Major Gifts Officer (Hybrid) — Lead $1M+ Donor Campaigns

Cornell University; Ithaca (MI); Hybrid; USD 104,000 - 127,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work arrangement

Health and retirement benefits

Leave and vacation benefits

Job summary

Cornell University in Ithaca, NY invites applications for a Major Gifts Officer in the Alumni Affairs and Development division. You will build and manage strategic relationships with alumni, parents, and friends to secure philanthropic support aligned with college and university priorities.

You will identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward donors to advance Cornell Bowers’ mission through leadership and major gifts, managing a $1M+ annual fundraising portfolio and guiding proposals through to

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and 5–7 years of relevant experience or equivalent.
• Proven ability to cultivate and maintain high-net-worth donor relationships.
• Results-driven with proactive fundraising goals.
• Strong written and verbal communication for proposals and donor meetings.
• Strategic, analytical thinking to align donor interests with goals.
• Collaboration with faculty leadership and colleagues across departments.
• Travel up to 40% including evenings/weekends as needed.

Responsibilities

• Manage a portfolio of ~100 prospects with gifts from $250K to $1M+, and plan annual solicitations.
• Conduct 120 personal visits or significant contacts annually, with ≥50% in person.
• Complete 50+ discovery qualifications to identify new major gift prospects.
• Partner with faculty and volunteers to align donor interests with priorities.
• Develop funding proposals and structure complex gifts to secure major donations.
• Maintain knowledge of computing, information science, statistics, data science and AI priorities to assist colleagues.

Skills

Portfolio Mgmt

Donor Engagement

Discovery & Prospecting

Collaboration

Proposal Development

Knowledge of Priorities

Education

Bachelor’s degree + 5–7 years experience

Job description

Cornell University in Ithaca, NY invites applications for a Major Gifts Officer in the Alumni Affairs and Development division. You will build and manage strategic relationships with alumni, parents, and friends to secure philanthropic support aligned with college and university priorities.

You will identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward donors to advance Cornell Bowers’ mission through leadership and major gifts, managing a $1M+ annual fundraising portfolio and guiding proposals through to