Back in the day, I was young and stupid. I did many of the ill-advised things that typify the young. Despite the unnecessary risks and mistakes I made, I thought I knew, if not everything, then at least everything about anything that was important.
I also had expansive aspirations. I wanted to be the youngest vice president for development in the U.S., and I pursued this objective with vigor. By age 30, I had interviewed for several vice presidencies and was a finalist twice. My goal was within my grasp.
Fortunately, it was not to be. What saved me from this terrible, perhaps irretrievable, misstep in my career was the better judgment of the administrators who did not hire me. They rescued me from my own ridiculous, unbridled ambition. I was in my mid-30s, working as the assistant vice president of advancement at a prominent research university, when one day I realized: I didn't want my boss's job. Observing days in the life of my VP—the endless meetings, the internal university politics, the convocations and ritual requirements of a university officer, and the countless administrative duties attendant with running a huge organization—I recognized that the job did not suit my temperament, nor would it make me happy. More important, the rewards of the position—the influence, the access, the money, being at the center of the action, and the chance to make an extraordinary contribution—were unlikely to compensate for the cost to my personal psyche. That realization led me to my second career as a search consultant.
The advancement field rewards ambition. We know how to incentivize and reward people who aspire to the top rung of the ladder. But what happens when you grasp that you won't find happiness at the next level?
Do what gives you joy! Instead of buying into the up-or-fail mantra, ask yourself: Do you reallywant to be a vice president for advancement?
Closers wanted, not needed
Let's start with what my clients want in their advancement or development vice president—and what they actually need: Institutions, and especially boards, say their development VP should be a closer, someone who can successfully solicit large gifts, preferably the sort with a couple of commas and lots of zeros.
The problem: This is not what most places need. The principal closer is usually the institution's or the academic unit's chief executive, the person charged with utilizing the gift and realizing the donor's goals. What institutions require are presidents, deans, and board leaders who can inspire donors to make transformational gifts.
Being a vice president is all about strategy. Closing gifts is less about who says the number than it is about ensuring that the prospect is ready to hear the number. When you elevate gift conversations to hundreds of thousands of dollars, the strategies become extremely intricate. This is where wisdom—intelligence tempered by experience—comes into play. What happens if we say X? What if the prospect says Y? Do we power through, or do we back off and regroup?
Advancement, and major/principal gift fundraising in particular, is the quintessential apprenticeship-based profession. The exhilarating and bitter experience of many calls, many asks, and many successes and failures prepare fundraising leaders for making solicitations more comfortable and productive for their senior colleagues, most of whom have little to no direct experience.
Many years ago, I placed a former colleague in a vice presidency at a Midwestern research university. He worked for a new president who had little experience in leadership, and even less in advancement, but who had an expansive and gregarious personality. My friend is the consummate listener, someone who observes and reacts to prospective donors' clues and cues. Together, this team conducted the largest campaign in the institution's history and raised its largest gift from a donor who had been elusive for many years. My guy didn't make the ask, but he raised the gift.
Integration, acumen, leadership
Strategic ability at the major or principal gift level is not enough. A vice president needs to envision, articulate, and build consensus around a strategy for the entire enterprise. Whether the VP oversees development or the entire advancement operation, integration—of staff, resources, and messaging—is the key to success in today's world, and especially tomorrow's. Messaging needs to be coordinated and mutually reinforcing—your staff, deans, faculty, and other individuals using similar, genuine language about what makes their institution special and deserving of support. The vice president must lead a team of senior professionals toward this goal.
Vice presidents play a substantive role as part of the president's cabinet. At that table, the vice president speaks to issues across the institution, from funding for infrastructure to unified marketing efforts. Success in this arena takes preparation, education, sound judgment, and political savvy. In short, it requires executive acumen. The vice president's voice is critical at decision time. He or she can speculate on how external audiences will react and how those responses will impact fundraising. Because the vice president is responsible for the institution as a whole rather than a particular academic or co-curricular unit, he or she can view internal decisions dispassionately and react to recommendations and suggestions with common sense and equanimity. Institutional leaders value, respect, and often heed such contributions. One vice president recently told me that his president often sounds out everyone on the cabinet, then turns to him to assess alumni and donors' likely responses. While the VP's views don't always carry the day, they influence how the university rolls out new ideas and programs to alumni, parents, and friends of the college.
Most institutions think they need extensive managerial experience, but they really need leadership—which is very different. Advancement leaders establish goals, hold themselves and others accountable, plan for the future, and build relationships. Sure, advancement departments require management. But I don't believe the day-to-day details of running the shop—hiring personnel, performance evaluations, organizational charts, dashboards—should be managed by the vice president. The VP should be predominantly external and focused more on what happens next than on orchestrating the mechanics of what is happening now.
One of my favorite stories is about a vice president who, along with the president, led one of the first billion-dollar higher ed campaigns in the U.S. One day, he sat down on a plane next to a young professional. The vice president asked the young man what he did for a living. The answer surprised him. "I have the greatest job in the world," the young man said. "I raise money for my university, and I love it." The vice president was amused to learn that the young man worked for him. The VP was so focused on the campaign, his partnership with the president, his prospect relationships, and the future of the organization that he had never met this junior staff member.
Leading means acting with integrity, displaying sound judgment, communicating openly and actively, listening, taking calculated risks and admitting failure when necessary, accepting blame and deflecting credit, being both collaborative and decisive, displaying a sense of both perspective and humor, and, above all, producing. One thing defines leadership: followers. Earn them, and maybe you should be a vice president.
ROI and responsibility
We live in an era dominated by accountability. Providing a return on an institution's investment is a vice presidential responsibility. The vice president doesn't need to monitor the staff on a daily basis—that is management. However, 1) the establishment of performance expectations; 2) leading by example to fulfill those expectations; and 3) the ultimate responsibility for the ROI do rest with the vice president. Miss this part, and it doesn't matter how good you are at the other aspects of the job—you are failing by definition.
Finally, the relationship with the president and the board is an essential part of the job. This is managing up in the classic sense but in a complex and dynamic environment. The vice president must report to the president and board and hold them accountable for their activities and commitments. He or she must defer to rank yet insist upon compliance with strategies and tactics.
Accomplishing this requires an array of talents and skills that include political savvy, diplomacy, timing, communication skills, sincerity, and, perhaps more than anything, a willingness to sublimate one's ego to pursue a common goal. One of my former bosses was a master at this. We needed to make a major decision about a campaign, and some board members wanted to increase the goal. Others were apprehensive about upping the target lest the university fall short. Because of her relationships with board members, my boss—with a modicum of help from me—met with every trustee, not to lobby for a particular outcome but to discuss with each a plan for his or her own giving to an extended campaign. With the board members making key contributions, a larger campaign was approved, and its goal ultimately achieved.
Getting ready to rise
In addition to continuing your education and professional development—whether through professional organizations like CASE, academic programs focused on philanthropy, or more traditional degree programs such as a master of business administration—these steps can help you to prepare for the vice presidency:
Brush up on the issues. Bookmark the resourceful websites of CASE, the American Council on Education, and the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges, where the academy's challenges and opportunities are debated. Learn about the issues facing institutions, including yours, enabling you to contribute at the cabinet level. On my first day in the profession, my boss handed me The Chronicle of Higher Education and instructed me to read it cover to cover every week. I have done so for the past 36 years. Well-informed professionals can discuss emerging pedagogies, know enrollment management issues, understand trends in federal and state support, anticipate emerging regulations, and otherwise contribute to institutional conversations far beyond advancement.
Build relationships with people outside advancement. You can learn a lot from colleagues in student affairs, finance, enrollment management, and academic affairs. Try to understand the concerns of your president, provost, deans, and faculty members. Learn how your prospects run their businesses. Soak in knowledge wherever you can.
Think about the future. Every decision affects every other aspect of the institution. For example, distance learning can be financially lucrative. But what does this mean for the future? Have you considered how to engage alumni who have never set foot on campus, didn't meet their spouses there, never attended a football game, perhaps never even met a faculty member in person? The professional who figures that out will have a very successful career.
Find a mentor. Better yet, find a champion—someone who will give you a chance to do the things you are not quite ready to do. Earn that right by seeking to do more than your job requires.
Volunteer to serve and comply when asked. Look for opportunities to learn more than what your job requires. Offer to lend a hand when needed. Move freshmen into a residence hall on arrival day and speak to their parents about the decision to attend your institution. Staff commencement. Work the door at a special event. Volunteer to serve on committees. Be more than an extra pair of hands. Learn the whys and wherefores of your institution's many activities and strategies. Make suggestions and be prepared to put them into action. In short, lead even when you are not the leader.
Finally, serve honorably. This means more than simply doing your job. It means going beyond your job's requirements. It may seem perverse given that I'm a search consultant, but staying in your current job—or at your current institution—for a significant period of time is an investment in your career with a high return on investment. Pile up enough short hops on your resume, and you will find employers wary of hiring you, even if you've had success at every stop. Don't be seduced by temporary rewards or instant gratification.
Is the pursuit of the top job required for you to have a "successful" career? Absolutely not. Institutions are desperate for leadership and performance at every level of the organization. Be the best at what you do in every job you have, enjoy each position, and allow each to add value to your life.
Remember the wisdom of Dale Carnegie: "Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get."
For more on leadership development, read "Putting Success in Succession Planning," CURRENTS' interview with Michael Eicher, senior vice president of advancement at The Ohio State University.