Director, Development

Director, Development

Position Summary:

Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) seeks a talented and experienced fundraising professional to serve as Director of Development. This public-facing role is a key relationship builder who works closely with institutional funders, with an emphasis on foundations and leaders on behalf of MSM. The Director will lead the cultivation and stewardship of foundation-focused philanthropy efforts, coordinate activity, develop strategies, build relationships, write grants and raise funds including capital investments, seed funding for new programs, and multi-year special initiatives across the MSM education, research, and medical enterprise.

The role supports the recent $500 M comprehensive campaign and is essential to advancing health equity and justice.

• Drive foundation-focused fundraising efforts to advance health equity, biomedical research, interdisciplinary education, and community engagement.
• Collaborate with the VP of Philanthropy and AVP Philanthropy to design and execute a comprehensive engagement program for foundation prospects.
• Manage a portfolio of 80‑120 foundation prospects, executing strategies for programmatic, capital and endowment building campaigns.
• Translate complex program ideas into compelling proposals and collateral materials for investment.
• Represent the Advancement Office at cultivation and fundraising events.
• Ensure adherence to MSM Advancement protocols for gift processing, acknowledgment, prospecting, soliciting, and stewarding.
• Create written reports for individuals and foundations, faculty updates, acknowledgment letters, and respond to requests from faculty, donors, and colleagues.
• Partner with faculty and advancement colleagues to build the prospect base through identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of new donors.
• Initiate development events for donors and prospective donors to showcase unique opportunities for support.
• Track progress and results in the CRM system.
• Fundraising Expertise:
  Strong understanding of fundraising principles and techniques, with experience in managing foundation relations and philanthropic portfolios.
• Relationship Management:
  Exceptional interpersonal skills and ability to build and maintain relationships with individual donors, foundation leaders, faculty, and community influencers.
• Communication:
  Superior written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to articulate MSM programs and initiatives for fundraising purposes.
• Project Management:
  Proven ability to manage multiple priorities, projects, and deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Leadership:
  Demonstrated leadership and consensus-building skills.
• Strategic Thinking:
  Entrepreneurial thinker with strong problem-solving skills and the ability to execute strategic moves and manage complexity.
• Integrity and Discretion:
  High level of professionalism, integrity, and discretion in handling confidential information.
• Creative Problem Solving:
  Agile thinking to build out a viable corporate engagement plan for short-term and long-term support.

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university.
• 5–7 years of experience in major campaigns, fundraising, and foundation relations with a progressively growing philanthropic portfolio.
• Experience in program design, evaluation, and community engagement efforts.
• Excellent proposal writing skills with the ability to articulate program designs and evaluation plans for foundation-based funding proposals.
• Strong time management, organizational skills, and detail orientation.
• Proven analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Experience in a dynamic environment with a commitment to meeting deadlines.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and fundraising-related software (e.g., Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge, Salesforce).

• Advanced degree or CFRE certification.
• Experience in higher education fundraising, particularly in academic medicine.
• Extensive network of foundation contacts and a successful track record in foundation philanthropy.
• Experience in a high-growth organization, scaling teams and departments.
• Commitment to MSM’s mission, vision, and core values.