Associate Director of Major Gifts

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.

The Harvard University Graduate School of Design (GSD) educates leaders in design, research, and scholarship to make a resilient, just, and beautiful world. The GSD offers an unparalleled setting for interaction through the combination of disciplines—architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning and design, design engineering, real estate and housing—with an emerging research program and a robust public program of lectures and exhibition.

The Associate Director of Major Gifts is a key frontline fundraiser for the GSD, reporting to the Senior Director of Major Gifts and Individual Philanthropy. The role manages and grows a portfolio of approximately 150–250 prospective donors—including individuals, corporations, and foundations—with a primary focus on six‑figure gifts and select seven‑figure commitments. The Associate Director will advance the School’s highest priorities—students, faculty, and programs—by developing and executing thoughtful, data‑informed strategies for identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.

• Manage a dynamic portfolio of approximately 150–250 major gift prospects across individuals, corporations, and foundations, with an emphasis on six‑figure gifts and select seven‑figure opportunities.
• Develop and implement individualized strategies for each prospect, guiding them through the full donor cycle: identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
• Lead the strategy and execution of complex solicitations, including multi‑year commitments and endowed funds, collaborating with faculty and institutional leadership as appropriate.
• Maintain an active schedule of in‑person and virtual visits, with extensive (primarily domestic) travel to engage prospects and donors.

• Proactively identify and qualify new major gift prospects, building and strengthening a robust pipeline for major and principal gifts.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues in Development and Alumni Relations, and across the University as appropriate, to share intelligence and coordinate engagement strategies.
• Use data, research, and performance metrics to prioritize activity, inform decision‑making, and drive toward ambitious revenue and activity goals.

• Serve as a compelling and informed ambassador for the GSD, articulating the School’s mission, vision, and priorities—and the urgency of design’s role in addressing global challenges—in a clear and inspiring way.
• Partner effectively with faculty, School leadership and staff, and University partners, preparing them for donor interactions and supporting their roles in the cultivation and solicitation process.
• Contribute positively to a collaborative team culture that values openness, learning, and shared success across all Development and Alumni Relations functions. Participate actively in the GSD campus community.

• Ensure high‑quality stewardship for major donors, informing tailored impact reporting, recognition, and ongoing engagement aligned with donor interests.
• Collaborate with colleagues to develop creative engagement opportunities—events, campus visits, program presentations, and other experiences—that deepen donors’ connection to the GSD’s work.
• Maintain accurate and timely documentation of all donor and prospect activity in the Development CRM, supporting transparency, continuity, and institutional memory.

• Meet or exceed annual goals for visits, solicitations, dollars raised, and other key performance indicators.
• Regularly review portfolio performance, pipeline health, and progress against goals with…