Senior Associate Vice President for Principal Gifts & Family Philanthropy
Position Description:
Merrimack College seeks an accomplished, entrepreneurial and highly relational
fundraising leader to serve as Senior Associate Vice President for Principal
Gifts & Family Philanthropy. Reporting directly to the Senior Vice President
of Institutional Advancement & Chief Advancement Officer, the Senior Associate
Vice President will be a senior, revenue-producing member of the Institutional
Advancement leadership team responsible for advancing three interconnected
areas of philanthropic opportunity for the College: principal gifts, family
philanthropy and Merrimack's Boards of Advisors (BOA).
The Senior Associate Vice President will build and lead Merrimack's
comprehensive family philanthropy program, including the development of a
Parents Leadership Council; advance the philanthropic potential of the
College's Boards of Advisors and their networks; and manage a highly qualified
portfolio of principal gift prospects. Central to the role is creating
stronger pathways from engagement to philanthropy—identifying and developing
high-capacity individuals and families, expanding Merrimack's network of
prospective donors, and translating these relationships into significant
philanthropic support for the College.
Working closely with the President, Senior Vice President and other College
leadership, the Senior Associate Vice President will develop strategies that
deepen engagement, connect donor interests with Merrimack's priorities, and
cultivate and close significant campaign and principal gifts.
This position will play an important role in the continued growth of the
Together We Rise campaign and in expanding the constituencies, relationships
and philanthropic pipeline necessary to support Merrimack's long-term
fundraising ambitions.
Key Responsibilities
Boards of Advisors & Strategic Engagement
Lead the philanthropic and engagement strategy for Merrimack's Boards of
Advisors in partnership with College senior leaders and academic
leadership.
Partner with College and academic leadership on BOA meeting strategy,
helping to shape agendas, experiences and engagement opportunities that
deepen members' connection to Merrimack, advance institutional and
academic priorities and create pathways to greater philanthropic
involvement.
Develop strategies to increase philanthropic participation and deepen
individual relationships with BOA members.
Partner with Prospect Research and the Major Gifts team to identify and
recruit prospective BOA members with strong philanthropic and strategic
potential, while developing engagement and cultivation strategies for
current members with major and principal gift capacity.
Leverage BOA members' professional and personal networks to generate
introductions and expand Merrimack's pipeline of prospective donors.
Partner with College and academic leadership to identify and recruit new
BOA members who bring philanthropic potential, strategic expertise,
influence and networks aligned with the priorities and aspirations of the
College and its schools.
Connect BOA members and prospective donors with the priorities and
philanthropic opportunities of Merrimack's schools, programs and strategic
initiatives.
Develop opportunities for BOA members to serve as philanthropic
ambassadors and connectors for the College.
Establish goals and measures for BOA engagement, philanthropic
participation, membership development and prospect generation, and assess
progress over time.
Family Philanthropy
Lead Merrimack's major and principal gift strategy for family
philanthropy, establishing current and former families as a significant
and sustainable source of major, principal gift support for the College.
Develop an integrated family philanthropy strategy that creates clear
pathways from engagement and annual giving to major and principal gifts,
working in partnership with the Annual Giving team at the annual giving
level.
Identify, cultivate, solicit and steward current and former families with
significant major and principal gift capacity.
Strengthen and expand Merrimack's Parents Leadership Council, increasing
its philanthropic leadership, engagement and impact while developing
members as ambassadors, connectors and prospective major and principal
gift donors.
Partnering with annual giving, identify families demonstrating increased
engagement, giving and philanthropic potential and develop strategies to
move qualified prospects into major and principal gift relationships.
Develop meaningful engagement opportunities that deepen relationships with
high-capacity families and connect their interests with Merrimack's
institutional, academic and campaign priorities.
Partner with Prospect Research, the Major Gifts team and colleagues across
the College to identify and engage families with the interest and capacity
to become significant philanthropic partners.
Principal & Campaign Gifts
Manage a highly qualified portfolio of individuals and families with
significant principal and campaign gift capacity.
Develop and execute individualized engagement, cultivation, solicitation
and stewardship strategies designed to secure significant philanthropic
commitments to Merrimack.
Build principal gift opportunities from family philanthropy, Boards of
Advisors and other high-capacity relationships and networks.
Maintain an active pace of meaningful donor engagement, solicitations and
closed gifts consistent with established annual fundraising goals.
Partner closely with the President, Senior Vice President of Institutional
Advancement & Chief Advancement Officer and other College leaders to
engage and solicit Merrimack's highest-capacity prospects.
Translate Merrimack's institutional and campaign priorities into
compelling philanthropic opportunities aligned with donor interests.
Coordinate strategies for significant and complex gifts in partnership
with Advancement colleagues and College leadership.
Serve as a senior representative of Merrimack College with donors,
prospects, families and volunteer leaders.
Leadership & Collaboration
Serve as a senior member of the Office of Development and Alumni Relations
leadership team.
Work collaboratively with the major gift team and prospect research to
ensure coordinated prospect strategy and a seamless approach to donor
engagement.
Provide strategic counsel, preparation and support to the Senior Vice
President and other College leaders for significant donor and prospect
engagement.
Develop strong partnerships with deans, faculty, Athletics, Student
Affairs and other areas of the College to identify philanthropic
opportunities and prospective donors.
Qualifications:
Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree preferred.
Significant progressively responsible experience in advancement,
development or a related field, preferably within higher education or
another complex nonprofit organization.
Demonstrated record of cultivating, soliciting and closing significant
major and/or principal gifts.
Demonstrated ability to build strong, trusted relationships with high-
capacity individuals, families and volunteer leaders.
Experience developing new philanthropic constituencies, programs or
revenue channels is highly desirable; experience with family philanthropy,
volunteer leadership groups or advisory boards is a plus.
Experience working effectively with senior executives, academic leaders
and other highly visible institutional stakeholders.
Strong understanding of major and principal gift strategy, moves
management and donor pipeline development.
Demonstrated ability to identify philanthropic potential within
relationships and networks and translate engagement into fundraising
opportunities.
Exceptional relationship-building, communication and interpersonal skills.
Ability to translate institutional priorities into compelling
philanthropic opportunities.
Entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to build new programs and
strategies while also personally managing and soliciting a portfolio of
high-capacity prospects.
Strong judgment, discretion and professionalism when working with donors,
families, volunteer leaders and senior College leadership.
Evening and weekend work required for events and College activities as
well as availability outside of normal business hours when necessary to
support time-sensitive initiatives.
Application Materials Should Include:
Resume
Cover letter stating motivation and interest in the position, citing
experience relevant to the qualifications and including experience with,
and commitment to, our Catholic Augustinian mission and our values.
This position is subject to the successful completion of a criminal background
check.
Statement on Our Mission
Merrimack College is a Catholic Augustinian institution of higher education
committed to building an accepting and respectful community. Our mission is to
enlighten minds, engage hearts and empower lives and is inspired by our
Catholic faith and the Augustinian tradition of seeking truth through inquiry
and dialogue.
Merrimack College seeks candidates who understand, respect, and can contribute
to Merrimack's Catholic and Augustinian mission. All candidates should
describe in their application how they will foster a culture that supports our
mission.
About Merrimack College
The only Catholic, Augustinian institution of higher education in New
England, Merrimack College is a private, independent, coeducational
institution with more than 4,100 undergraduate, 2,500 graduate students and 50
doctoral students from 48 states and 63 countries. The College features more
than 160 career-focused undergraduate, professional and graduate programs, all
taught by exceptional faculty who are passionate about their subject and
student success. The College has six schools: arts and sciences, engineering
and computational sciences, nursing and health sciences, education and social
policy, the Girard school of business and the graduate school of counseling
and social work. The College's suburban 220-acre campus is just north of
Boston in North Andover, Massachusetts. Merrimack is a Master's Colleges and
Universities/Larger Programs (M1) institution in the Carnegie Classification
of Institutions of Higher Education. Merrimack is one of the fastest growing
educational institutions in the country and has steadily climbed up in the
U.S. News & World Report's ranking of Best Colleges, ranking 38th in the
Regional Universities North category in 2026. Merrimack is a NCAA Division I
athletic institution.
Merrimack College is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
