Senior Philanthropic Advisor - Campus Based Advisor

Elon University seeks a strategic, experienced and aspirational Senior Philanthropic Advisor for Principal Gifts to join its advancement and external affairs team. This is a new role within Elon’s advancement and external affairs team. Over the last few decades, the University’s advancement apparatus has grown and become increasingly sophisticated in its approach and strategies as Elon’s profile has increased nationally. The Senior Philanthropic Advisor will join an advancement team that continues to better engage alumni, raise philanthropic resources, and compellingly narrate Elon’s story. They will join an advancement team, and moreover a University community, that is ambitious in its goals and highly collaborative in charting the next stages of Elon’s history. 

The position reports to the Associate Vice President for University Advancement, will engage and advise the Senior Vice President for University Advancement and External Affairs and the President of the University, will serve as a member of advancement’s leadership team, and will have regular interactions with members of the Elon Board of Trustees. 

The Senior Philanthropic Advisor will be a strategist who will provide thought leadership at Elon while possessing a strong bias for action. They will be expected to consistently inspire and mobilize academic and administrative leadership to develop clear and a compelling case to support strategic priorities. Providing vision and leadership for the principal gifts function at the university, the individual in this position will be seen as a university leader, capable of aligning strategic goals and ideas with prospective donor interests. 

The Senior Advisor will employ a donor-centric model of prospect engagement. As a front-line fundraiser, the Senior Advisor will play a leadership role in shaping Elon’s engagement for principal gift prospects for seven- and eight-figure gifts in support of the university’s Boldly Elon Strategic Plan. The individual in this position will be expected to personally raise gifts at the seven- and eight-figure level, employing best practices of successful higher education principal gift offices. They will manage a portfolio of 40-50 principal gift prospects, will closely collaborate with leadership of University Advancement, including staff serving in major gift, planned giving, alumni engagement, parent engagement, research and prospect management roles. The Senior Advisor will be highly skilled at developing, expanding and sustaining meaningful relationships with high-capacity donor prospects capable of principal and, ultimately, transformative gifts for Elon.

Elon University has engaged the search firm Isaacson, Miller to assist with this recruitment. Instructions for applying, nominating and inquiring about this opportunity can be found below.

Jack Gorman is leading this search with Kahn Lee and Lisa Clayton. 

Elon University is an equal employment opportunity employer committed to a diverse faculty, staff and student body and welcomes all applicants.