Sarah Lawrence College occupies 44 wooded acres in Yonkers, NY, near the Village of Bronxville—just north of New York City. A 30-minute train ride from the Bronxville station takes students into Midtown Manhattan.
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Executive Brief
Associate Vice President for Philanthropy
Sarah Lawrence College
The Organization: Sarah Lawrence College
Sarah Lawrence is a prestigious, residential, coeducational liberal arts college. Founded in 1926 and consistently ranked among the leading liberal arts colleges in the country, Sarah Lawrence is known for its pioneering approach to education, rich history of impassioned intellectual and civic engagement, and vibrant, successful alumni. In close proximity to the unparalleled offerings of New York City, Sarah Lawrence's historic campus is home to an inclusive, intellectually curious, and diverse community.
Talented, creative students choose Sarah Lawrence for the opportunity to take charge of their education. In close collaboration with Sarah Lawrence's dedicated, distinguished faculty, students create a rigorous, personalized course of study and connect their passions across a wide array of disciplines. Their students graduate knowing how to apply the knowledge, skills, and critical thinking necessary for life after college.
Campus:
Facilities:
In addition to their round-table classrooms, Sarah Lawrence has outstanding theatres, art and performance studios, and music spaces; modern science labs; state-of-the-art graphic computing equipment; competitive sports facilities; a 60,000-square-foot visual arts center; and recently renovated dining facilities.
Student Body:
Sarah Lawrence's students share an enthusiasm for intellectual rigor, academic risk taking, creativity in all disciplines, and original and interdisciplinary work. They are particularly committed to having Sarah Lawrence's faculty, administration, and student body reflect the social, racial, and economic diversity that characterizes our society. The College’s undergraduate students come from nearly every state and from 50+ countries; more than 80 percent of undergrads live on campus.
Statistics:
Number of students:
- Undergraduate: 1,462
- Graduate: 234
- Total: 1,696
Undergraduate Student Body:
- Students of Color: 26%
- International Students: 6%
Graduate Student Body:
- Students of Color: 25%
- 71% between the ages of 22-29
State representation:
- 44 states plus Washington, DC, Puerto Rico, Guam
- States sending most students: California and New York
International Representation in Recent Years:
Students come from 53 countries, including: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Haiti, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Lebanon, Macedonia, Malawi, Malaysia, Mexico, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Norway, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates (UAE), and the United Kingdom.
Giving at Sarah Lawrence
Development and Advancement Overview
In October 2019, Sarah Lawrence closed its $200m Campaign above goal, the College’s largest fundraising effort to date. In addition to opening the Barbara Walters Campus Center, the first new building on campus in a decade, the College concluded the campaign with gifts toward scholarships, faculty programs and chairs, and an increased endowment.
In 2020, the College received their biggest gift to date to fund New Business Ventures, a strategy to expand the offerings of the College to a new Genomics Institute, commitment to new technology and an increase in young faculty salaries.
Sarah Lawrence College is heading into their centennial campaign (2026).
Giving
Led by the advancement team, Giving at Sarah Lawrence College supports the community, and ensures the College continues its forward momentum.
Leadership Spotlight
Patricia Goldman - Vice-President of Advancement and External Relations
Patricia Goldman
Vice-President of Advancement and External Relations
Since 2018, Patty Goldman has been the Vice-President of Advancement and External Relations for Sarah Lawrence College. Prior to working in higher education, she was a marketing and revenue development consultant for non-profits and startups. She helped to establish The Feminist Institute and Makersfinders.com. In 2016, Patty concluded a 15-year tenure at March of Dimes, where she was the Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing officer and a member of the revenue committee of the Board of Trustees. Her core responsibilities included all areas of marketing the organization with an emphasis on building the foundation’s digital content and fundraising capabilities.
Prior to her tenure at the March of Dimes, Patty was Co-Founder and President of e4media, a digital development company that specialized in content management and e-commerce deployment. She was also the head of production for NewsCorp., where she helped to create and manage a site that provided up-to-the-minute news to millions of consumers. She has also worked in the entertainment business, for both Disney and Warner Brothers. Patty is an active volunteer in her community, spent 9 years on an alumni board for a private day school, and is a capital campaign strategist for her local temple.
She holds a BA with Honors in Social Anthropology from Harvard University, and a Masters of Fine Arts from the University of Southern California.
The Opportunity: Associate Vice President for Philanthropy
Sarah Lawrence College - Associate Vice President for Philanthropy - Job Description (PDF Download)
Position Summary
Reporting to the Vice President of Advancement and External Affairs, the Associate Vice President of Philanthropy will oversee major and principal giving, planned giving, corporate and foundation relations, and research/prospect management.
The Associate Vice President will be responsible for developing and implementing strategies that advance the reputational and financial goals of the college. He/she will frame the value proposition of Sarah Lawrence to engage alumni, students, parents, and friends of the College as ambassadors and donors, demonstrating its diverse and forward-thinking culture and community.
Leveraging the refined and repositioned institutional reputation, the Associate Vice President will be part of an Advancement team striving to meet and grow its annual fundraising goal of approximately $15 million and build a funnel of donors toward the next campaign.
This is an exciting time for the College. The Associate Vice President will play a critical role in the College by honoring its legacy, building on the success of the Campaign and planning for the future:
- Sarah Lawrence’s Centennial Celebration – As the College approaches the 100th anniversary of its founding in 1926, the College will honor this milestone through major new fundraising and marketing initiatives.
- Expansion and Innovation of Student Facilities and Resources – The College is continually seeking to improve its offerings in all aspects of academics and student life. Recently, Sarah Lawrence completed the new Barbara Walters Campus Center, made possible by a $15 million gift from Ms. Walters herself, a distinguished alumna of the College. The Center sits at the heart of the campus, serving as a space for connection between students, the College and the community. Future capital improvement plans will continue to improve student living and community experiences.
- The Campaign for Sarah Lawrence: Ahead of the Curve – the College wrapped up an ambitious campaign to raise $200 million in support of the College’s continuing growth. The campaign concludes at the end of October 2019. Funded priorities included scholarships, multiple endowed academic chairs, the development of campus spaces and amenities (including the Barbara Walters Campus Center), and much more. Find out more about the Campaign for Sarah Lawrence at campaign.sarahlawrence.edu.
Principal Responsibilities
The Associate Vice President will oversee and manage a team of eight fundraisers and support staff, and be the lead fundraiser for the College. He/she will work closely with the President of the College, Members of the Board of Trustees, and the Vice President for Advancement and Marketing on every aspect of College fundraising. He/she will inspire alumni, parents, and the greater Sarah Lawrence community to increase their philanthropic support of the College. He/she will carry an elite portfolio of around 50 top major gift prospects.
Strategy and Oversight:
- In collaboration with the Vice President, create an annual plan for major and principal giving, planned giving, corporate and foundation relations, and research/prospect management;
- Identify, cultivate, solicit and steward a portfolio of donors and prospects to achieve annual revenue goals;
- Recruit, manage, evaluate, and inspire a team of eight while instituting best practices and ensuring top performance using individual and unit-wide metrics, goals and strategies;
- Engage alumni, parents, faculty, and friends in innovative and vigorous ways to encourage connection to the College, community, and to each other, and help to increase the giving participation rate;
- Serve as a representative of the College by attending College-wide events;
- Assist the Vice President and senior staff with major gift stewardship and solicitations through planning, research and materials development;
- Collaborate across the Advancement department and across campus to build and strengthen internal relationships;
- Leverage research, data and analytics as a roadmap for productivity;
- Work seamlessly with the Senior Director of Annual Giving and Alumni Relations as well as the AVP of Marketing and Communications.
Qualifications and Expectations:
Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree required.
- Minimum of eight years of job-related experience.
- Success in soliciting and closing seven-figure gifts.
- A skilled, experienced manager with expertise in coaching and mentoring development officers in all aspects of the solicitation cycle.
- Experience with designing and implementing fundraising programs.
- Demonstrated success in working in a complex organization.
- Strong collaborator, individual contributor, and team player who can develop authentic partnerships within the department and throughout the institution.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills.
- Data-driven, with expertise in donor management systems such as Raiser’s Edge.
- Proficient in leveraging technology for effective data analysis and research.
- Experience working on a major campaign, demonstrating a deep understanding of strategic planning, execution, and evaluation.
- Proven ability to multitask by successfully managing a team and individually fundraising simultaneously.
Expectations:
- Passionate about higher education broadly and the need for private support to complement and support a liberal arts education;
- Committed to broadening and deepening and relationships with prospective donors;
- Sophisticated and poised, with the executive presence to lead and serve as an ambassador for the College;
- A collaborative leader and partner, able to manage a team;
- Honest, straight-forward, and self-directed with the internal desire to make a difference;
- Flexible and adaptable in working with multiple constituencies, including faculty, prospective and current students and their families, staff, alumni, and the surrounding community.
- A self-starter with an ambitious mentality, willing to roll-up their sleeves and actively take on new challenges.
Applications & Nominations
To explore this opportunity further, please send your resume in confidence to:
Lisa Vuona
Managing Partner, Boston
lvuona@boyden.com
LinkedIn
Lisa Vuona has decades of experience in executive search and human resource management, primarily in the non-profit, healthcare and education sectors. She is distinguished by her track record and network, and by her approach, which combines the strategic power of data with a finely tuned ability to understand the client’s organization and identify high-caliber leaders who fit the culture.
Don’t check off all the boxes or meet every single requirement? We have learned that potential candidates hesitate when applying for a job unless they meet every single requirement. Boyden Boston is dedicated to inclusivity and valuing diversity and equity in the workplace. If this opportunity excites you, but your background may not be a perfect match, we still encourage you to apply.
Boyden Confidentiality Notice
CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This executive brief contains confidential and/or legally privileged information. Therefore, any disclosure, copying, reproduction, or distribution without the consent of Boyden is strictly prohibited.
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