Associate Director for Philanthropy - UW Medicine Advancement

University of Washington•Seattle, WA

4d•Hybrid

About The Position

UW Medicine Advancement is a passionate, 95-person team that works collaboratively to connect donors with meaningful opportunities that enhance patient care, expand educational opportunities, and advance research across UW Medicine. In fiscal year 2025, UW Medicine Advancement raised nearly $382 million in gifts and private grants from more than 30,000 donors in support of this mission. UW Medicine has an exciting opening for an Associate Director for Philanthropy. This is a full-time permanent position. The Associate Director for Philanthropy qualifies, cultivates, solicits and stewards major gift prospects from current donors and grateful patients in UW Medicine Advancement’s fundraising pipeline. This role is ideal for a collaborative, curious and mission-driven fundraiser who enjoys building relationships, translating complex medical and scientific priorities into compelling philanthropic opportunities, and helping donors make a meaningful impact on patient care, education and discovery. At UW Medicine Advancement, you will join a mission-driven team connecting donors and alumni with opportunities that enhance patient care, expand educational opportunities, and advance research. This role is ideal for an organized relationship-builder who enjoys turning data-informed insights, thoughtful outreach, and cross-functional collaboration into stronger donor communities and lasting impact.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in any field and four or more years of increasingly responsible experience in institutional advancement, with a preference for experience cultivating, soliciting and stewarding leadership gifts.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Teams, with the willingness and ability to learn the UW donor CRM and other proprietary systems.
Alignment with the University of Washington’s standards for preventing and responding to discrimination, harassment, sexual misconduct and retaliation, including compliance with applicable federal and state laws.

Nice To Haves

Experience with face-to-face cultivation and solicitation activities.
Ability to write clearly and concisely, including the ability to distill complex scientific, medical and/or data-driven information for donor audiences.
Strong interpersonal and customer service skills, with the ability to communicate openly, directly and professionally to foster dialogue and resolve differences effectively.
Sound judgment and decision-making skills, including the ability to navigate ambiguity and perform effectively in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
Demonstrated ability to maintain confidence and protect confidential information.
Fundraising experience in a health care, medical research and/or higher education setting.
Experience with grateful patient fundraising.

Responsibilities

Manage a portfolio of major gift and private foundation prospects, with annual goals that include 75–125 substantive donor contacts, 25 major gift qualifications, 4–10 major gift solicitations and $500,000–$1 million raised annually.
Identify and qualify prospective major gift donors through grateful patient data, research tools, faculty referrals and donor history; initiate outreach through email, phone and personal meetings to build authentic, donor-centered relationships.
Develop and execute cultivation, solicitation and stewardship strategies that connect donor interests with UW Medicine priorities in research, patient care and education, including preparing proposals and materials that inspire philanthropic investment.
Partner with faculty, clinicians and advancement colleagues to identify giving opportunities, build donor pipelines and determine when to advance, collaborate on or transition prospect relationships.
Document donor engagement and strategy in the University’s prospect management system, ensuring timely, accurate and coordinated relationship management.
Contribute to annual operating plans, including quantitative and qualitative fundraising goals, and help strengthen team-wide systems that support major gift success.
Build and maintain broad fluency in UW Medicine’s clinical, research and educational priorities in order to translate complex information into clear, compelling donor communications.
Prepare written proposals, gift illustrations, briefings and informational materials that support effective donor cultivation and solicitation.
Ensure all fundraising activity involving patients is conducted with the highest standards of confidentiality, professionalism, ethics and HIPAA compliance.
Pursue professional development, complete annual performance self-assessment activities and perform other duties as assigned.