"Senior Director of Major Gifts and Individual Philanthropy"

Position Overview

The Senior Director of Major Gifts and Individual Philanthropy is a core leader at the GSD, responsible for building the School’s major gifts program with a focus on gifts between $25,000 and $1,000,000. This is a pivotal opportunity that calls for a builder: someone energized by change management who can lead a team, create a robust infrastructure, and ensure sustainable success and accountability. Reporting to the Associate Dean for Development and Alumni Relations, the Senior Director manages a team of 5, including gift officers, development operations, and support staff.

This role focuses on establishing, cultivating, and growing the major gifts tier of the GSD fundraising pyramid, which is an area of untapped potential historically. You will partner across the department and the School to eliminate silos and ensure donor relationships are systematically managed and advanced. Principal gift activity ($1M+) is overseen by the Associate Dean for Development and the GSD Dean.

The GSD’s donor and prospect audience is unusually complex and dynamic. While GSD alumni are a treasured part of our giving community, many of our major donors have affiliations across Harvard or outside the university altogether. This unique landscape calls for an imaginative problem-solver who thrives on developing innovative engagement strategies, creative pipeline cultivation, and persuasive, high-level communications.

With a $75M annual operating budget funded primarily by tuition and endowment revenue, the GSD faces mounting resource pressures. Philanthropy must grow, sustainably and strategically, to fuel our mission and unlock excellence in design research and education. Joining at this pivotal time for the field and higher education, you will help shape the future of design globally and champion initiatives that matter for people, our planet, and thriving societies everywhere.

Typical Duties and Responsibilities

Major Gifts Program Leadership

• Develop, execute, and continuously improve a comprehensive major gifts program targeting gifts between $25,000–$1,000,000. Design and implement clear systems, processes, and prospect management practices that drive sustained, long-term outcomes.
• Personally cultivate and steward a portfolio of 75-90 major gift prospects, focusing on the $25,000–$1,000,000 tier, while ensuring principal gift prospects are transitioned to the Associate Dean/Dean.
• Oversee and manage major gift officers and, as the team evolves, may supervise related leadership, annual giving, or specialized donor-facing roles. Champion professional development, inclusion, and shared goals across the fundraising team. Over the next five to seven years, the school aims to confirm more than $50M in new gifts and pledges.
• Serve as a thought partner in overall school fundraising strategy; provide regular, forward-looking pipeline, proposal, and progress reports. Apply data and progress metrics to actively guide decisions, not merely track past activity.
• Embrace and help lead a period of transition, focused on building structure, accountability, and continuous improvement. Attract, mentor, and inspire staff eager for professional growth and organizational impact.

Infrastructure and Systems Building

• Responsible for managing the fundraising operations program, including the overall strategic approach to prospect activities related to fundraising activities. This includes fundraiser goal setting, solicitation pipeline management, prospect assignment, and annual engagement plans for major gift pipeline.
• Manages the Director of Operations & Administration and the overall development operations function. This includes leading the advancement of proactive, data-driven operations, including rigorous use of CRM tools, metrics, and reporting. Ensure that prospect management, pipeline development, and moves management are integrated and effective.
• Foster a collaborative, accountable, and data-driven culture by partnering directly with annual giving, donor relations, prospect research, operations, communications, and alumni engagement colleagues to develop integrated donor strategies and stewardship approaches.

Campus Engagement and Travel

• Maintain active visibility and engagement with the GSD community; presence on campus is expected at least 3 days per week.
• Represent the GSD to donors and prospects, with travel as required.

Supervisory Responsibilities

Manages a team of 5 including: gift officers, development operations, and support staff.

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications

• BA/BS required.
• Minimum 10 years of non-profit or higher education fundraising experience, including a demonstrable record of successful major gifts ($25,000–$1,000,000) cultivation and solicitation.
• Experience in developing and managing fundraising teams.
• Demonstrated ability using best practices and analytical tools to plan, measure, and evaluate individual giving programs.

Additional Qualifications and Skills

• Pipeline Development: Evidence of building and managing robust major gift pipelines, particularly at the mid-level, including development and implementation of moves management strategies.
• Systems & Process Leadership: Experience designing/implementing prospect management, data, and reporting systems that drive insight and outcomes; outcome-oriented over simple activity measurement.
• Collaboration & Relationship Building: Proven ability to work cross-functionally and lead in a highly collaborative, matrixed environment.
• Team Mentorship: Supervisory and mentoring experience preferred; ability to foster development among staff and colleagues.
• Adaptability & Change Management: Strong process orientation and comfort building new structures/processes; excited by change and professional challenge.
• Communication: Superior written and oral communication skills.