Principal Gifts Support Team Lead

Cornell University welcomes candidates for the position of Principal Gifts Support Team Lead in our Alumni Affairs and Development division, based in Ithaca, NY. This role presents an exceptional opportunity to contribute to the university's development efforts.

Reporting to the Associate Vice President for Principal Gifts, this role provides day-to-day leadership for a team of Principal Gift Associates and Administrative Assistants who support the university's principal gift fundraising activities.

The Principal Gifts Support Team Lead is responsible for coordinating team workflows, assigning and monitoring work, and ensuring effective administrative and project support for Principal Gift Officers. This position works closely with colleagues across Alumni Affairs and Development to coordinate donor communications, prepare proposals and briefing materials, support donor engagement activities, and facilitate special projects. Through strong team leadership and operational coordination, this role supports engagement with donors whose philanthropy helps advance Cornell's mission and priorities.

• Provide direct supervision and day-to-day leadership for Principal Gift Associates and Administrative Assistants supporting the Principal Gifts team.
• Coordinate and assign team workload, establish priorities, and monitor progress to ensure timely completion of projects and assignments.
• Support Principal Gift Officers by coordinating prospect and donor activities, preparing materials, and managing administrative processes related to cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship efforts.
• Draft, edit, and coordinate donor correspondence, gift proposals, stewardship reports, briefing materials, presentations, and other written communications.
• Coordinate logistics and administrative support for donor visits, meetings, events, and engagement activities involving principal gift prospects and donors.
• Collaborate with colleagues across Alumni Affairs and Development and university partners to gather information, coordinate projects, and facilitate communication.
• Serve as the lead staff member supporting the University's Presidential Councilor Program in coordination with the Office of the President.

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 3-5 years of fundraising or donor-related support experience, including project coordination, communications, executive support, and staff leadership, or an equivalent combination of education and experience
• Superior writing and communication skills, with the ability to translate complex information into clear and compelling content.
• Sound judgment and demonstrated experience handling sensitive and confidential information with professionalism and discretion.
• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively with colleagues and stakeholders across the university and external partners.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities and produce high-quality work in a deadline-driven environment.
• Strong computer and…