Associate Director, Major Gifts
About The Opportunity
Job Summary: The Associate Director, Major Gifts (ADMG) will qualify, cultivate, and solicit major gift prospects ($250K–$1M+) in a designated geographic region. Operating within the One Northeastern model, the ADMG maintains a university-wide perspective, raising support for a broad range of institutional priorities spanning individual colleges, multidisciplinary programs, and strategic initiatives.
While possessing a solid understanding of Northeastern University's overall academic enterprise, the ADMG may also build deeper expertise in a college, program, or campus in order to serve as a content resource to other development colleagues and to strengthen collaborative fundraising efforts. In keeping with the One Northeastern Advancement structure, this position serves as both a front-line fundraiser and content strategist for Northeastern University in related subject areas, including engineering, computer science, science, and other disciplines, working in close partnership with the One Northeastern advancement team, faculty, and programmatic leaders.
The role focuses on securing major gifts within at least two regions and developing interdisciplinary strategic opportunities for funding that elevate Northeastern's philanthropic profile and align with its priorities. This position is Boston-based and reports to an Associate Vice President of Advancement.
Key Responsibilities & Accountabilities
Build, manage, and engage a portfolio of approximately 120 or more high-capacity major gift prospects, with an emphasis on raising gifts in the $250,000–$1M+ range, in concert with One Northeastern fundraising colleagues.
Develop prospects using a geographic and subject matter overlay, working in partnership with other One Northeastern colleagues as needed.
Develop and implement tailored cultivation and solicitation strategies for each prospect, leveraging programmatic leadership where appropriate.
Discover new prospects and build pipeline to feed gifts at the major gift level, leveraging a data-driven mindset and sophisticated prospect management systems.
Cultivate, solicit, and build relationships with alumni, parents, and friends of the University.
Strategize with faculty and other colleagues on next steps with prospects.
Travel as needed to designated regions to build relationships with existing volunteers, prospects, and donors, and to solicit gifts in the $250K–$1M+ range.
Partner with One Northeastern colleagues in athletics, gift planning, family philanthropy, leadership giving, annual giving, and alumni relations to develop and support interdisciplinary gift opportunities within the regional structure, as needed.
Work with regional leadership, including the Assistant Vice President for Advancement, to create a strategic development plan to advance the portfolio.
Establish region-based plans for cultivating and soliciting alumni and current parents in targeted regions.
Engage faculty strategically with prospects and maintain ongoing correspondence.
Keep the Assistant Vice President, faculty, and appropriate University administrators apprised of funding opportunities and trends.
Prepare monthly progress prospect reports for the Assistant Vice President.
Data Management and Stewardship
Maintain a high-quality development process for active alumni, parent, and friend prospects and donors, including creating call reports.
Maintain the data integrity of the prospect portfolio using the Development Office's data management system (Ascend).
Work with Advancement's Stewardship team to ensure that past, present, and future donors are appropriately recognized, including their administration and accounting.
Goal Achievement
Achieve annual fundraising goals and activity metrics (visits, video meetings, calls, proposals, etc.) as set by the Associate Vice President.
Required Minimum Qualifications
Minimum of 5–7 years of progressive fundraising experience, with demonstrated success in securing six-figure gifts.
Experience managing complex projects, strategic volunteer engagement, and donor relationships requiring interdisciplinary collaboration.
Comfort working in an entrepreneurial environment with high levels of autonomy and responsibility.
Preferred Background
Background in higher education, cultural institutions, healthcare, or other complex nonprofits.