What Does It Take to Become a Great VP of Advancement?

As a Strategic Consultant at Blackbaud, I have the privilege of working closely with many leaders in higher education who are navigating the ever-changing waters of fundraising. Recently, I joined an enriching conversation about what it takes to become an outstanding leader in higher ed advancement with three experienced and thoughtful vice presidents:   

• Heather Pieper-Olson, Vice President of Institutional Advancement, College of Saint Benedict 
• Jeff Tarnowski, Vice President for University Advancement, University of North Georgia 
• Matthew White, Vice President, Advancement President, Utah State University Foundation 

 
Being a fundraising leader for a university, foundation, or college requires unique skills. It is a job that demands you bring 100% of yourself to work and yet is 0% about you personally—it is about the organization and the mission. So maybe it’s not surprising that there is no singular career path to a top fundraising role.    

Where Should a VP of Advancement Start Out?  

All three vice presidents followed different routes. Interestingly, Heather Pieper-Olson and I had similar beginnings. I launched my career in annual giving at St. Catherine University at the same time Heather was starting out in annual giving at my alma mater, College of Saint Benedict. We relied on each other for advice early in our careers and now, decades later, I continue to learn from her.

Jeff Tarnowski started his work in higher ed in residence life, then in alumni relations before moving into a fundraising role, while Matt White started in major giving, but not in higher ed. 

When your path takes you to and from different sectors, titles won’t always match up, White said, but it doesn’t mean you’re not on the right trajectory.  

“I was the VP of a pediatric hospital. To grow professionally, I took a role in higher education that seemed like a step backward in terms of title, but it was for a much bigger institution,” he said.  

Advancement VPs Work in the Real World 

No matter where they started, each VP has certainly noticed some shifts in the fundraising climate that didn’t exist in the past. Most notable is the influence of politics on the business of fundraising. It has changed everything.   

“I had never been asked where I stood politically until the last couple of years,” White said. “It is essential to train our fundraisers how to respond to political questions, deal with polarization in both the workplace and in our community, and respond to questions about the value of higher education.”  

Pieper-Olson said a politicized climate offers leaders an opportunity to show their teams how to cut through polarization by building authentic relationships with donors.  

“We’re not going to be for everyone,” she said. “We have to give our people the confidence and courage to be honest about who we are, to truly hear who our donors say they are, and then find out if we align. When we find alignment, then we make the ask.”  

Overall, Tarnowski believes the advent of more activist donors will be a long-term benefit to institutions.  

“More donor oversight is a really positive thing,” he said. “People who care enough to give you money get involved to see how their gifts are being used. That means we get them on campus and introduce them to students. It gives us an opportunity to show them how we’re impacting the world with their support.”  

Who Is Best Suited for the VP Career Path?  

With a background in social work, I have always seen the value in my coursework in conflict resolution as it applies to fundraising and White agrees that it is truly “social work,” saying the VP role requires skills in de-escalating conversations with donors who have lost trust in institutions. 

White holds a doctorate in higher education and public policy, but jokes that his role demands an even deeper background.

“I didn’t realize when I got into this field I would need a master’s degree in social work, psychology, and human resources to do my job,” he said. “I have had to learn on the job how to handle difficult situations.”

Because fundraisers deal with complex engagements every day, the modern VP needs to take a more sophisticated and less rigid view of the hiring process.  

“If they have the work ethic, the drive, the tenacity, and mostly the adaptability—to me, the top skill for a fundraiser—we can teach them everything fundraising, the giving mechanisms, and how to make the ask,” White said. “Our onboarding and training will help them be a successful fundraiser, no matter their background.”  

See how University of Maryland coaches next-gen fundraising leaders.

White’s top fundraisers often come from sales. One of the best fundraisers White ever worked with was a former probation officer. Tarnowski said he hired a former high school military recruiter but would never have given him a shot if he’d been hung up on fundraising experience instead of transferrable skills.  

“We have to get more open about bringing in people who don’t have the same background we have,” Tarnowski said. “We have to grow the profession in our own back yards.”  

What Is the VP Role Really Like?  

For a new hire—especially one from a different line of work—it’s important for the boss to be honest about the day-to-day lifestyle of a fundraiser. And though the responsibilities multiply, the routine does not necessarily change much at the VP level. There are a lot of football games and homecomings, many evenings and weekends on the job, and catching flights on a Saturday morning.  

At the VP level, though, leadership involves much more than fundraising.  

• Communication with varied audiences: You need to communicate with your internal team and internal partners as well as donors and external community partners and vendors. 
• Conflict resolution: Just as there can be conflicting values and differing interpretations of the mission with donors, there is bound to be tension at times internally. A leader needs to motivate and manage the whole team even when emotions run high.  
• Emotional intelligence: Relationships are everything to fundraising. And to the management of a fundraising team.   

Teambuilding Is a Learned Skill  

Leadership can be lonely. As much as your staff members may respect you, they are still likely talking about you at happy hour. As a VP of advancement, you don’t have an exact peer at your institution. So, weave your own safety net and collect your own advisory council.  

• Build a strong network: Connect with leaders at organizations in other industries and at other schools so you feel supported as you grow into your role.  
• Do not use your employees as your support network. Listen and learn from them, but do not lean on them (or complain to them).   
• Consider all your stakeholders: You have staff, donors, prospects, board members, faculty, alumni, academic departments, students, and parents with skin in the game, not to mention everyone from a food service worker to the president. Understand and address their concerns.  
• Cultivate trust. Identify your allies and grow mutually beneficial relationships by inspiring, motivating, advocating, protecting, aligning, budgeting resources effectively, and communicating clearly.  

What’s Your Best Advice for a Future VP of Advancement? 

Sometimes the hardest experiences can help prepare you for the top job. For White, his first leadership role was the trickiest. He was promoted from within and suddenly found himself leading the people who had just been his friends. He had to learn quickly to make decisions that were best for the organization rather than thinking about what would make him popular. You can’t run the show when you’re worried if the team is complaining about you at that proverbial happy hour.  

“Both internal and external relationships happen outside the office,” White said.  “One of my mentors once told me that she accomplished her vision over many chicken dinners and glasses of wine.”  

Tarnowski recommends figuring it out as you go.  

“There are times when you won’t be able to gather all the information you need before jumping in,” he said. “But trust yourself to learn what you need to learn along the way.”  

On the other hand, Pieper-Olson went with her gut and learned the hard way that sometimes confidence is not enough. She had been acting as interim VP for 11 months but was not chosen for the permanent role. She was told that she was not ready. Now that she does occupy the role of permanent VP, she can appreciate that she was not, in fact, ready the first time.  

“My best advice is that if you aspire to leadership,” she said, “try to be in every conversation or in every room so you can learn about all aspects of the role.”  

To learn more about advancement for higher education, check out the “three VPs” webinar where we discuss the most critical challenges facing development teams in the coming months.