrics and assessment tools to measure donor satisfaction, engagement levels, and retention rates. They will serve as a thought leader on emerging trends in donor relations and philanthropic engagement.

Donor Engagement and Experience Design: This leader will oversee the creation of distinctive engagement pathways for donors at all giving levels, from annual fund supporters to principal gift prospects. Critical to this work will be leading the team to design personalized recognition programs that authentically communicate impact and gratitude; ensure consistent, high-quality touchpoints across all channels including events, communications, digital platforms, and personal interactions; and develop innovative approaches to showcase institutional impact and demonstrate return on philanthropic investment.

Team Leadership and Development: The VP will provide leadership, mentorship, and professional development to the donor engagement team of approximately eight staff. They will ensure alignment and clarity; foster a collaborative, innovative team culture focused on excellence and continuous improvement; establish clear performance expectations and accountability measures; and build the team capacity through training, resources, and strategic hiring.

Stewardship and Impact Reporting: The VP will oversee comprehensive stewardship programs that demonstrate accountability and impact. They will lead the team to ensure timely, meaningful reporting to donors on how their gifts are making a difference; develop creative approaches for connecting donors with beneficiaries, students, faculty, and programs; monitor stewardship commitments; and ensure organizational follow-through on all donor agreements.

Events and Experiences: This leader will oversee the execution of signature donor events and experiences that create opportunities for donors to engage directly with institutional leadership, faculty, students, and one another. They will also lead the team to ensure events align with organizational priorities and provide meaningful returns on investment, as well as to develop virtual and hybrid engagement options to expand reach and accessibility.

Boards Management: The VP will oversee the execution of a best-in-class experience for the Foundation’s volunteer boards, to ensure the boards are effectively supported in fulfilling their governance and fundraising responsibilities, The VP will lead the team in partnering closely with the Dean’s Office and other university stakeholders to plan and execute board meetings, develop and manage board communications, and deliver high-quality board-related events and engagement opportunities.

Strategic Communications, Messaging, and Creative: This leader will oversee integrated donor-focused communications, messaging, creative, and storytelling that advance philanthropic priorities, strengthen the Foundation’s visibility and brand, and demonstrate impact across the University and College of Arts and Sciences. They will develop audience and content strategies and ensure compelling, consistent messaging across channels. The VP will translate complex academic and philanthropic priorities into stories that inspire engagement and action; partner with fundraising, leadership, alumni relations, and University communications and marketing teams to align messaging and campaigns; and leverage digital platforms, emerging technologies, and data to expand reach, deepen engagement, and personalize the donor experience.

Team Cross-Functional Collaboration: The VP will partner closely with senior leaders and cross-functional teams across frontline fundraising, donor strategy, prospect management, data and analytics, communications, marketing, alumni relations, and digital engagement to align donor engagement with fundraising and institutional priorities. This collaboration will strengthen the donor experience, stewardship, and recognition while ensuring coordinated messaging, brand alignment, impact storytelling, and integrated campaigns across audiences and channels.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

The ideal candidate will bring a bachelor’s degree, with an advanced degree preferred, along with at least ten years of progressively responsible experience in advancement, development, or nonprofit leadership. This individual will have a demonstrated record of leading, developing, and motivating high performing teams. They will also bring a deep understanding of stakeholder communications and messaging, donor psychology, donor relations, volunteer management, relationship management, and the motivations that drive philanthropy.

Experience in higher education advancement and donor relations is strongly preferred, along with familiarity with comprehensive campaigns and an understanding of planned giving and estate planning concepts. The ideal candidate will also bring an openness to innovation, including experience with emerging technologies and digital engagement platforms.

The successful candidate will be an exceptional communicator, both written and verbal, capable of crafting compelling proposals, presentations, and donor communications. They will be an exceptional relationship builder, with the ability to build trust and the interpersonal skills to engage and inspire a wide range of stakeholders. They will bring strong executive presence and the ability to influence, persuade, and communicate with authenticity across audiences and settings.

They will be a strategic and analytical thinker, capable of translating data into insight and action, and will be comfortable leveraging CRM systems and data driven approaches to inform decision making and drive results. In addition, the successful candidate will possess strong financial acumen, with experience in budget development, and will approach decision making with a data driven, analytical mindset.

This individual will combine strategic vision with disciplined execution, bringing strong organizational skills, sound judgment, and the highest level of integrity and discretion. They will be a collaborative partner who works effectively across teams and functions, and who brings appreciation for and understanding of the culture of the University and the College of Arts and Sciences.

In addition, the ideal candidate will have the following professional and personal qualities, skills, and characteristics:

• Leads with positivity and a growth mindset
• Relationship builder with ability to connect authentically with diverse constituencies
• Strategic visionary who can translate vision into actionable plans
• Thrives in mission-driven environment with passion for the cause
• Collaborative leader who works effectively across organizational boundaries and brings a partnership mindset
• Creative problem-solver who brings innovation to traditional practices
• Results-oriented professional with demonstrated ability to meet goals
• Skilled communicator who can inspire and influence at all levels
• Detail-oriented with strong project management capabilities
• Skilled at adapting and adjusting to constraining factors
• Demonstrates integrity, transparency, and ethical practices
• Emotionally intelligent leader who demonstrates empathy and cultural competence

The ability to travel is required. Typical travel required includes travel via automobile, train, or plane approximately 8-10 days per month, on average.