Director for Philanthropy

University of Washington•Seattle, WA

1d•$115,008 - $132,000

About The Position

UW Medicine Advancement has an outstanding opportunity for a Director for Philanthropy to join their team At UW Medicine, we work to improve health for all people through excellence in clinical, research, and education and training programs. As the only comprehensive clinical, research and learning health system in the five-state WWAMI (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, Idaho) region, UW Medicine provides the most up-to-date care for each individual patient, leads one of the world’s largest and most comprehensive medical research programs, and provides innovative learning programs for students, trainees, and practitioners in the health professions. The passionate, 86-person team at UW Medicine Advancement works collaboratively to connect donors with meaningful opportunities to enhance patient care, expand educational opportunities and advance research at UW Medicine. This inspiring, challenging and rewarding work provides team members an opportunity to grow their careers, while making a difference in people’s lives, in our community and around the world. In the 2025 fiscal year, UW Medicine Advancement raised nearly $382 million in gifts and private grants (44 percent of the University of Washington’s total) from over 30,000 donors to support the mission of UW Medicine. You can find out more about UW Medicine Advancement’s priorities and office culture on our career website: https://give.uwmedicine.org/careers/ The Director for Philanthropy (Director) provides strategic support to develop and implement a comprehensive strategy to increase gift support for several priority areas for UW Medicine Advancement, with a focus on securing major gifts across the UW Medicine enterprise, hospitals and clinics and in the WWAMI region. This role supports UW Medical Center, Harborview Medical Center, UW Medicine systemwide clinical priorities (capital projects, emerging technologies, and initiatives that advance access, equity, innovation, and workforce strength, improving patient care, enhancing clinical capacity, and accelerating innovation across the region). The role is highly collaborative, working across teams to amplify impact in clinical care, education, and research. The Director reports to the Senior Director for Healthcare Philanthropy. The Director also works with the Assistant Vice President for Advancement, the Chief Advancement Officer, academic and health system leaders, volunteers, and other Advancement staff to identify, cultivate, and solicit major gift prospective donors for gifts in support of UW Medicine.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in a related field and five or more years of progressively responsible experience in institutional advancement, with an emphasis on cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding major gifts ($100k+).
Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license/certification/registration.
UW Medicine values professionalism. Employees are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner in accordance with UW Medicine Policy on Professional Conduct. An assessment of professionalism will be a factor considered in performance reviews, salary adjustments and promotion.
Alignment with UW’s Executive Order 81 Prohibiting Discrimination, Harassment, and Sexual Misconduct which establishes the University’s standards for preventing and responding to such conduct, including compliance with applicable federal and state laws. The University is committed to fostering an environment in which all members of its community can participate fully in University programs and activities free from discrimination, harassment, sexual misconduct, and retaliation.
Proven ability to develop and articulate a strategic vision for complex advancement programs, including creating, implementing, and managing initiatives and recruiting and supervising volunteers.
Demonstrated success in establishing, cultivating, and stewarding strong, trust-based relationships with donors and stakeholders, aligning donor interests with institutional priorities to build long-term partnerships.
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.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams), with the willingness and ability to learn the UW donor CRM and other proprietary systems.

Nice To Haves

At least six years of major (individual and private foundation) and planned gift fundraising.
Experience with grateful patient fundraising.
Previous Advancement experience in a health care, higher education or research settings.

Responsibilities

Develop a strategic major gifts plan for initiatives and priorities for hospitals, clinics, and healthcare priorities within the context of the overall UW Medicine Advancement plan.
Manage a major gift and private foundation portfolio with annual expectations of 75–125 substantive donor contacts, 7–20 major gift qualifications, and 8–15 major gift solicitations, resulting in $2–$4 million raised annually.
Work with hospital leaders and advancement colleagues to develop fundraising priorities and to implement programs, if necessary, to sustain major gift support.
Maintain an active pool of prospective major gift donors who will be solicited in the next 12-18 month period.
Identify new major gift prospective donors who are interested in the future of healthcare in partnership with UW Medicine’s Healthcare Leadership team, .
Develop and implement a cultivation and solicitation strategy for each assigned major gift prospective donor.
Record donor activity.
Prepare written proposals, informational materials, endowment agreements, and other materials needed to secure major gifts.
Develop appropriate stewardship plans.
As appropriate, identify, recruit, train, and develop leadership roles for volunteers to assist with major gift fundraising activities.
Staff volunteer fundraising partnerships and committees as assigned.
As needed, coordinate major gift fundraising activities with UW Medicine colleagues, and UW colleagues in Gift Planning, Corporate and Foundation Relations, Principal Gifts, Regional Gifts, etc.
Encourage department chairs and faculty to actively and productively participate in the fundraising process.
Work with UW and UW Medicine colleagues to develop special events, marketing materials, and donor relations activities to support major gift fundraising.
Seek appropriate training opportunities, including training necessary for proficiency in the use of gift planning techniques.
Prepare annual operating plan and progress reports as requested.
Complete annual performance self-assessment as key component of Annual Review.
Complete other duties as assigned.