ADVANCEMENT OFFICER, MAJOR GIFTS Rensselaer Polytechnic

ADVANCEMENT OFFICER, MAJOR GIFTS
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Troy, NY
www.rpi.edu
Send Nominations or Cover Letter and Resume to:
Anne Norton
Search Director
617-262-1102
[email protected]
The Opportunity:
LOIS L. LINDAUER SEARCHES is proud to
partner with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
(Rensselaer) in its search for the position of
Advancement Officer, Major Gifts.
Rensselaer is poised at a time of great
opportunity. As new technologies drive the
economy and shape society, its historic
mission and core academic strengths
position the Institute to capitalize on this
technological revolution.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is a private,
non-sectarian coeducational institution
founded in 1824 by Stephen Van Rensselaer as the nation’s first technological university. Its
original purpose “to apply science to the common purposes of life,” has never been more
opportune. Rensselaer alumni have originated technologies and products and generated results
that have changed the world – from railroad systems, manufacturing, and newly emerging
scientific and engineering disciplines in the nineteenth century to space exploration, email and
electronics devised in the twentieth. Today, Rensselaer ranks among the nation’s top 50 research
universities and is known for educating students to be leaders who will address critical societal
and global problems from a technological perspective.
RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE BACKGROUNDER ⏐ 1
Graig Eastin, the new Vice President for Institute Advancement at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute,
has had a successful track record of leading fundraising organizations in higher education and
healthcare. As he builds a world-class advancement team embarking on a new capital campaign,
and makes a transformational mark on the Institute, Eastin seeks a proven and energetic major
gifts professional who will contribute to the goals of Institute Advancement.
Major gifts is of critical importance to the Institute as it prepares to launch a new campaign and
works to meet the goals of the Rensselaer 2024 Plan, which includes strategies to continue
building its campus and growing the endowment.
The incoming advancement officer will be a strong communicator with both internal and external
constituencies. A self-starter and collaborative team player, the officer will work well across
Institute Advancement to leverage the resources and systems in place to maximize the significant
opportunities with the Institute's alumni and other potential donors.
Position Overview – Advancement Officer, Major Gifts
The Advancement Officer, Major Gifts is responsible for cultivating and soliciting 150-200 prospects
capable of making gifts to Rensselaer of $100,000 to $2.49 million. The Advancement Officer will
work in an assigned region and support a group of campus leaders to develop and implement
strategies to close gift commitments.
Duties and Responsibilities:
 Raise new commitments from prospects capable of gifts of $100,000 – $2.49 million.
 Prepare and submit proposals.
 Conduct pre-planned face-to-face prospecting and cultivation visits.
 Interdepartmental team work:
o Provide staff support to Dean including briefings, solicitation meeting coordination,
talking points, and follow up as required.
o Meet with counterpart in Alumni Relations monthly including regional officers.
o Meet with Annual Giving team quarterly.
o Team with Major Gift officers and Principal Gift officers on strategic donor activities and
solicitations.
o Team with Corporate & Foundation officers on solicitations and cultivations.
 Maintain up to date prospect information in Advance by utilizing and maintaining prospect
tracking system.
 Participate and present in prospect strategy sessions.
 Maintain strict confidentiality as outlined in the Institute’s Policy on Confidentiality of
Constituent Information.
Goals/Objectives:
 Dollar goal – newly documented gifts:
RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE BACKGROUNDER ⏐ 2

o First Year: $500,000 - $750,000
o Second Year: $1 million - $1.5 million
o Third Year: $2.0 million+
Proposals focused at $25,000 or more:
o Quarterly Proposals: 5 -10 proposals
o Annual Proposals: 20 – 40 proposals
Qualifications:
 Bachelor’s degree required; master’s degree preferable.
 Three to five years of fundraising experience.
 Proven ability to establish and maintain relationships with major gift prospects and to close
major gifts ($50K+).
 Ability to set priorities while also contributing to team effort in Institute Advancement.
 Experience working in and/or comfort with data- and metrics-driven environment.
 Strong verbal and written communication skills.
 Must be able to travel 40-50% of the time.
Development Overview
The Division of Institute Advancement at Rensselaer consists of more than 50 professionals
specializing in alumni relations, leadership, planned, principal and major gifts, annual giving,
corporate and foundation relations, international advancement, and advancement strategies,
services, and infrastructure. Staffers in the department represent a blend of those who have been
at the Institute for a number of years and those who joined more recently. Last year, the division
raised $53 million.
The Advancement team is excitedly working toward the goals outlined in the Rensselaer Plan
2024, an ambitious strategic plan aimed at transforming the Institute though major investments
in its people, programs, platforms, and partnerships.
Finances and Fundraising:
Rensselaer has total assets of $1.5 billion and an endowment of approximately $650 million. Its
annual operating budget of $384 million includes in excess of $100 million in research
expenditures. In September 2004, the Institute launched Renaissance at Rensselaer: The
Campaign for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, with a goal to raise $1.4 billion. This Campaign
was successfully completed in 2008. A new capital campaign is in the planning stages. This
effort will continue to build endowment and current use resources to support student
scholarships and fellowships. It will support programmatic and research enterprises to propel
Rensselaer forward in comprehensive growth across the campus, the nation and the globe.
RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE BACKGROUNDER ⏐ 3
Rensselaer was recently named as a 2015 winner for overall fundraising performance and overall
fundraising improvement, for fiscal years 2012-2014, among private research/doctoral
institutions with endowments under $1 billion, by the Council for Advancement and Support of
Education (CASE).
http://news.rpi.edu/content/2015/05/21/rensselaer-named-2015-case-fundraising-winner
Client Overview
Rensselaer is led by Dr. Shirley Ann
Jackson, who became the 18th
President of Rensselaer in 1999.
Prior to her leadership of Rensselaer,
President Jackson was Chairman of
the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, a theoretical physicist
conducting basic research at the
former AT&T Bell Laboratories, and a
professor of theoretical physics at
Rutgers University.
Rensselaer offers degrees from five
schools: Engineering; Science;
Architecture; Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences; and, the Lally School of Management, as well
as an interdisciplinary degree in Information Technology and Web Science. Institute programs
serve undergraduates, graduate students, and working professionals around the world. Nearly 29
percent of undergraduate students this year are from areas outside of the Northeast. First year
students hail from 43 states, in addition to the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, and from
countries all around the world.
The Institute offers more than 145 programs at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels.
Students are encouraged to work in interdisciplinary programs that allow them to combine
scholarly work from several departments or schools. The Institute provides rigorous, engaging,
interactive learning environments and campus-wide opportunities for leadership, collaboration,
and creativity.
For almost two centuries, Rensselaer has maintained its reputation for providing an
undergraduate education of undisputed intellectual rigor based on educational innovation in the
laboratory, classroom, and studio.
RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE BACKGROUNDER ⏐ 4
Driven by talented, dedicated, and forward-thinking faculty, Rensselaer
has dramatically expanded the research enterprise by leveraging its
existing strengths and focusing on five signature research areas:
biotechnology and the life sciences; energy and the environment;
computational sciences and engineering; nanotechnology and advanced
materials; and Experimental Media & the Arts. The 2010 U.S. News &
World Report guide to “America’s Best Graduate Schools” singled out
Rensselaer’s School of Engineering, ranking it in the Top 50 nationwide;
the master of fine arts in electronic arts ranks sixth in the nation in
multimedia/visual communications; and the Lally School of Management
MBA program ranks 27th in entrepreneurship in the nation.
The Institute is especially well-known for its success in the transfer of technology from the
laboratory to the marketplace so that new discoveries and inventions benefit human life, protect
the environment, and strengthen economic development.
Over 15 major interdisciplinary research centers and several smaller ones, the Severino Center for
Technological Entrepreneurship, and the nationally known Rensselaer Technology Park offer
undergraduate and graduate students a wide range of opportunities for research and learning
through interaction with business, government, and industry. The Emerging Ventures Ecosystem
Business Incubator Center, named Business Incubator of the Year, nurtures 30 start-up
companies; the Technology Park houses more than 50 companies and 2,200 employees.
Approximately two-thirds of participating companies have evolved from research at Rensselaer or
have been started by Rensselaer alumni.
The Rensselaer Plan:
Galvanizing Rensselaer’s strengths and serving as a catalyst for change, The Rensselaer Plan is a
comprehensive strategic plan for the Institute conceived by Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson. The Plan has
served as the driving force to achieve new prominence for the Institute in the 21st century. This
comprehensive plan defines Rensselaer’s core enterprises and sets forth the Institute’s goal to
double its doctoral program and virtually triple its research initiative with special focus on
biotechnology computation, energy and the environment, media and the arts, and
nanotechnology.
Since 2000, under the leadership of President Jackson, Rensselaer has accomplished the
following:
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Designed and constructed the 220,000-square-foot Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and
Performing Arts Center facility, which opened in October 2008 as a bold platform at the
intersections of art, science, and technology.
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Established the Center for
Computational Innovations (CCI), a
$100 million supercomputer
partnership involving Rensselaer,
IBM, and New York State.
Designed and constructed the CCI
platform and facility, made up of
massively parallel Blue Gene
supercomputers, POWER-based
Linux clusters, and AMD Opteron
processor-based clusters, providing
more than 100 teraflops of
computing power, opening it in
September 2007 as one of the most
powerful university-based
supercomputers in the world.
Constructed a 218,000-square-foot state-of-the-art research facility for the Center for
Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, opening it in September 2004. It facilitates
multidisciplinary research in the life sciences, applied sciences, and engineering that have
led to new discoveries and technologies that improve the quality of life.
Created the Office of Vice President for Research and developed “Signature Thrusts” in
Media Arts, Science and Technology; Biotechnology and Life Sciences; Nanotechnology and
Advanced Materials; Energy, Environment, and Smart Systems; and Computational Science
and Engineering to drive faculty recruitment and research leadership.
Created “constellations” of faculty researchers in Biotechnology, IT, and Physics including:
Future Chips, Tetherless World, Biocatalysis and Metabolic Engineering, Biocomputation
and Bioinformatics, and Physics, Information Technology, and Entrepreneurship.
Attracted $22.5 million in New York State funding for equipping the Center for
Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies.
Completed Phase I construction of the $92 million East Campus Athletic Village, which
opened in fall 2009.
Introduced 234 new faculty members (as of fall 2009) to the Institute since 2000, 74 of
them in new positions.
Improved the Institute’s ranking as one of the top 50 national universities (U.S. News).
Although Rensselaer has focused on research as a means of acquiring prominence, education - as
always – remains its mission. Research is the means to fulfilling this mission. It is the creation of
knowledge through research that completes the educational continuum and assures that students
seeking careers at the leading edges are taught by faculty who are themselves on those edges.
RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE BACKGROUNDER ⏐ 6
The Rensselaer Plan 2024:
Through the aforementioned major investments in its people, programs, platforms, and
partnerships, the Institute’s community has brought about a true Renaissance at Rensselaer.
These investments have enabled the Institute to transform into a top-tier technological research
university with global reach and global impact.
That transformation serves as a solid foundation on which it will build even greater achievements
in the future.
Its journey of transformation continues, under The Rensselaer Plan 2024. In the same spirit as its
precursor, the revised Plan is evergreen, prepared to grow and evolve, as the Institute grows and
evolves. In advancing The Rensselaer Plan 2024, it is moving from transforming Rensselaer to
Rensselaer being transformative—transformative in its students’ lives; transformative in its
innovative pedagogy, nationally and internationally; transformative in the global impact of its
research.
As the university anticipates the bicentennial of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2024, it looks
forward to addressing the Global Challenges that face the world of the 21st century—to change
lives, to advance society, and, indeed, to change the world.
Leadership
Shirley Ann Jackson, Ph.D.
President
The Honorable Shirley Ann Jackson, a theoretical physicist, has
had a distinguished career that includes senior leadership
positions in academia, government, industry, and research. She
holds an S.B. in Physics, and a Ph.D. in Theoretical Elementary
Particle Physics–both from MIT. She is the first African-American woman to receive a doctorate
from MIT—in any field—and has been a trailblazer throughout her career, including as the first
African-American woman to lead a top-ranked research university.
Describing her as “a national treasure,” the National Science Board selected Dr. Jackson as its
2007 recipient of the prestigious Vannevar Bush Award for “a lifetime of achievements in
scientific research, education, and senior statesman-like contributions to public policy.”
RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE BACKGROUNDER ⏐ 7
Described by Time Magazine (2005) as “perhaps the ultimate role model for women in science,”
President Jackson has held senior leadership positions in government, industry, research, and
academe.
Since 1999, Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson has led an extraordinary transformation of Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute of Troy, New York and Hartford, Connecticut into a world-class technological
research university. Rankings for Rensselaer among national universities have risen substantially
under Dr. Jackson’s tenure, and the number of students applying to join the freshman class has
tripled.
Dr. Jackson’s initial vision of remaking Rensselaer was captured in an ambitious strategic effort
known as The Rensselaer Plan. Over the last 14 years, more than $1.25 billion has been invested
in The Rensselaer Plan, and the campus has been transformed by state-of-the-art research
platforms that include the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, the Curtis R.
Priem Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center, and the Center for Computational
Innovations, which houses the most powerful supercomputer at an American private university.
Dr. Jackson prepared Rensselaer for leadership in areas of research that are of fundamental
significance in the 21st century by focusing on “signature thrusts” in computational science and
engineering; biotechnology and the life sciences; nanotechnology and advanced materials;
energy, the environment, and smart systems; and media, arts, science, and technology. Her
tenure has been marked by a tripling of sponsored research awards and expenditures, and the
hiring of over 325 new tenure track faculty members, as well as advances in the curriculum, an
increase in scholarships, growth of undergraduate research, and bold innovations in student life,
including the award-winning First Year Experience and Clustered Learning, Advocacy, and Support
for Students (CLASS).
Dr. Jackson secured for Rensselaer a $360 million anonymous unrestricted gift in 2001—one of
the largest gifts in history to any university in the United States. In 2004, she launched the $1
billion Renaissance at Rensselaer capital campaign, which was expanded to $1.4 billion in 2006.
The campaign met that goal nine months ahead of schedule in 2008, exceeding all previous
fundraising efforts at Rensselaer.
The Rensselaer Plan 2024 is intended to make Rensselaer transformative in the global impact of
its research, in the lives of its students, and its pedagogy. Towards that end, forward-looking
research initiatives at Rensselaer are underway to address the greatest challenges of humanity in
energy, water, and food security; national and global security; human health; climate change; and
the allocation of scarce natural resources. These initiatives include The Rensselaer Institute for
Data Exploration and Applications, or The Rensselaer IDEA, which brings together the strengths of
the university in web science, high-performance computing, cognitive computing, data science
and predictive analytics, and immersive technologies—and links them to applications at the
interface of engineering and the physical, life, and social sciences—in order to answer complex
questions that never could be answered before–questions at the root of global challenges.
RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE BACKGROUNDER ⏐ 8
In accordance with The Rensselaer Plan 2024, the university now offers a complete student
experience for graduate students as well as undergraduates, through CLASS. Rensselaer also is
taking the lead in pedagogical innovation, including creating the multiplayer and mixed reality
classroom, as well as cyber-enabled discovery and learning—all of which are informed by the
cutting-edge research at Rensselaer in data science, immersive environments, artificial
intelligence, and cognitive science that takes place at Rensselaer.
In 2014, United States President Barack Obama appointed Dr. Jackson as Co-Chair of the
President’s Intelligence Advisory Board. The Board assesses issues pertaining to the quality,
quantity, and adequacy of intelligence activities; the effectiveness of organizational structure,
management, and personnel; and the performance of all agencies of the federal government
engaged in the collection, evaluation, or production of intelligence, or the execution of
intelligence policy.
From 2009 to 2014, Dr. Jackson served on the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and
Technology (PCAST), which assists the White House in policy formulation in the many areas of
science, technology, and innovation that are crucial to strengthening the economy and increasing
opportunity. Dr. Jackson was also co-chair of the President’s Innovation and Technology Advisory
Committee (PITAC), part of the PCAST. In that role, in 2011 she co-authored a report to the
President offering an overarching strategy for revitalizing the leadership of the nation in
manufacturing. In 2013, Dr. Jackson was named by President Obama to the Advanced
Manufacturing Partnership Steering Committee 2.0, charged with making recommendations for
invigorating the manufacturing sector of the U.S. economy.
Prior to her leadership of Rensselaer, President Jackson was Chairman of the U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission; a theoretical physicist conducting basic research at the former AT&T Bell
Laboratories; and a professor of theoretical physics at Rutgers University.
For more information on Dr. Jackson, please click:
http://rpi.edu/president/profile.html
Graig Eastin
Vice President, Institute Advancement
Graig Eastin joined Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in early fall 2014. With
more than 25 years’ experience in the development profession leading
academic institutions and nationally recognized healthcare organizations,
Eastin has demonstrated success in foundation board development,
management of capital campaigns, comprehensive program development, as
well as portfolio and prospect management.
RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE BACKGROUNDER ⏐ 9
Prior to Rensselaer, Eastin served as Vice President for CHOC Children’s Hospital Foundation in
Orange, California. Eastin raised more than $80 million for this medical affiliate of the University
of California, Irvine while managing a $5.5 million budget and directing a team of 34, consistently
raising the annual level of fundraising. In addition, he completed a $125 million capital campaign
exceeding goal, having raised $174 million. His partnership with the CEO of CHOC secured a $27
million naming gift for the new medical tower at CHOC Children’s.
From 2003 to 2011, Eastin was at the University of California San Diego, first as Senior Director,
Development and External Relations at the Rady School of Management from 2003-2010, and
from 2010 to 2011 as the Senior Executive Director of Development, General Campus, and finally
as the Associate Vice Chancellor for Development, General Campus in 2011.
His prior roles included Vice President-Institutional Advancement at the Harbor-UCLA Research &
Educational Institute (REI) from 2000 to 2003 as well as the Vice President, Director of
Development at The Whittier Institute for Diabetes from 1998 to 2000.
Eastin received his Master of Science in Education from the University of Southern California. He
also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Location
Troy, NY:
Troy is 10 miles northeast of Albany, New
York’s capital, and 150 miles north of
New York City. The area is centrally
located with easy access to Boston (three
hours), Montreal (four hours), and
Niagara Falls (five hours). Troy and the
Capital Region (population 873,500) are
home to many well-known colleges such as: Albany Medical College, The Russell Sage Colleges,
Siena, Skidmore, Union, University at Albany (SUNY), and the nearby Williams College.
The area offers a relaxed lifestyle with a variety of cultural, recreational and social opportunities.
The Adirondacks, the Berkshires, and the Catskills, all within an hour of Troy, offer hundreds of
areas for camping, hiking, and skiing. Many clubs sponsored by the Rensselaer Union take full
advantage of these natural resources.
Arts organizations of every description are also found in the area. The Troy Savings Bank Music
Hall, considered by many experts to have the finest acoustics in America, is a short walk from
campus, as is a new downtown arts center. Nearby Saratoga Springs is the summer home to the
RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE BACKGROUNDER ⏐ 10
New York Ballet and the Philadelphia Orchestra. Albany’s Times Union Center hosts a wide array
of top-name musical groups, sporting events, and other entertainment options.
The Capital Region is central to New York State’s Tech Valley, an area that encompasses the
Capital Region, Adirondacks/North Country, Hudson Valley and Mohawk Valley. Tech Valley
offers rewarding career and business opportunities, world-class educational and research
facilities, a vibrant arts and entertainment scene and exhilarating year-round outdoor pursuits.
Background Checks:
Prior to submitting your resume for this position, please read it over for accuracy. LLLS does verify
academic credentials for its candidates, and our clients frequently conduct background checks
prior to finalizing an offer.
To learn more, call
Anne Norton, Search Director at
617-262-1102
or send nominations or cover letter and resume to
[email protected]
All inquiries will be held in confidence.
LOIS L. LINDAUER
SEARCHES
420 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116
T 617.262.1102 F 888.772.8681
Because the right person in the right job makes all the difference.
www.LLLsearches.com
RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE BACKGROUNDER ⏐ 11
Organization Chart
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