Gift Planning Officer

Cornell University welcomes candidates for the position of Gift Planning Officer in our Alumni Affairs and Development division, based in Ithaca, NY. This role presents an exceptional opportunity to partner with donors, colleagues, and professional advisors to secure planned and complex gifts in support of Cornell's academic and institutional priorities.

The Gift Planning Officer is a fundraising professional responsible for developing and closing a high volume of planned and complex gifts while stewarding gift planning donors and supporting college- and unit-based fundraising teams across the university. This role manages relationships with alumni, parents, and friends with giving potential ranging from $10,000 to $10M or more and regularly collaborates with major and principal gift officers to advance gifts from estates, life income agreements, real estate, and other complex assets.

Success in this role requires strong financial acumen, collaborative partnership, and the ability to communicate technical concepts clearly to a wide range of audiences.

• Manage a portfolio of planned giving prospects and donors, developing strategies to cultivate, solicit, and steward gifts ranging from $10,000 to $10M+.
• Develop and close $5M-$10M annually in planned and complex gifts, both independently and in collaboration with college and unit fundraising partners.
• Partner with major, principal, and leadership giving officers to identify, structure, and close gifts involving estates, life income agreements, real estate, and other complex assets.
• Serve as the gift planning liaison to at least two assigned colleges or units, providing technical expertise, fundraising strategy support, and colleague education.
• Conduct donor visits, lead collaborative strategy discussions, and participate in stewardship activities to advance gift planning opportunities and strengthen donor relationships.
• Support planned giving marketing and stewardship initiatives by partnering with internal colleagues to ensure consistent messaging and donor engagement.
• Maintain accurate donor records and activity reporting while collaborating with internal and external partners to facilitate gift closure and administration.
• Attend donor, stewardship, and university events and travel as needed to support fundraising objectives.

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 $6.7 billion.

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

• Bachelor's degree and 3-6 years of relevant experience required, minimum of two years in planned giving or a related field, such as trusts and estates or wealth planning experience required.
• Familiarity with personal financial planning and wealth management strategies.
• Knowledge of estate, gift and income tax principles relevant to charitable giving.
• Ability to communicate technical material in lay terms, both verbally and written. Demonstrated experience in transacting real estate with an emphasis on evaluating individual real estate transactions to determine suitability prior to invoking the mechanics of the process.
• Accuracy and attention to detail.
• Must have strong interpersonal skills. Must be able to work with all levels of the University, as well as with donors, alumni, alumni volunteers, professional advisors.
• Experience working directly with people from diverse racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
• Ability to cultivate and develop inclusive working relationships with colleagues, faculty, staff, and other members of the campus community.

• This position is eligible for a hybrid work arrangement. Employees typically perform this role remotely three days per week and on-campus two days per week. The university reserves the right to modify, suspend, revoke or terminate the hybrid work arrangement at any time.

• Cornell receives…