FUNDRAISER 5

40%

Serves as an expert or lead development professional in a specialized area such as major / principal gifts, gift planning or corporate / foundation relations, or a specific academic discipline that includes, or potentially includes, donors capable of making very significant contributions to the campus and / or medical center.

Portfolio Management

Core Objective: Directly manage and steward a dynamic portfolio of major and principal gift prospects (with capacity of $250k - $1M+), cultivating strategic donor relationships to advance transformative discovery and scientific innovation across basic science departments, research centers, GEPA, and PBBR.

• Discovery & Innovation Solicitations: Lead face-to-face and virtual solicitations for major and principal commitments, matching donor vision with high-impact institutional priorities - including high-risk/high-reward seed research (PBBR), faculty recruitment, state-of-the-art instrumentation, and graduate student/postdoctoral fellowships (GEPA).
• Complex Moves Management: Design and execute multi-stage cultivation and solicitation plans for high-net-worth individuals, tech/biotech entrepreneurs, and science-focused philanthropists, strategically moving donors from initial interest to multi-year investments in foundational science.
• High-Touch Scientific Stewardship: Deliver customized stewardship - including private lab visits, intimate briefings with principal investigators (PIs), research impact updates, and exclusive symposia - demonstrating how donor investments accelerate groundbreaking discoveries and support the next generation of scientific leaders.
• Portfolio Health & Velocity: Continuously evaluate portfolio performance based on contact quality, proposal conversion, and progress toward major gift revenue targets, actively prioritizing high-capacity prospects while maintaining strong pipeline momentum.

25%

Develops, creates, writes, implements, and / or evaluates individualized marketing plans and / or strategies for cultivation and solicitation of major gifts, gift planning or corporate / foundation prospects (strategies typically require a high degree of innovation).

Pipeline Development

Core Objective: Systematically identify, research, and qualify prospective major and principal gift donors by building strong, collaborative partnerships with department chairs, institute directors, GEPA leadership, and faculty researchers.

• Faculty & Institutional Leadership Alignment: Partner closely with basic science department chairs, center and institute directors, PBBR leadership, and academic leaders to build trust, articulate funding priorities, and uncover high-potential philanthropic opportunities.
• Proactive Prospecting & Network Expansion: Identify and cultivate high-capacity prospects across technology, biotechnology, venture capital, and entrepreneurial networks who possess an affinity for disruptive, data-driven, or exploratory biomedical research.
• Venture & Advisory Board Engagement: Collaborate with volunteer leaders, scientific advisory boards, and institute advocates to leverage their personal and professional networks for warm, high-level introductions to prospective major donors.
• Intelligence & CRM Discipline: Partner with the prospect research team to analyze wealth indicators, patent filings, corporate exits, and foundation giving trends, maintaining meticulous CRM strategy tracking for all science and graduate education prospects.

15%

Writes complex proposals for solicitation of high value individuals, corporate, and / or foundation prospects.

Prospect Strategy & Proposal Writing

Core Objective: Develop bespoke cultivation strategies and author sophisticated, highly tailored major gift proposals that translate complex fundamental research into inspiring philanthropic opportunities.

• Bespoke Proposal & Case Writing: Author compelling, impact-driven major gift proposals, white papers, letters of intent, and pledge agreements that clearly articulate the transformative potential of basic research, multidisciplinary initiatives, and trainee support.
• Complex & Structured Giving: Collaborate with planned giving specialists, tax advisors, and family office representatives to structure complex gifts, including seed funding models, endowed chairs, graduate fellowships, and blended gift commitments.
• Institutional Priority Translation: Work directly with faculty, PIs, and academic leadership to translate technical, cutting-edge biomedical concepts (e.g., genetics, cell biology, neuroscience, immunology) into accessible, visionary donor proposals.
• Individualized Strategy Roadmaps: Formulate multi-year engagement strategies for top-tier individual prospects, aligning donor interests with institutional strengths across basic science departments and campus-wide initiatives like PBBR.

15%

Analyzes needs and creates strategic and long-range plans for fundraising and other advancement programs and may have the authority to make commitments and precedent-setting decisions regarding program design, development, and procedures.

Leadership & Stakeholder Alignment

Core Objective: Engage executive leadership, department heads, and faculty partners to elevate high-stakes major gift opportunities and foster a collaborative advancement culture.

• Faculty Coaching & Strategy Prep: Brief and coach department chairs, institute directors, and research faculty prior to donor interactions, providing detailed meeting briefs, messaging frameworks, and explicit roles for joint solicitations.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner seamlessly with advancement and university colleagues to ensure unified donor messaging and compliant gift execution.
• Advancement Collaboration across GEPA & PBBR: Serve as a subject-matter resource and strategic liaison for interdisciplinary initiatives bridging basic science departments, postdoctoral affairs, and campus-wide research programs.
• Exclusive Donor Engagements: Conceptualize and host intimate donor gatherings, salon dinners, and executive briefings featuring leading researchers to build community and advance principal gift relationships.

5%

Other Duties as Assigned

Core Objective: Maintain flexibility to support broader institutional advancement priorities, special projects, and team-wide campaigns.

• Special Campaigns & Institutional Initiatives: Support priority campaigns, institutional milestones, or emergency research funding initiatives as directed by advancement leadership.
• Departmental & Team Support: Participate in team planning, staff mentoring, and cross-departmental working groups to enhance advancement processes, templates, and collaborative workflows.