Senior Associate Director, Major Gifts

Title: Senior Associate Director, Major Gifts

Location: San Francisco United States

Job Description:

Department: Alumni Relations & Development

Salary/Grade: EXS/12

We will be hiring two positions for this role.

Target hiring range for this position will be between $120,000-$130,000 per year. Offered salary will be determined by the applicant's education, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data.

Job Summary:

This position reports to the Executive Director of the West Coast Regional Office and is located in San Francisco. The Senior Associate Director of Major Gifts is responsible for managing a significant major gift donor portfolio consisting of alumni, friends, and parents in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Senior Associate Director will manage processes and prospects by building a balanced portfolio through qualifying visits, cultivating prospects, making solicitations that align with prospects' interests and financial capacity, securing commitments, and stewarding current donors. This position collaborates with colleagues across Alumni Relations and Development in Evanston and Chicago as well as with deans, faculty, program directors, and other University leaders to prepare them for prospect meetings and form a plan of solicitation of donors that includes coordinating with other development staff to align prospect passion, financial capacity, giving vehicle and/or identify stewardship opportunities for major donors. Travel is required to Evanston three times a year.

This role includes structured professional development through Plus Delta's Discipline of Frontline Fundraising program, which provides high quality training to strengthen fundamental skills in donor cultivation, solicitation, portfolio management, and strategic relationship building. Additional ARD resources further connect Northwestern policies and processes with the best practices introduced in Plus Delta's curriculum.

This hybrid position requires three days per week in the office and offers two remote workdays.

This position is located in San Francisco.

Please note: Must be willing and able to travel and attend events that are held in the evenings and on weekends.

Specific Responsibilities:

Strategic Planning

• Gathers data, assesses leads, and develops strategies designed to realize the current and lifetime giving potential of individual prospects.
• Maintains consistent and appropriate contact.
• Facilitates or makes solicitations.
• Closes major gifts for the University ($100K+).
• Ensures effective stewardship.

Collaboration

• Involves high level of collaboration with both internal department and broader University partners to identify common goals and develop and execute strategies to increase integration.
• Key partnerships and work involved includes:
• Schools and Programs
• Gift planning
• Northwestern Alumni Association (NAA)
• Northwestern University Leadership Circle (NULC)
• Professional schools (Kellogg, Pritzker Law, and Feinberg)

Prospects and Gifts

• Builds a portfolio through discovery and qualification of approximately 40+ prospects annually in the region they are assigned to.
• Identifies, researches, cultivates and personally solicits major gifts of $100K to $5M.
• Requires travel throughout the region and 3-4 annual trips to Evanston.
• Partners with other areas of development, specifically Annual and Planned Giving to coordinate contacts.
• Researches and develops prospects including up-to-date knowledge on assigned groups and works with other areas of development to coordinate contacts.

Volunteers

• Interact with volunteers on the West Coast; attend meetings and utilize volunteer help as needed.

Events

• Act as a strategic partner for the donor engagement team to support and advance long-term event strategy aligned with regional fundraising goals
• Serve as a liaison between the donor engagement and major gift teams to enhance event processes aligned with prospect identification, donor cultivation, and stewardship.

Administration

• Writes correspondence and proposals to prospective donors.
• Prepares contact reports on meetings and interactions with alumni.
• Updates and maintains prospect management information in the donor database.
• Tracks and manages the prospective donor pool to develop reports and monitor program results.

Miscellaneous

Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree; OR appropriate combination of education and experience.

• 6 years development, marketing, sales or the equivalent experience is required.

Minimum Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities.)

• Team Leadership - Inspires, guides, and develops team members to achieve ambitious fundraising goals while fostering a culture of collaboration and accountability.

• Curiosity and Analytical Thinking - Demonstrates intellectual curiosity and applies data-driven analysis to identify donor trends, uncover opportunities, and inform strategic decisions.

• Global/Organizational Perspective - Maintains a broad understanding of institutional priorities and global context, ensuring gift strategies align with organizational mission and long-term objectives.

• Complex Problem Solving - Navigates multifaceted challenges with creativity and sound judgment, delivering innovative solutions that balance donor interests and organizational needs.

• Ability to Work in a Fast-Paced Environment - Thrives under pressure, adapts quickly to changing circumstances, and consistently delivers high-quality results within tight timelines.

• Major Gift Portfolio Strategy & Execution - Develops and manages a portfolio of prospects through qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship, aligning donor interests with institutional priorities.

• Strategic Judgment & Analytical Thinking - Uses data, donor insights, and engagement patterns to evaluate prospect readiness and inform solicitation strategies.

• Collaboration & Stakeholder Partnership - Works effectively with faculty, development colleagues, and university leaders to advance donor strategies.

• Resilience & Self-Direction - Demonstrates persistence, motivation, and adaptability in navigating long cultivation cycles and evolving donor relationships.

• Communication & Relationship Building - Builds trust and communicates effectively with donors, volunteers, and institutional partners.

• Prospect Discovery & Pipeline Development - Identifies and qualifies new prospects through research, engagement, and relationship development to expand and strengthen the donor pipeline.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in frontline fundraising within higher education, healthcare, or another complex nonprofit environment.

• Experience managing a regional donor portfolio or building relationships across a geographically dispersed prospect pool.

• Experience collaborating with faculty, institutional leadership, or cross-functional teams to advance donor strategies.

• Familiarity with CRM systems used in advancement operations (e.g., Salesforce, Advance, or similar donor databases).

• Experience supporting donor engagement events or volunteer leadership activities that contribute to fundraising strategy.

Preferred Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities)

• Prospect Discovery & Pipeline Expansion - Demonstrates the ability to identify and cultivate new prospects through strategic outreach, research insights, and relationship development.

• Donor Strategy Development - Experience crafting individualized cultivation and solicitation strategies tailored to donor interests and giving potential.

• Complex Stakeholder Coordination - Ability to coordinate donor strategies across faculty, leadership, and development partners to support successful solicitations.

• Fundraising Agility - Adapts engagement strategies based on donor feedback, shifting priorities, and emerging opportunities.

Benefits

At Northwestern, we are proud to provide meaningful and competitive benefits. The available benefits package for this position will include health, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance; paid vacation and holidays; paid medical/sick and parental leave; tuition benefits for the employee and dependents; pre-tax and flex spending accounts for commuting and dependent care; generous retirement savings options; and wellness programs. 

Work-Life and Wellness:

Northwestern offers comprehensive programs and services to help you and your family navigate life's challenges and opportunities, and adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles.

We support flexible work arrangements where possible and programs to help you locate and pay for quality, affordable childcare and senior/adult care. 

Professional Growth & Development:

Northwestern supports employee career development in all circumstances whether your workspace is on campus or at home. If you're interested in developing your professional potential or continuing your formal education, we offer a variety of tools and resources. 

Northwestern University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected characteristics, including disability and veteran status.