Associate Director of Development, West Coast

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Cornell University embraces diversity and seeks candidates who will contribute to a climate that supports students, faculty and staff of all identities and backgrounds. We strongly encourage individuals from underrepresented and/or marginalized identities to apply.

Cornell’s West Coast development team is expanding! Cornell University, a nationally ranked Ivy League institution, seeks to hire an Associate Director of Development to join its West Coast-located Alumni Affairs & Development Team.

The Associate Director works as part of the West Coast Team to advance the strategic academic goals of the university and to generate philanthropy for the benefit of Cornell, reporting to the Director of Development, West Coast. The incumbent will serve two primary functions in the region: major gift fundraising and cultivation-centric engagement.

The Associate Director will integrate engagement- and development-strategies—through high-level, development-focused events—to provide a platform for cultivation, stewardship, and solicitation of alumni, parents and friends. Concurrently, the Associate Director will carry a portfolio of 50-75 prospects in order to establish and advance relationships with alumni, parents, key volunteers, and friends of Cornell, with the aim of generating philanthropic contributions as part of the university’s current “To Do The Greatest Good” campaign.

This is a remote position; the incumbent is required to work from a home-office in the San Francisco Bay Area. The seven-member West Coast team works collaboratively to support the Cornell’s Colleges and programs.

Strong candidates will possess five years (5+ yrs.) of relevant experience as well as knowledge of frontline major- or leadership-gift fundraising practices and/or engagement strategies and event planning. Strong communications skills, a high degree of interpersonal skill, and demonstrated professional judgement will be required.

Key Responsibilities

• The individual serves as a resource, advocate, and spokesperson for Cornell University (with campuses in Ithaca, NY and New York City).
• For the purposes of Major Gift prospect-cultivation, pipeline-development, and prospect-qualification, the Associate Director will support the major gift development function by: creating cultivation events focusing on Cornell’s academic excellence; designing major-gift-roundtable events and workshops with faculty and deans; and by executing events hosted by west coast leaders, volunteers, and major gift donors.
• The Associate Director manages a portfolio of 50-75 prospect households, with the goal of developing and qualifying long-term philanthropic partners.
• The Associate Director works collaboratively with members of College and University leadership, including college deans and associate deans, vice presidents, and faculty, as well as with colleagues across the division of Alumni Affairs & Development in order to develop and implement engagement, solicitation, and stewardship strategies.
• As a member of the regionally-embedded West Coast Team, the incumbent also serves as a member of the University Major Gifts Team within the Alumni Affairs & Development division of Cornell University. This role requires local travel within California and (on occasion) to other west coast locations in the U.S.; travel to Cornell University’s campuses is also required (several times a year).

Core Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree
• 5+ years of relevant experience in development, alumni and volunteer engagement, and communications/marketing, or an equivalent combination.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Proven organizational skills
• Good judgement
• Strong listening and relationship building skills
• Results oriented, proactive
• Commitment to securing philanthropic support to advance Cornell’s higher education mission
• Comfort and facility with building remote relationships using virtual platforms
• Some travel may be required

Rewards and Benefits

Cornell receives national recognition, as an award-winning workplace for our health, wellbeing, sustainability, and diversity initiatives. Benefits include:

• Comprehensive health care options, including access to wellness programs;
• Generous retirement contributions;
• Impressive educational benefits including tuition-free Extramural Study and Employee Degree Program; Tuition Aid for external education; and the Cornell Children's Tuition Assistance program, which provides aid for employee’s children’s college education (after four years of service).
• Leave provisions including three weeks of vacation and 12 holidays
• Learn more about benefit opportunities here: https://hr.cornell.edu/understand-your-benefits

This position is an AAD Major Gift Officer with a salary range of $104,351 - $127,540 (please disregard the salary listed below; this is the salary for Ithaca, NY). This position is based in the San Francisco Bay Area (within the Bay Area’s nine counties); this is a remote-work/home office-position.

No Visa sponsorship is available for this position.

As part of the university's comprehensive vaccination program, all Cornell employees are required to have and provide proof of an FDA-or WHO-authorized or approved COVID-19 primary vaccination or have obtained a university-approved disability/medical or religious exemption, regardless of their role and work location.

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