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Posted Job Title
Major Gifts Officer/Senior Major Gifts Officer, Wharton External Affairs
Job Profile Title
Major Gifts Officer Senior
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, the Major Gifts Officer or Senior Major Gifts Officer reports to the Director of Regional Development, with position level determined based on requisite experience. This position manages the identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of assigned prospects with the giving ability of $100,000 and above, or $250,000 and above for the Senior Major Gifts Officer level. The position will focus primarily on assigned Tier 1 domestic region(s) and is responsible for designing, planning, and implementing a major gifts plan that proactively extends the reach of Wharton domestically to expand Wharton’s prospect base and build the donor pipeline.
At the Senior Major Gifts Officer level, the role carries a higher degree of independence in developing and executing fundraising strategies, managing more complex prospect relationships, and advancing high-level cultivation and solicitation efforts that may require greater engagement with School and Development leadership. Across both levels, the role requires strong collaboration, sound judgment, and a commitment to team-based strategy. At the Major Gifts Officer level, the role manages a meaningful portfolio of major gift prospects and works closely with colleagues and leadership to develop effective strategies, particularly for more complex opportunities.
This position requires the willingness and ability to travel frequently domestically, as well as availability to work some weekends and evenings.
Job Description
Job Responsibilities
- Maintain a top-tier portfolio of approximately 150 donors and prospects, with an active schedule of moves-management interactions including identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
- Develop strategies for and conduct identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship visits with donors and prospects with giving capacity ratings of $100,000 or more, or $250,000 or more for the Senior Major Gifts Officer level.
- Meet mutually agreed-upon annual goals for core role responsibilities, including donor and prospect visits, solicitations, and philanthropic commitments secured.
- Ensure pertinent prospect information and contacts are accurately recorded in the institutional database in a timely manner.
- Collaborate with fundraisers across the department and University on overall relationship-building with alumni and other constituents of the School.
- Coordinate cultivation events and programs hosted by the School or assigned prospects, and staff programs in the designated geographic region.
- Other duties and responsibilities as assigned
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts is required.
- 3-5 years (5-7 years for Senior Major Gifts Officer) of progressive experience in institutional development with emphasis on major gifts from individuals and organizations, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Ability to function with a high degree of independence with assigned group of prospects, yet interact collaboratively with colleagues in a centralized framework of fundraising, participating in and contributing to 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, facilitate, or lead on-campus and off-campus events/activities outside of normal business hours, both on the Philadelphia campus and in regional markets.
- Entrepreneurial inclination and capacity for hard work within intensely goal-oriented environment.
- Familiarity with database manipulation and other computer software, preferably Microsoft Office and Salesforce.
- Knowledge of university environment and academic mission preferred.
Targeted Pay Ranges
Major Gifts Officer: $100,000 - $110,000
Senior Major Gifts Officer: $112,000 - $125,000
Applicants must submit a cover letter.
Job Location - City, State
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Department / School
Wharton School
Pay Range
$92,592.00 - $125,000.00 Annual Rate
Salary offers are made based on the candidate’s qualifications, experience, skills, and education as they directly relate to the requirements of the position, and in alignment with salary ranges based on external market data for the job’s level. Internal organization and peer data at Penn are also considered.
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