Executive Director of Development, Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center

The University of Iowa seeks a strategic, relationship-driven philanthropy leader to advance philanthropic support for Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center. This executive-level role will partner with cancer center leadership, faculty, clinicians, grateful patients and families, community stakeholders, and advancement colleagues to build a comprehensive fundraising program across research, patient care, prevention, outreach, and survivorship.

This is a rare opportunity to shape the future of cancer philanthropy for Iowa’s leading academic health enterprises. The next leader will help connect discovery to treatment, expand access to prevention and care, and strengthen survivorship for Iowans and families across the state. By partnering with clinicians, researchers, donors, and communities, this leader will translate bold ideas into measurable impact.

Primary purpose

The Executive Director of Development for Cancer will serve as the senior development strategist for cancer philanthropy and help shape a donor-centered program aligned with Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center’s priority areas: breast cancer, lung cancer, melanoma, prostate cancer, oropharyngeal cancer, and survivorship.

The successful candidate will translate scientific promises and community need into compelling philanthropic opportunities and will lead efforts spanning major and principal gifts, campaign strategy, grateful patient and family engagement, volunteer partnership. Partnering closely with cancer center leadership, faculty, clinicians to build a comprehensive cancer philanthropy program. Collaborates with other UI Center for Advancement (UICA) fundraisers and cross-functionally with institutional giving, stewardship, and communications colleagues. Serves as a trusted philanthropic advisor, translating complex scientific, clinical, and community health priorities into meaningful philanthropic opportunities that achieve measurable impact for cancer research, patient care, prevention, outreach, and survivorship.

The Executive Director provides direct leadership for a 5-person fundraising team, and collaboration with interdisciplinary teams (prospect research, stewardship, annual fund, regional and health sciences gift officers) to support cancer and internal medicine advancement efforts and contribute to a shared UI Health Care campaign goal of $1.1 billion.

Identification & Qualification

• Works with Prospect Management staff to develop strategy for managing prospects
• Conducts all activities, particularly those involving patient data, according to established laws, policies, procedures, and standards and with the full support of UICA, UI, and UI Hospitals and Clinics as relevant
• Optimizes qualification pool of potential major gift prospects with the goal of growing a continuous pipeline of donors capable of making gifts of $50,000+
• Models the role of a trusted philanthropic advisor, using transparent communication and educating donors about the giving process

Cultivation & Negotiation

• Build and manage a portfolio of major and principal gift prospects.
• Develop compelling cases for support that connect research, patient care, prevention, community outreach, and survivorship.
• Meets expectations for solicitations, gifts closed, and average gift size (goals established annually with the supervisor in alignment with organization-wide metrics)
• Maintains expert knowledge needed to ensure donors are fully informed about the full range of planned giving options

Stewardship

• Partners with stewardship, donor relations, and communications colleagues to ensure appropriate acknowledgement, impact reporting, and recognition
• Maintains integrity of constituent database through timely submittal of stewardship plans and contact reports for all significant interactions

Constituent & Program Leadership

• Lead strategy for philanthropic support of cancer-related priorities partnering with cancer center leadership and UICA leadership to develop strategic fundraising priorities and multi-year plans for cancer philanthropy

• Partner closely with physicians, researchers, and administrators to identify philanthropic opportunities and advance donor engagement.

• Collaborates with Corporate and Foundation Relations colleagues to pursue institutional funding for high-impact cancer initiatives
• Engages volunteer leaders, advisory partners, and community stakeholders in support of cancer philanthropy
• Contributes to campaign planning and enterprise-wide fundraising strategies for cancer priorities
• Strengthen grateful patient and family philanthropy in a coordinated, ethical, and donor-centered manner.

People Leadership

• Provides leadership, coaching, and accountability for assigned staff or matrixed team members
• Establishes clear expectations and supports staff development aligned with individual, team, and organizational goals
• Supports employees in developing meaningful goals aligned with those of the UICA unit and UICA and in achieving/surpassing those goals
• Supports employees struggling to meet expectations for productivity, quality, and goal attainment
• Creates a work environment that is consistent with UICA mission/vision and that emphasizes our organizational culture and values

Education & Experience : Bachelor’s degree required and 7+ years of related experience required, preferably in fundraising for academic medicine, healthcare, a research-intensive university environment, nonprofit, or higher education setting; advanced degree preferred

Equal Opportunity Employer


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