Major Gift Officer, Cornell Bowers College of Computing and Information Science

Cornell University welcomes candidates for the position of Major Gifts Officer in our Alumni Affairs and Development division, based in Ithaca, NY. This role presents an exceptional opportunity to contribute to the university’s advancement efforts.

The Cornell Bowers College of Computing and Information Science Major Gifts Officer builds and manages strategic relationships with alumni, parents, and friends to secure philanthropic support aligned with college and university priorities. This role involves identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding donors to advance Cornell Bowers’ mission through leadership and major gifts.

• Portfolio Management and Fundraising: Manage a portfolio of approximately 100 prospects with gift capacities ranging from $250K to $1M+. Develop and execute an annual solicitation plan for each prospect, ensuring appropriate cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship. Regularly solicit and close gifts, including annual fund gifts and multi-year commitments, aiming to generate $1M+ annually through gifts of diverse sizes.

• Donor Engagement: Conduct a minimum of 120 personal visits or significant contacts annually, with at least 50% in person, to build relationships and advance fundraising strategies.

• Discovery and Prospect Identification: Complete 50+ discovery qualifications annually to identify new major gift prospects and expand the portfolio.

• Collaboration and Coordination: Partner with faculty, staff, and volunteers to align donor interests with college and university priorities. Prepare faculty and senior leadership for donor meetings, including briefing materials.

• Proposal Development and Negotiation: Independently match donor interests with Cornell Bowers’ priorities, developing funding proposals and structuring complex gifts to secure major donations.

• Knowledge and Relationship Building: Develop and maintain substantial knowledge of the college’s priorities in computing, information science, statistics, data science, and artificial intelligence, and proactively serve as a resource for colleagues regarding these priorities.

At Cornell Alumni Affairs and Development, we connect alumni, parents, and friends with opportunities to make a meaningful difference at Cornell and beyond. Our success is built on the strength of relationships, a commitment to excellence, and a culture of collaboration, innovation, inclusion, and continuous learning. As one of higher education’s leading fundraising and engagement organizations, we recently completed a record-setting campaign that engaged more than 221K alumni and raised $6.8 billion.

Joining our team means growing your career alongside supportive, mission-driven, and high-performing colleagues while helping shape Cornell’s future.

Born from a bold experiment that united technical innovation with a deeper understanding of the interplay of technology with humanity, the Cornell Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science continues to define the new frontier of tech. Across the growing areas of computer science, information science, and statistics and data science—including artificial intelligence—the community pioneers emerging fields, develops the algorithms that power the information age, and is committed to creatively and thoughtfully exploring technology’s potential to advance our world.

If you’re excited by the intersection of technology and humanity, you’ll find a meaningful home here.

• Education and Experience: Bachelor’s degree and 5–7 years of relevant experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Relationship-Building: …