Drexel University has appointed David L. Unruh, currently a senior vice president with Grenzebach Glier and Associates (GG+A), as senior vice president for Institutional Advancement at Drexel. He will begin his new position at the University on Nov. 1.
Working closely with Drexel’s administration, Unruh and his team will assess the fundraising potential of the University and craft a multi-year fundraising strategy for sustainable long-term growth in unrestricted, restricted and endowment funds as well as future campaign success. New ways to broaden the reach of alumni relations’ activities will also be identified and fully integrated into Drexel’s development efforts.
Unruh comes to Drexel with over two decades of higher education leadership experience and more than 15 years leading donor development and alumni relations initiatives. Prior to joining GG+A in 2013, an international full-service philanthropic management consulting firm serving non-profits, his professional experiences at institutions of higher learning have included serving as director of major gifts for Carnegie Mellon University, director of regional major gifts for The University of Pennsylvania, associate vice president of alumni relations and development at The University of Chicago and most recently senior vice president for institutional advancement at Temple University.
Under his leadership at Temple, Unruh developed and executed a multi-year strategy designed to yield 100 percent increases in annual fundraising and alumni participation while lowering average fundraising costs. He designed and implemented a $100 million scholarship campaign, the largest dedicated initiative in Temple’s history, expanded alumni engagement through redesigning Temple’s alumni weekend and homecoming as destination experiences, and greatly expanded alumni chapters. He also implemented a highly successful marketing campaign, “Temple Made,” which drove significant gains in admissions, athletics and advancement initiatives.
Following his time at Temple, Unruh became a senior member of the leading philanthropic firm GG+A to serve as co-lead of their education practice area and to lead the training practice. Focusing on higher education and health care, he managed a portfolio of active clients including Brandeis University, George Washington University, University of Maryland, Ohio State University, Penn State University, Wichita State University and Nova Southeastern University.
Unruh holds a master’s degree in college student personnel from Bowling Green State University and a bachelor’s degree in history from Colby College.