Director of Development – The Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU)

The Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU) invites nominations and applications for the newly-created position of Director of Development. The CCCU seeks an experienced development professional who has a passion for Christian higher education and experience leading a successful fundraising program. This position is an important addition to the CCCU team, and will work closely with the President and the Board of Directors to build the fundraising capacity of the CCCU through three primary endeavors:

  1. Partnering with the CCCU President to pursue transformative gifts from individuals and foundations,
  2. Developing a major gifts program, and
  3. Creating a “living endowment” through the cultivation of donors willing to make an annual commitment to the CCCU.

This is an opportunity for an entrepreneurial-minded, experienced development professional to create a brand-new development program and make a transformational impact on the mission of the CCCU in positively influencing Christian higher education in America.

ABOUT THE COUNCIL FOR CHRISTIAN COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES

Established in 1976, the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities is a higher education association of more than 180 Christian institutions from around the world. The CCCU’s mission is to advance the cause of Christ-centered higher education and to help member institutions transform lives by faithfully relating scholarship and service to biblical truth.

To fulfill its mission, the CCCU provides unique services for administration, faculty, students, and friends of Christian higher education in three pillars of strategic focus:

  1. Public Advocacy. As an effective and respected advocate for Christ-centered higher education, the CCCU provides a unified voice to highlight the contributions of member institutions for the common good. The Council also advocates for the right of each member institution to practice its sincerely-held religious beliefs and to participate fully in the public square without penalty.
  1. Professional Development. The CCCU hosts numerous conferences for administrators to develop their skills, build connections with peer leaders, and equip them in their work to provide a holistic Christ-centered educational experience for their students. The Council also invests in faculty development and scholarship through institutes and grants intended to help faculty excel in their scholarship and in integrating faith into their discipline.
  1. Experiential Education. The CCCU has 10 unique off-campus, faith-integrated study programs that expand students’ academic educational experience, provide unique internship opportunities, and deepen their spiritual lives. Known as BestSemester, these programs are offered in three U.S. cities and six foreign countries. BestSemester programs extend the educational mission of CCCU institutions by providing culturally immersive learning experiences that contribute to students’ intellectual and spiritual growth and equip them to apply their Christian faith to the world.

The CCCU is committed to supporting, protecting, and promoting the value of integrating the Bible – divinely inspired, true, and authoritative – throughout all curricular and co-curricular aspects of the educational experience on member institution campuses (including teaching and research). The Council supports a coherent approach to education in which the development of the mind, spirit, body, and emotions are seamlessly woven together in the quest not just for knowledge, but also for wisdom.

Through an array of initiatives, the CCCU promotes the development of high-quality academic research projects, provides opportunities for faculty to conduct innovative research with peers from other campuses, and provides administrators with opportunities to gain the most current information in order to lead highly successful campuses that employ best practices for academic success.

LEADERSHIP

A visionary leader who is passionate about Christian higher education and the role it plays in the common good, Shirley V. Hoogstra became the seventh president of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities in September 2014.

Having received a Bachelor’s of Education at Calvin College (Grand Rapids, MI) and a Juris Doctor, with honors, from the University of Connecticut School of Law, Hoogstra spent more than a decade practicing law as a partner at a firm that specialized in litigation in New Haven, Connecticut. She then returned to the world of Christian higher education and became Calvin’s vice president for student life in July 1999, a role she served in until she became president of the CCCU. As CCCU president, Hoogstra combines her zeal for the rule of law and her passion for Christian higher education.

The CCCU’s outward-facing work at its intersection between education and government in Washington, D.C. calls upon Hoogstra’s authentic skills of listening, respecting, and influencing leaders as she shares and promotes the importance of Christian colleges and universities as a part of a diverse, pluralistic system of higher education. In an era that has seen the rise in the value of individualism and a decrease in the value of formative communities, Hoogstra delights in highlighting the value and purpose of high quality, Christ-centered liberal arts education that shapes the heart, soul, and mind.

Always an educator, Hoogstra has never lost her joy of seeing people developed to be their best selves. This is why the Council’s professional development conferences for CCCU campus administrators, its promotion and encouragement of scholarship and teaching among CCCU faculty, and its innovative and immersive BestSemester student programs remain at the core of the CCCU’s work.

LOCATION

The CCCU headquarters is located in downtown Washington D.C. in the historic Capitol Hill district. In 1999, the Council purchased and renovated a townhouse that is used today as its main headquarters. The original two-story townhouse was constructed in the 1850s and is one of the few remaining wooden clapboard structures on Capitol Hill. It is located within walking distance of Union Station, the Capitol, and the Washington Mall.

Washington D.C. is home to a wide-variety of welcoming and thriving church congregations, high-quality schools, world-class museums, intellectually stimulating lectures, top-notch restaurants, great diversity in shopping and entertainment, and options for affordable housing within a short commute to the CCCU headquarters (including access to housing in the Capitol Hill district).

The Mid-Atlantic region has relatively mild weather and residents look forward to the beauty of the seasonal changes. The region offers a variety of getaways within a few hours’ drive. You can enjoy a day trip or a weekend getaway to the beach, mountains, or several cities including Baltimore, Annapolis, Wilmington, Philadelphia, and New York. Overall, the residents of Washington D.C. are highly educated, making it an invigorating place to live.

CANDIDATE PROFILE

Reporting to the President, the Director of Development has responsibility for overall fundraising, and specifically for creating, cultivating, and growing three fundraising programs: 1) a “living endowment” that attracts and retains a continually expanding group of donors providing annual gifts of $1,000 and more, 2) a major gifts program that helps fund education and advocacy initiatives with gifts of $10,000 and more, and 3) a transformative gifts program that inspires true difference-making, mission-driven gifts of $300,000 and more.

Successful candidates will have a commitment to Christ-centered higher education, believe in the Christian mission and purpose of the CCCU, and be able to effectively communicate the cause of Christian higher education to a broad audience. In addition, successful candidates will possess comfort and proven experience interacting with high-level contacts including individuals at the President, Board member, and Foundation Director levels and have experience being an effective relationship-builder. Further, successful candidates will have strong written communication skills and demonstrate the ability to write effective grant proposals.

A Bachelor’s degree is required, along with five or more years of relevant, progressive experience in fundraising and a working knowledge of fundraising principles and operations, including working in development or advancement at a nonprofit, with special preference given to those who have worked at a CCCU institution or in higher education. Other skill sets that successful candidates will possess include being an effective communicator who has exceptional verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills and having excellent organizational skills and attention to detail, with proven experience working with donor management software systems and reporting. Fundraising experience in higher education is preferred with experience in the faith-based higher education sector strongly preferred.

For more information about this position and to read the full position description, please visit the following: Director of Development Job Description

Compensation will be based upon the individual’s qualifications and educational background and how well she/he meets the requirements of the position.

NOMINATIONS AND APPLICATIONS

Nominations and applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Inquiries, nominations, and applications may be directed in confidence to: Kent Huyser, c/o Gonser Gerber LLP, 1776 Legacy Circle, Suite 100, Naperville, IL 60563; khuyser@gonsergerber.com.

To apply, please submit a cover letter, résumé, three professional references, and a statement of your Christian faith. References will not be contacted until later in the search process.

For more information about the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities, please visit its web site at https://www.cccu.org.