Our Mission

We in Boston University Development & Alumni Relations (DAR) harness the power of philanthropy to make an excellent education accessible and welcoming to all, and to advance BU’s global leadership in research, scholarship, artistic creation, and professional practice. To support our work, we have built—and are continuing to build—an outstanding team of dynamic, mission-driven advancement professionals who constantly strive to create an environment where everyone belongs. Where it’s not just about a job, but a career and a community.

Now, our Special Initiatives team is looking for a Senior Major Gift Officer who will discover, contact, cultivate, solicit, and steward major donors.

Special Initiatives at Boston University

Special Initiatives (SI) is focused on securing leading philanthropic gifts in support of select University priorities, including the Center for Antiracist Research (CAR), Computing and Data Sciences (CDS), the Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases Policy & Research (CEID), the Institute for Sustainable Energy (ISE), and the National Emerging Infectious Disease Laboratory (NEIDL). This team works in close coordination/collaboration with Development & Alumni Relations (DAR) colleagues, center directors, the Associate Provost for the Faculty for Computing & Data Sciences, and affiliated faculty.

Special Initiatives Senior Major Gift Officer

The Senior Major Gift Officer (Sr. MGO) in Special Initiatives will be responsible for managing the donor giving journey and will be responsible for advising donors through the gift cycle – from identification to gift closure. Additionally, the Sr. MGO will develop donor pipelines for all initiatives the Special Initiatives team fundraises for and will partner with regional development officers to bolster fundraising efforts and programs in the Midwest region.

Reporting to Associate Vice President, Special Initiatives in Development & Alumni Relations, the S. MGO will be responsible for establishing their own prospect and donor Major Gifts ($100,000+) portfolio with ambitious goals for prospect discovery, solicitations, and gift closures. The Sr. MGO will focus on securing multi-year commitments of $100K+ and leadership annual fund gifts for Special Initiatives. The focus in the first 12 months will be on pipeline development.

To be effective in this role, the Sr. MGO must develop collaborative partnerships with center and institute faculty and staff, peers on the central University Development and Alumni Relations (DAR) team, senior administrators, alumni, and volunteers when necessary. This include, but are not limited to, the Faculty of Computing and Data Sciences, the Center on Forced Displacement, the Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, the National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories, the Center for Antiracist Research, and the Student Experience, and innovate@BU.

Responsibilities:

Fundraising

• Maintain active awareness of individuals in prospect pipeline at various stages of identification, cultivation and solicitation. Focus on direct solicitation of major gifts at the $100,000+ level and leadership annual gifts of $10,000+.
• Develop donor pipelines for all initiatives supported by the Special Initiatives team and become the lead fundraiser for one or two initiatives. Will focus initially on the mid-West region. Partner with regional major gift officers to facilitate fundraising efforts in this region.
• Manage and actively advise donors through the gift cycle with a targeted goal of 10-12 substantive interactions per month and an annual dollar goal as determined by the Associate Vice President. Work includes regular domestic travel to defined regions as determined by the Associate Vice President.

Portfolio Management

• Collaborate with Development & Alumni Relations colleagues to devise specific strategies and timetables for the successful solicitation of individuals with a goal of maximizing their philanthropy to the College and Graduate School and Boston University.
• Coordinate and orchestrate prospect strategies with the appropriate School and University leadership and work in tandem to assure the highest and best use of time, budget, and personnel.
• In consultation with donor relations, customize and implement appropriate stewardship program to assure regular contact with donors through annual reports and various stewardship and cultivation activities and events.

Programmatic Responsibilities

• Develop expertise on assigned Special Initiatives priorities and serve as an advancement liaison to these areas. As appropriate, the Major Gifts Officer will coordinate meetings in priority areas, serve as a resource to other DAR colleagues, and provide regular updates and reports on areas and donor pipelines to the Associate Vice President.
• Partner with the Associate Vice President and Directors of Special Initiatives on projects including, but not limited to, Dean’s Advisory Board activities, regional events, and fundraising in support of parents and families.

Other duties as assigned

• The MGO will work with Alumni Relations to integrate strategic activities into College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences Alumni Relations work.
• The MGO may be called on to partner with central colleagues on regional events across all colleges which feature faculty and administrators from centers and institutes that comprise the university’s Special Initiatives and assist in prospect development strategy and strategies related to academic areas.
• Other duties as assigned.

Required Skills

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree.
• Minimum of eight years of directly related experience, which could include sales and business development in a complex organization.
• Outstanding track record of building and developing customer relationships.
• Strong understanding of development and philanthropy. Experience in dealing with major gift prospects required.
• Effective experience in enlisting and interacting with senior level leadership volunteers and committees, both internally and externally.
• Strong verbal, written, and presentation skills.
• Understanding of the University culture and process for decision making and program development required.
• Comfort level working in a team-oriented environment required, but also must be results-oriented and a self-starter.
• Ability and willingness to travel required.

But that’s not all we’re looking for; we want someone who embodies our values:

• Teamwork, transparency, and mutual respect , because we value every member’s contributions and know that leadership can come from anywhere.
• Diversity, equity, inclusion , and a commitment to ensuring that each of us knows we belong here.
• Integrity in how we work and how we treat one another.
• Strategic thinking and curiosity in the relentless pursuit of fresh approaches and measurable results.
• Continuous growth and improvement , both as individuals and as a team.
• Joy and shared appreciation for working hard toward goals that matter.

If this resonates with you and you want to help us in our ambitious next campaign—and maybe do some of your best work as an advancement professional— we encourage you to apply. **** If you are hesitant to apply because you have not previously performed every responsibility listed in the description, but you do possess transferable skills and the defined qualifications, we still want to hear from you and welcome your application as well.

To learn more about Development & Alumni Relations at Boston University, and other job opportunities, please stop by the DAR Talent website: **** https://www.bu.edu/dar-talent/.

We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, natural or protective hairstyle, religion, sex, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, military service, pregnancy or pregnancy-related condition, or because of marital, parental, or veteran status. We are a VEVRAA Federal Contractor.

If you require a reasonable accommodation in order to complete the employment application process, please contact the Equal Opportunity Office at 617-358-1796.

Required Experience

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree.
• Minimum of eight years of directly related experience, which could include sales and business development in a complex organization.
• Outstanding track record of building and developing customer relationships.
• Strong understanding of development and philanthropy. Experience in dealing with major gift prospects required.
• Effective experience in enlisting and interacting with senior level leadership volunteers and committees, both internally and externally.
• Strong verbal, written, and presentation skills.
• Understanding of the University culture and process for decision making and program development required.
• Comfort level working in a team-oriented environment required, but also must be results-oriented and a self-starter.
• Ability and willingness to travel required.

But that’s not all we’re looking for; we want someone who embodies our values:

• Teamwork, transparency, and mutual respect , because we value every member’s contributions and know that leadership can come from anywhere.
• Diversity, equity, inclusion , and a commitment to ensuring that each of us knows we belong here.
• Integrity in how we work and how we treat one another.
• Strategic thinking and curiosity in the relentless pursuit of fresh approaches and measurable results.
• Continuous growth and improvement , both as individuals and as a team.
• Joy and shared appreciation for working hard toward goals that matter.

If this resonates with you and you want to help us in our ambitious next campaign—and maybe do some of your best work as an advancement professional— we encourage you to apply. **** If you are hesitant to apply because you have not previously performed every responsibility listed in the description, but you do possess transferable skills and the defined qualifications, we still want to hear from you and welcome your application as well.

To learn more about Development & Alumni Relations at Boston University, and other job opportunities, please stop by the DAR Talent website: **** https://www.bu.edu/dar-talent/.

We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, natural or protective hairstyle, religion, sex, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, military service, pregnancy or pregnancy-related condition, or because of marital, parental, or veteran status. We are a VEVRAA Federal Contractor.

If you require a reasonable accommodation in order to complete the employment application process, please contact the Equal Opportunity Office at 617-358-1796.