Vice President of Principal Gifts

This search will be led by DSG | Koya, please apply for this role by filling out this Talent Profile for DSG, not through the College Track Website.

College Track seeks a Vice President of Principal Gifts (VPPG), a mission-driven leader responsible for shaping and driving the organization’s individual giving strategy to drive impact and long-term sustainability. Reporting to the Chief Philanthropy Officer, the VPPG provides strategic oversight and direction for the fundraising strategy for major and principal donors, as well as manages their own portfolio of high-net-worth individuals.

As a key member of the Philanthropy Leadership Team, the VPPG partners closely with the Philanthropy Leadership Team, as well as leaders across the Education and Data & Analytics teams, to align individual giving strategies with organizational goals and operational priorities. The VPPG is a visible and influential leader who cultivates partnerships with high-impact funders, Board members, and senior executives, ensuring individual philanthropy fuels College Track’s national growth and impact.

The Vice President of Principal Gifts will be responsible for the following:

• Lead the development and execution of a comprehensive, multi-year individual philanthropy strategy that advances College Track’s financial sustainability and strategic priorities, demonstrating national scale and local impact.
• Provide strategic oversight for over $7M principal giving portfolio, ensuring alignment with College Track’s organizational mission, brand, and programmatic goals.
• Serve as a key external ambassador for the organization, cultivating and stewarding relationships with high-net-worth and principal donors whose partnership fuels transformative investments in educational equity.
• Partner with the CPO, President & CEO, and National Board to deepen engagement with current supporters and expand College Track’s network of individual investors nationwide.
• Collaborate with Executive Site Directors and Local Advisory Boards to strengthen regional fundraising capacity and build aligned, market-level engagement strategies.
• Leverage data, research, and emerging trends to expand the pipeline of high-impact donors and secure multi-year, seven- and eight-figure commitments.
• Provide thought leadership in major gift philanthropy, advancing best practices and representing College Track as a national leader in donor engagement and stewardship.
• Represent College Track at external convenings, philanthropic networks, and industry forums to elevate the organization’s visibility and influence.
• Partner with internal and external stakeholders to advance organization-wide initiatives that strengthen College Track’s position as a leader in equitable education and college access.

• Lead a high-performing Principal Gifts team—including two Directors of Principal Gifts—by setting vision, standards, and goals that align with College Track’s organization-wide strategy.
• Foster a culture of accountability, learning, and collaboration, ensuring the team operates as a unified, data-informed, and mission-driven function.
• Partner with cross-functional leaders across Finance, Education, and Communications to align funding strategies with organizational priorities, impact measurement, and resource planning.
• Collaborate within the Philanthropy Leadership Team, to optimize systems, infrastructure, and reporting processes that strengthen the organization’s fundraising capacity.
• Partner with the CPO and the Philanthropy Leadership Team to ensure cohesion and synergy across all philanthropic channels, maintaining best-in-class donor cultivation and stewardship practices.
• Build leadership capacity within the Principal Gifts team, fostering innovation, professional growth, and strategic execution excellence.

First and foremost, the Vice President of Principal Gifts will be a fierce advocate for College Track’s mission to equip scholars confronting systemic barriers to earn a bachelor’s degree in pursuit of a life of opportunity, choice, purpose, and power.