Major Gifts Officer, Cornell Law School

Cornell University, a nationally ranked Ivy League institution, is looking for a Major Gift Officer to join the Cornell Law School’s Alumni Affairs and Development team. Led by a dynamic dean with a deep commitment to development, Cornell Law School ranks in the top tier of American legal education and is home to cutting edge scholarship and world-leading faculty.

Reporting to the Director of Development, the Major Gift Officer is an integral part of the Law School community, engaging with faculty and students. The Major Gift Officer is responsible for strategically managing the relationships of 100 - 120 prospect households, with gift capacity of $250K to $1M or more, and for securing resources aligned with the dean’s vision and funding priorities. An ideal candidate would have strong communication and interpersonal skills and would find fulfilment in working with alumni at various stages in their philanthropic engagement with a top fourteen Law School.

Based at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, this position offers the opportunity to work with passionate donors and development professionals.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategically manage the relationships of an estimated pool size of 100 - 120 prospect households, comprised of a mixture of unqualified, new and long-term donors, with the goal of securing major gifts.

• Solicit both major and annual fund gifts from prospects, ensuring robust portfolio coverage and donor engagement.

• The MGO plays a key role in identifying and qualifying new prospects through effective discovery work.

• Responsible for maintaining accurate database information reflecting prospect strategies and activities, and for compiling complete gift and commitment documentation.

• Develop and manage purposeful relationships with prospects by traveling to meet with alumni, parents and friends to qualify, cultivate, solicit and steward gifts.

• Be knowledgeable about assigned prospects. Develop and execute an annual plan of strategic engagement for each prospect including solicitations, cultivation and stewardship initiatives.

• Work independently and creatively to match donor interests with institutional priorities and develop funding proposals and negotiate and structure complex gifts to the university.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and 5 to 7 years relevant experience or equivalent combination.

• Willingness to travel 50+ days per year, or approximately 25% of a given period

• Ability to make a minimum of 120 visits per year, both in person and virtually, and encourages and facilitates prospect meetings with other gift officers and strategic partners, as appropriate.

• Excellent communication skills

• Strong listening and relationship building skills

• Results oriented, proactive

• Good judgement and intuition

• Demonstrated computer competency and ability to learn new operating systems applicable in the Cornell Alumni Affairs and Development Environment.

• Passionate about working in an organization that values and promotes diversity, equity, inclusion, anti-racism, and well-being. 

Rewards and Benefits

• Cornell receives national recognition, as an award-winning workplace for our health, wellbeing, sustainability, and diversity initiatives. Benefits include:

• Comprehensive health care options

• Access to wellness programs

• Employee discounts with local and national retail brands

• Generous retirement contributions

• Leave provisions including three weeks of vacation and 12 holidays

• Impressive educational benefits including tuition-free Extramural Study and Employee Degree Program, Tuition Aid for external education, and Cornell Children's Tuition Assistance program

• Learn more about benefit opportunities

This position is based in Ithaca, NY with hybrid work arrangements.

No Visa Sponsorship is available for this position.