Vice President for University Advancement David Tiffany was the recipient of the Earle Hannel Outstanding Fundraising Executive award from the Western New York Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals awarded at the National Philanthropy Day celebration on Nov. 12.
Dr. Tiffany was selected by a committee of past awardees and members of the National Philanthropy Day Planning Committee.
The award was named in 2005 in memory of Earle Hannel, whose commitment to the fundraising profession was profound and admired, and regarded as a model to emulate. Nominees must have a minimum of 15 years of experience as a professional fundraiser.
Dr. Tiffany earned his bachelor’s degree in History from Dickinson College. He taught American History at Spring Hill College in Mobile, Ala., for five years, beginning in 1969. During that time he completed a Ph.D. at Binghamton University and became involved in state and local politics.
In 1975 he moved to the University of South Alabama as Associate Director of Governmental Research. He was also responsible for legislative liaison, directed the institutional research office and taught political science and American history classes. Tiffany moved to East Tennessee State University in the summer of 1981 and served a number of administrative and academic responsibilities. He left the position of Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs in the fall of 1985 in order to change careers and move into fund-raising.
In July of 1987, Tiffany became Vice President for University Advancement at Bemidji State University in Minnesota and Executive Director of the BSU Foundation. During his tenure, the foundation's assets grew 11 fold, and he secured a gift of $750,000 from 3M, establishing what was then, the largest endowed chair in the Minnesota State University System.
Tiffany moved to California University of Pennsylvania in 1999, where he increased foundation receipts and expanded student scholarships. He wrote and oversaw a grant of $750,000 from the Richard King Mellon Foundation that continued and expanded an innovative water quality and farmland habitat restoration program.
His reputation for growing fund-raising programs at public universities led him to the College of New Jersey where he served as chief fundraising officer for three years beginning in 2002. Foundation receipts increased from less than a million dollars to $2.6 million in two years, with the number of donors growing from 4,087 to 5,267.
Tiffany joined the administration at Fredonia in 2005 as Vice President for University Advancement and Executive Director of the Fredonia College Foundation and since then has strengthened campus fund-raising, alumni, and marketing and communication programs. He provided guidance for the "Doors to Success" Capital Campaign which exceeded its goal by raising a record $16.7 million during the Great Recession. Fundraising during his tenure has brought in over $20 million for student scholarships and to strengthen academic programs. "Fredonia's story is that of talented faculty guiding good students to meaningful careers. The best part of my job is the thrill of helping donors serve as catalysts in this transformational process," said Tiffany.
