Major Gifts Officer/Major Gifts Officer Senior, Wharton External Affairs

University Overview
The University of Pennsylvania, the largest private employer in Philadelphia, is a world-renowned leader in education, research, and innovation. This historic, Ivy League school consistently ranks among the top 10 universities in the annual U.S. News & World Report survey. Penn has 12 highly-regarded schools that provide opportunities for undergraduate, graduate and continuing education, all influenced by Penn’s distinctive interdisciplinary approach to scholarship and learning. As an employer Penn has been ranked nationally on many occasions with the most recent award from Forbes who named Penn one of America’s Best Large Employers in 2023.
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The University offers a competitive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare and tuition benefits for employees and their families, generous retirement benefits, a wide variety of professional development opportunities, supportive work and family benefits, a wealth of health and wellness programs and resources, and much more.
Posted Job Title
Major Gifts Officer/Major Gifts Officer Senior, Wharton External Affairs
Job Profile Title
Major Gifts Officer
Job Description Summary
Wharton School Overview
Founded in 1881 as the world’s first collegiate business school, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania is shaping the future of business by incubating ideas, driving insights, and creating leaders who change the world. With campuses in both Philadelphia and San Francisco, Wharton has over 850 staff, a faculty population of more than 235 renowned professors, and 5,000 undergraduate, MBA, executive MBA, and doctoral students. Each year 13,000 professionals from around the world advance their careers through Wharton Executive Education’s individual, company-customized, and online programs. More than 104,000 Wharton alumni form a powerful global network of leaders who transform business every day. Wharton is home to a dynamic community of staff, bringing a wide range of skills, experiences, and perspectives. To learn more, visit www.wharton.upenn.edu.
As part of a team of experienced fundraisers in Wharton External Affairs, the Major Gifts Officer or Senior Major Gifts Officer reports to the Director of Regional Development, with the position level determined by requisite experience. This position manages the identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of assigned prospects and is responsible for designing, planning, and implementing a major gifts plan that proactively extends Wharton's reach domestically to expand its prospect base and build the donor pipeline.
Job Description
The Major Gifts Officer/Senior Major Gifts Officer will perform a wide range of fundraising activities, including but not limited to, the following:
Maintain a top tier of approximately 150 prospects and an active schedule of solicitations with assigned prospects; understanding of prospect and volunteer management preferred.
Establish and meet mutually agreed-upon annual goals for dollars asked and raised, and for visits made with donors and prospects.
Develop strategies for and conduct moves-management activities, including identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship, with assigned prospects with giving ability ratings of $100,000 and above.
Coordinate cultivation events and programs hosted by assigned prospects when appropriate.
Identify new prospective major gift donors and develop long-range plans for their involvement with the School.
Responsible for ensuring that pertinent information and contacts for assigned prospects are properly recorded in the institutional database of record.
Collaborate with other fundraisers in the department and across the University in the overall relationship building of alumni with the School.
Qualifications
A bachelor's degree and 3-5 years of experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience, is required for the Major Gifts Officer role.
A bachelor's degree and 5-7 years of experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience, is required for the Senior Major Gifts Officer role.
Progressive experience in institutional development with emphasis on major gifts from individuals and organizations.
Ability to function with a high degree of independence with an assigned group of prospects, yet interact collaboratively with colleagues in a centralized framework of fundraising, participating in and contributing to the total team effort.
Experience interacting comfortably with faculty, School leadership, and CEO-level contacts.
Strong communication skills, both oral and written.
Travel and evening/weekend work required, including blocks of time for major events such as Reunion Weekends. Also required is the ability to attend, participate in, facilitate, or lead on- and off-campus events/activities outside normal business hours, both on the Philadelphia campus and in regional markets.
Entrepreneurial inclination and capacity for hard work within an intensely goal-oriented environment.
Familiarity with database manipulation and other computer software, preferably Microsoft Office and Salesforce.
Knowledge of university environments and academic missions preferred.
Targeted Pay Ranges
Major Gifts Officer: $100,000–$110,000
Senior Major Gifts Officer: $112,000–$125,000
Job Location - City, State
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Department / School
Wharton School