Executive Director, Gift Planning

Teachers College, Columbia University; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 155,000 - 175,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical Insurance

Dental Insurance

Tuition remission

Retirement matching

Job summary

Teachers College, Columbia University seeks an Executive Director of Gift Planning to advance the College’s long-term philanthropic goals and foster a culture of legacy giving. You will lead a comprehensive gift planning program, manage a portfolio of major prospects, and collaborate with teams to optimize gift strategies and donor engagement.

The role requires extensive experience in planned giving, a bachelor’s degree, and a track record of six- to seven-figure gifts.

Qualifications

• Frontline fundraising and donor engagement experience.
• Ability to develop cultivation strategies for six- to seven-figure gifts.
• Strong understanding of estate gifts, tax considerations, and trust vehicles.
• Proven success securing planned gifts and blended gifts.
• Ability to translate complex financial concepts for donors and partners.

Responsibilities

• Lead a comprehensive gift planning program and frontline fundraising portfolio.
• Develop and execute a strategic planned giving plan aligned with College priorities.
• Oversee compliance, reporting, and gift documentation across programs.
• Collaborate with internal teams to embed planned giving messaging across donor lifecycle.
• Manage staff and coordinate with external vendors for campaigns and events.

Skills

Frontline fundraising

Donor engagement

Gift planning

Strategic leadership

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Job description

Posting Summary

TC's Office of Institutional Advancement seeks an experienced frontline fundraiser to serve as Executive Director of Gift Planning. The Executive Director of Gift Planning will be entrusted with advancing the College’s long-term philanthropic goals and strengthening its culture of legacy giving by providing strategic leadership for the institution’s gift planning program.

Job Summary/Basic Functions

The Executive Director is responsible for the development, growth, and management of a comprehensive gift planning program. This role engages alumni, parents, friends, and other constituents in a donor-citic way to making the largest gift possible through estate and blended gift commitments (including bequest intentions, beneficiary designations, life income plans such as charitable gift annuities and charitable remainder trusts); in support of the institution’s mission, students, faculty, and academic priorities. The Executive Director reports to the Assistant Vice President of Leadership Giving and supervises an Assistant Director, Planned Giving. Key responsibilities include:

• Frontline Fundraising
  • Engage prospects and donors in meaningful conversations about ways to support TC in the future by managing a portfolio of approximately 50-75 prospects with six- and seven-figure giving capacity. Qualify donors; develop cultivation strategies and plans to optimize donor’s tax position and maximize their interest in supporting TC; and ensure appropriate gift agreements are in place to document bequest intentions.
  • Assist donors with bequest intentions, beneficiary designations, life income plans such as charitable gift annuities and charitable remainder trusts, and complex asset gifts.
  • Partner with the Donor Relations and Stewardship team to ensure that all donors within the officer’s portfolio are stewarded appropriately as individuals and through the Grace Dodge Society membership.
  • Travel as needed to meet with prospective and current donors.
• Strategy & Program Leadership
  • Develop and execute a comprehensive planned giving strategy aligned with Teachers College priorities in coordination with the AVP of Leadership Giving and the VP for Institutional Advancement.
  • Serve as the College’s senior expert on planned giving and estate gifts, including bequest intentions, beneficiary designations, life income plans such as charitable gift annuities and charitable remainder trusts, and complex asset gifts.
  • Collaborate closely with colleagues to support a culture of planned giving across Institutional Advancement, including providing frontline guidance on structuring gifts that include planned gift vehicles and partnering with alumni relations, annual giving, stewardship, and communications teams to embed planned giving messaging throughout the donor lifecycle.
  • Management of the Grace Dodge Society, including increasing visibility through effective marketing, communications, and partnership with Donor Relations on an annual Grace Dodge Society signature event.
  • Oversee Planned Giving marketing and communications efforts, including interfacing with outside vendors.
  • Manage an Assistant Director, Planned Giving.
• Administrative
  • Partner with the Assistant Vice President of Operations on all administrative and compliance matters related to administration of realized planned gifts, ensuring compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and institutional gift acceptance policies.
  • Oversee, working with the Assistant Director of Planned Giving, the College’s efforts to report to New York State authorities on our life income gifts, including coordinating as needed with State Street Global Advisors to ensure timely and accurate transactions and annual reporting relating to gift annuities and charitable trusts.
  • Ensure timely and accurate record keeping of all outreach, donor activity, and proposals in Raiser’s Edge, TC's database of record for all donor information.
  • Collaborate as needed with colleagues on the development of gift planning proposals and gift agreements.
  • Identify and attend professional development opportunities to stay current in the field of gift planning.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or the equivalent of education and experience required
• Minimum of 8-10 years of experience in planned giving, major gifts, or related advancement roles
• Deep knowledge of estate planning, tax considerations, and charitable gift vehicles
• Ability to translate complex financial and legal concepts into accessible language for donors and campus partners
• Demonstrated success securing planned gifts and blended gifts
• Strategic and analytical thinking with a long-term, institutional perspective
• High level of discretion, integrity, and professionalism
• Ability to navigate complex academic environments and multiple stakeholders
• Experience working with fundraising databases
• Experience managing staff and leading collaborative, cross-functional initiatives
• Ability to travel regularly for donor visits and alumni events, including occasional evening and weekend commitments
• Strong organizational and planning skills

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree and/or professional credentials such as JD, CPA, CFP
• Experience with Raiser’s Edge and Salesforce
• Experience in higher education

Salary Range

$155,000 - $175,000 annually

Work Modality

Hybrid

Competitive Compensation And Benefits

The salary range reflects the College’s good faith and reasonable estimate of the compensation for the position at the time of the job posting. Salary decisions are dependent on several factors including but not limited to market and organizational considerations, experience, and qualifications of a selected candidate as well as internal and external equity.

Our benefits contribute significantly to the total compensation package that includes medical, dental, vision, and supplemental insurance plans; flexible and hybrid work schedules; tuition remission; life insurance; short and long-term disability insurance; an exceptional employer retirement matching program; health savings accounts (HSA), flexible spending accounts (FSA), Public Service Loan Forgiveness eligibility, and a robust Employee Assistance Program (EAP).

Hybrid/Remote

Teachers College maintains a hybrid work environment, which provides employees with flexible work arrangements while ensuring we preserve the important aspects of our unique in-person college-campus culture. Depending on role and business needs, colleagues will either work onsite or in a hybrid model (a combination of in-office and virtual days). Employees are expected to live within a 150-mile radius of the College.