Senior Principal Gifts Officer: Transformational Philanthropy

University of Pennsylvania; Philadelphia (Philadelphia County); On-site; USD 167,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, Life, and Flexible Spending

Tuition benefits

Retirement plans

Time away from work

Wellness programs

Job summary

University of Pennsylvania seeks a Senior Philanthropy Officer to lead engagement, solicitation, and stewardship for principal gifts of $5 million and above. You will partner with University leadership, volunteers, and school teams to identify opportunities and drive transformational giving.

The role requires 7–10 years of fundraising success, ability to travel, and exceptional communication and relationship-building across diverse stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree plus 7–10 years of demonstrated, successful fundraising experience.
• Experience securing high-impact gifts ($1M+) from individuals or equivalent.
• Extensive experience with high net-worth individuals and volunteers.
• Ability to travel at least 25% of the time, locally, regionally, and nationally; international as required.
• Excellent oral and written communications; superb interpersonal and analytical skills.

Responsibilities

• Manage a high-level donor portfolio including alumni, family foundations, and friends capable of giving $5M+ within five years.
• Identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit, and steward principal gifts prospects; coordinate with campus partners and senior administrators.
• Travel 25–30% of the time to meet with donors and university leadership.
• Articulate Penn’s case for support across schools and centers to inspire gifts and engagement.
• Collaborate with school-based and central staff to grow the principal gifts pipeline and move prospects into $5M+ contributions.

Skills

Fundraising

Donor relations

Major gifts

High net-worth donors

Travel

Communication

Interpersonal skills

Strategic planning

Team collaboration

Education

Master of Science

Master of Arts

Job description

University of Pennsylvania seeks a Senior Philanthropy Officer to lead engagement, solicitation, and stewardship for principal gifts of $5 million and above. You will partner with University leadership, volunteers, and school teams to identify opportunities and drive transformational giving.

The role requires 7–10 years of fundraising success, ability to travel, and exceptional communication and relationship-building across diverse stakeholders.