Director for Philanthropy

About the role

The Director for Philanthropy plays a crucial role in developing and implementing a comprehensive strategy to increase gift support for several priority areas at UW Medicine Advancement. This role focuses on securing major gifts across the UW Medicine enterprise, hospitals, and clinics in the WWAMI region.

Responsibilities

• Develop a strategic major gifts plan for hospitals, clinics, and healthcare priorities within the context of the overall UW Medicine Advancement plan.

• Manage a major gift and private foundation portfolio with annual expectations of 75–125 substantive donor contacts, 7–20 major gift qualifications, and 8–15 major gift solicitations, resulting in $2–$4 million raised annually.

• Maintain an active pool of prospective major gift donors who will be solicited in the next 12-18 months.

• Identify new major gift prospective donors who are interested in the future of healthcare in partnership with UW Medicine’s Healthcare Leadership team.

• Develop and implement a cultivation and solicitation strategy for each assigned major gift prospective donor.

• Record donor activity. Prepare written proposals, informational materials, endowment agreements, and other materials needed to secure major gifts.

• Develop appropriate stewardship plans.

• As appropriate, identify, recruit, train, and develop leadership roles for volunteers to assist with major gift fundraising activities.

• Staff volunteer fundraising partnerships and committees as assigned.

• Cook with UW and UW Medicine colleagues to develop special events, marketing materials, and donor relations activities to support major gift fundraising.

• Seek appropriate training opportunities, including training necessary for proficiency in the use of gift planning techniques.

• Prepare annual operating plan and progress reports as requested.

• Complete annual performance self-assessment as key component of Annual Review.

• Complete other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field and five or more years of progressively responsible experience in institutional advancement, with an emphasis on cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding major gifts ($100k+).
• At least six years of major (individual and private foundation) and planned gift fundraising.
• Previous Advancement experience in a health care, higher education or research settings.

Qualifications

• Proven ability to develop and articulate a strategic vision for complex advancement programs, including creating, implementing, and managing initiatives and recruiting and supervising volunteers.
• Demonstrated success in establishing, cultivating, and stewarding strong, trust-based relationships with donors and stakeholders, aligning donor interests with institutional priorities to build long-term partnerships.
• Strong interpersonal and customer service skills, with the ability to communicate openly, directly, and professionally to foster dialogue and resolve differences effectively.
• Sound judgment and decision-making skills, including the ability to navigate ambiguity and perform effectively in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams), with the willingness and ability to learn the UW donor CRM and other proprietary systems.