Chief Advancement Officer

Company: Menlo College
Location: Atherton
Posted on: June 9, 2026

Job Description:

TITLE: Chief Advancement Officer

ORGANIZATION: Menlo College

LOCATION: Atherton, CA

REPORTS TO: President of the College

MENLO COLLEGE'S MISSION
At Menlo College, we ignite potential and educate students to make meaningful contributions in the innovation economy.

Our students thrive in an environment that values: small class sizes, experiential learning, engaged and student-centered faculty, holistic advising, exceptional student success resources, robust athletics programs and student leadership activities, and opportunities to engage in the Silicon Valley environment. Our graduates are able to learn throughout their lives and to think analytically, creatively, and responsibly in order to drive positive change in organizations and communities. Our faculty members mentor students by identifying potential, cultivating students' individual talents, and helping them build a roadmap to support their success. We support our faculty in producing research that informs teaching, theory development, and professional practice.

MENLO COLLEGE'S VALUES

• Value diverse ideas and celebrate our differences
• Treat all people with fairness and equity
• Develop the full potential in each person
• Support a range of teaching and learning styles
• Continually improve the educational process
• Consider one's responsibilities to others
• Act with integrity
  
  ABOUT MENLO COLLEGE
  Menlo College is doing transformative work with an incredibly diverse population of students, about one-third of whom are the first in their families to attend college. One hundred years old in 2027, this small gem of a private college with less than 900 students is changing lives and providing a stream of inspiring, diverse and capable graduates to Silicon Valley companies and organizations. The private school offers four-year undergraduate degrees in business and psychology, and three graduate programs that leverage key areas of excellence within the College.
  
  Menlo College faculty members teach and mentor from their perspectives as scholars, entrepreneurs, managers, and community leaders. Menlo College attracts students from all over the world young adults who are committed to learning, playing intercollegiate sports, starting and leading organizations, and volunteering in the community. The campus is located in Atherton, California, 30 miles south of San Francisco in Silicon Valley, one of the world's most entrepreneurial and innovative locations. Silicon Valley is renowned as an innovation incubator with many opportunities for experience-based learning.
  
  Menlo College is consistently included in lists of America's best colleges, including citations by the Princeton Review. AffordableCollegesOnline.org (AC Online) has brought additional recognition to the quality of the Menlo College experience when the organization named Menlo as one of the 4-year colleges in California with the best lifetime return on investment (ROI). The diversity of Menlo students is reflected as a Hispanic-Serving Institution as well as having one-quarter of the students attending from other countries. Menlo is also one of the safest campuses anywhere; ranks Menlo first in California, and fourth in the nation as the "safest college campus in America." For more about Menlo College, please visit .
  
  ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY
  Menlo College seeks its next Chief Advancement Officer (CAO) to lead the College's $100 million comprehensive campaign in anticipation of the College's centennial in 2027. Currently in the silent phase, over $60 million has been raised. The Chief Advancement Officer oversees alumni relations and development with a team of 6 FTEs. Working closely with the Board of Trustees, President and other College leaders, the CAO will build and deepen relationships with trustees, faculty, staff, current students, alumni, parents, foundations, corporations and others to realize the College's mission and vision. The next CAO will be an entrepreneurial leader who will transform advancement efforts by implementing best practices, spearheading efforts to expand resources for the College and unlocking doors to new possibilities.
  
  This is a hybrid position with the CAO expected to be on campus to build relationships with other College leaders, staff and key stakeholders.
  
  Key Responsibilities

• Leadership
  • Provide leadership, management, and mentoring to Advancement staff; provide guidance on best practices and strategy
  • Partner with the President and other College leadership, Advancement staff, and Menlo College trustees in order to deliver effective strategies for donor engagement
• Fundraising
  • Develop, refine and implement strategies for fundraising that maximize giving
  • Inspire and direct the work of the Advancement team in order to implement fundraising programs using donor cultivation and stewardship opportunities that maximize giving
  • Manage an active portfolio of major donors and prospects by creating and implementing personalized cultivation and stewardship plans and gift requests for each donor within portfolio; assume responsibility for cultivating other donors as appropriate
  • Play a leading role in fundraising and ensure Menlo College's ability to cultivate and solicit major donors, foundations, and corporations to significantly increase contributions
  • Analyze reports on donor interactions to make strategic decisions to maximize giving opportunities; prepare and present information and progress to Menlo College's senior leadership team, the board, and partners

Professional Experience/Qualifications

Experience:

• Seasoned fundraising professional with proven ability to help create and achieve goals of a multi-year, multi-strategy development plan; at least eight years' fundraising experience and five years of experience supervising staff
• Experience in building and expanding a development effort by making use of moves management, wealth screening, major gift solicitation, and other development tools
• Demonstrated experience overseeing complex or multiple projects through to success, including meeting financial goals and coordinating the work of key staff and volunteers
• Demonstrated success in fundraising with a track record of soliciting and closing five-and six-figure gifts, with experience in seven- and eight-figure gifts a plus; experience with foundations, and corporations strongly preferred
• Experience in developing and/or leading capital or comprehensive campaigns
• Experience leading the planning and execution of small- and large-scale fundraising events
• Experience liaising with a board and/or board committees
• Experience working in an organization that uses long-term planning and Key Performance Indicators or dashboards in the management of staff and operations
• Understands databases (preferably RaisersEdge) and has high comfort level analyzing and applying data to hone strategies and achieve goals using wealth screening data
• Experience with donor relations, preferentially alumni

Strongly Preferred:

• Professional experience in higher education

Skills:

• Exceptional leadership skills, with a collaborative spirit and strong management skills; demonstrated ability to inspire and motivate staff, board, donors, and volunteers a must
• Strong strategic and implementation skills; ability to grasp the opportunities and challenges of the organization and the role
• Works well as a team with senior management and seen as a partner with organizational leadership (e.g., a President/CEO/ED)
• Comfort with and possessing strong presentation skills
• Outstanding communicator; excellent speaking, writing, and interpersonal skills

Personal Characteristics:

• Passion for the mission and values of Menlo College
• Strategic thinker
• Personable and enthusiastic; a relationship builder
• Flexible and adaptable
• Works well under pressure
• Strong emotional intelligence, especially in empathy, self-awareness, and active listening
• Thrives in a goal-oriented, dynamic, and entrepreneurial environment
• Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion values
• Ability to work on-site on the Menlo College campus
• Willingness to travel, as needed, to build relationships and implement programs

Education:

• Bachelor's degree required
• Advanced degree preferred
• Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) credential a plus

COMPENSATION
The salary range for this position is $185,000-$235,000 and includes a benefits package.

TO APPLY
Brakeley Search is conducting this search on an exclusive basis on behalf of Menlo College. Interested candidates should apply via email by sending a resume and a letter outlining qualifications as PDF or Word documents to Chelsea Burr at with "Menlo College" in the subject line.

Inquiries may be made, in confidence, to Scott Staub, Managing Director, at .

EOE STATEMENT
Menlo College is an Equal Opportunity Employer with a strong commitment to diversity.

BRAKELEY SEARCH is a search firm focused exclusively on the nonprofit sector. As a division of Brakeley Briscoe, Inc. (BBI), Brakeley Search works with local, national, and international nonprofits to help them hire exceptional senior-level leaders.

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