About the position
Reporting to the Vice President of Transformational Gifts & Strategic Initiatives, the Senior Director will be responsible for initiating, advancing, and closing gifts to reach Transformational Gifts & Strategic Initiatives team metrics and revenue goals and assisting the entire Division with reaching ambitious financial goals. The Senior Director will be expected to secure philanthropic support for Dana-Farber's lifesaving research and care in partnership with the highest-level donors and potential donors across disease centers and programs, with a focus on institutional strategic initiatives. They will partner closely with a new Faculty Engagement team and Institute leaders in articulating these strategic objectives to gift audiences and work towards reaching ambitious revenue targets established on Institute priorities. The Senior Director will carry a personal portfolio of donors who have the capacity to make 7-, 8-, and 9-figure gifts, with responsibility for the full lifecycle of moves management including discovery, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of principal gift prospects.
Responsibilities
- Work strategically to meet personal metrics and to support the team's annual fundraising goals as determined by the Vice President of Transformational Gifts & Strategic Initiatives.
- Manage a dynamic portfolio of approximately 35-40 individual prospects with a goal of securing 8- and 9- figure gifts.
- Partner with Donor Experience & Engagement and Faculty Engagement teams to determine funding opportunities and create gift proposals aligned with Institute priorities.
- Collaborate with colleagues in other units, including Principal Gifts, Major & Planned Gifts, Annual Giving, Corporate Partnerships, Foundation Relations, Donor Experience & Engagement, Jimmy Fund, and Fiscal & Regulatory Management teams to maximize donor engagement and philanthropic commitment.
- Conduct 5-10 substantive donor interactions including in person visits, video conferencing and/or phone calls monthly; submit 10 proposals or concept papers annually with specific ask level.
- Track prospect and donor activity in CRM database; provide activity and revenue reports as requested.
- Assist in planning bespoke donor stewardship events and uniquely tailored engagement opportunities.
- Contribute to the development of the team's anticipated annual fundraising goal, provide data to support mid-year revision, and deliver year-end reporting as requested.
- Develop and recommend policies and recommendations to enhance fundraising to Vice President of Transformational Gifts & Strategic Initiatives.
- Travel as necessary for donor visits (national and international) to advance donor/prospect engagement and represent Dana-Farber.
- Complete other special projects as assigned by Vice President of Transformational Gifts & Strategic Initiatives.
Requirements
- High school diploma or equivalency required; Bachelor's degree preferred.
- 8+ years' relevant work experience and a track record of successful principal gifts (seven- and eight-figure) solicitation and closure, preferably at a major academic or medical institution, in higher education, or other closely related field.
- Demonstrated ability to handle multiple, complex fundraising activities simultaneously and coordinate strategies in a cross-team environment.
- Superior interpersonal, management, and written and verbal communication skills.
- The ability to extract and analyze data to make effective, efficient decisions about donor strategy and process.
- Mastery of virtual meeting platforms (e.g. Zoom) and Microsoft Office, including Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams.
- A working knowledge of modern data management practices and techniques, including database information systems, data modeling, and analysis.
Nice-to-haves
- Demonstrated motivational and pragmatic consensus-building skills.
- An interest in understanding the national biomedical research and clinical healthcare market and trends therein.
- Success staffing institutional leadership in donor cultivation and solicitation.
- An eagerness to be engaged in extensive discovery with a mindset that there are no dead ends, only other roads to pursue.
- A natural inclination towards integrating efforts to achieve goals.
- Able to recognize and seize opportunities to advance an organization to a level it hasn't reached before.
Benefits
- Competitive benefits package including generous healthcare and retirement plans.
- At minimum 3-weeks' vacation time in addition to 10 paid holidays.
- Flexible work environment and work/life balance.
- Personal, professional, and leadership development opportunities.
- 75+ specialized professional development sessions designed for staff each year through its in-house learning program.
