Senior Regional Director of Development, Major Gifts

Company Description

By working at Harvard University, you join a vibrant community that advances Harvard's world-changing mission in meaningful ways, inspires innovation and collaboration, and builds skills and expertise. We are dedicated to creating a diverse and welcoming environment where everyone can thrive.

Harvard University's Central Administration (CADM) is a 5,000+ employee organization that supports the university's overall excellence by understanding and serving the needs of its schools, students, faculty, staff, alumni, and surrounding communities. Through dynamic and collaborative partnerships, CADM provides high-quality and efficient services to the schools to help them achieve their goals.

Alumni Affairs and Development is a dedicated team supporting Harvard’s advancement activity through front-line fundraising, alumni and volunteer engagement, technology, prospect management and research, business process, events, communications, and many other areas.

Our goal is to create an environment of respect that leverages the many talents, perspectives, and experiences of our employees; to deliver the strongest possible results by incorporating diverse perspectives into our daily work; and to make AA&D a great place to work for everyone. We strive to live our values of respect, inclusion, trust, collaboration, continuous improvement and innovation; and open communication and effective information sharing in our daily interactions and our work.

AA&D is comprised of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) Development, Advancement Communications, Events & Donor Relations (ACEDR), University Development and Advancement Solutions (UDAS), the Harvard Alumni Association (HAA), and Office of Talent, Administration and Policy (OTAP).

This full-time, exempt position is a member of the FAS Major Gifts team and reports to the Director of Development, FAS Major Gifts, Growth Markets. The incumbent will be charged with developing and executing sophisticated cultivation and solicitation strategies leading to the realization of six and seven-figure major gifts from an assigned portfolio of approximately 85-100 alumni and parent prospect households in an assigned Growth Market region.

The Senior Regional Director will partner with colleagues in the Principal Gifts, Major Gifts, Gift Planning, and Harvard College Fund teams, and with volunteers and others throughout AA&D to encourage major gift level support across the FAS. At maturity, this role will generate $8 million+ per year.

• Manage a targeted portfolio of approximately 85-100 households in an assigned Growth Markets region.
• Responsible for meeting or exceeding assigned goals, including, but not limited to, proactive strategies to qualify, cultivate, solicit and steward College, Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, and Paulson School of Engineering and Applies Sciences alumni, parents, and friends, with a keen eye towards blended solicitations involving flexible current use support, gift planning vehicles, and the potential for complicated asset involvement.
• Acquire a deep understanding of assigned prospects’ philanthropic interests, capacity, and inclination through face-to-face and virtual meetings.
• Utilize knowledge of prospects’ interests to develop and execute robust, multi-step prospect strategies which strategically leverage academic leadership, faculty, and other members of the Harvard community leading to successful solicitation and closure of six- and seven-figure gifts.
• Foster relationships between prospective donors and academic leadership, faculty, and other members of the Harvard community to deepen a prospect’s engagement with Harvard.
• Travel…