Major Gift Officer, University Major Gifts

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 development efforts.

Position Summary

The Major Gifts Officer (MGO) is a front-line fundraising professional responsible for building and managing strategic relationships with alumni, parents, and friends to secure major gifts in support of university priorities. This role is integral to growing the number of qualified donors who can support Cornell. This position has a specific focus on growing the University’s major gifts pipeline, working through 500 new prospects annually to build a portfolio of 100-120 prospects with a giving potential of at least $250,000 (along with a small percentage of prospects with capacity of $100,000-$249,999). The expectation is that this portfolio will grow to generate $1M+ annually after 2 years and $2-3M annually in the long term.

Key Responsibilities

• Pipeline Building: Working in partnership with the prospect research team to identify alumni parents, and friends of the university and then qualify their interest and capacity to support Cornell philanthropically through outreach and visits.
• Portfolio Management and Fundraising: Through the pipeline building work, establish a portfolio of 100-120 prospects with gift capacities ranging from $250K to $10M. As portfolio develops, execute an annual solicitation plan for each prospect, ensuring cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
• Donor Engagement: In the first two years, make at least 200 significant contacts annually to build relationships and advance fundraising strategies. Aim to generate and generate $1M - $3M+ in new gifts and commitments annually after 24 months.
• Collaboration and Coordination: Work closely with Cornell's colleges, units, and leadership to ensure alignment of donor plans with institutional priorities. Prepare faculty and senior leadership for donor meetings, including briefing materials.
• Proposal Development and Negotiation: Independently match donor interests with Cornell’s priorities, developing funding proposals and structuring complex gifts to secure donations.
• Knowledge and Relationship Building: Maintain a deep understanding of Cornell’s priorities and engage in regular collaboration with college and unit colleagues to strengthen donor relationships and support fundraising efforts.

 

About Alumni Affairs and Development

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.

Required Qualifications

• Education and Experience: Bachelor’s degree and 5-7 years of relevant experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Relationship-Building: Ability to cultivate and maintain strong, long-term relationships with high-net-worth donors and prospects.
• Communication and Presentation: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to craft compelling proposals and engage in meaningful donor meetings.
• Strategic and Creative Thinking: Ability to develop and implement fundraising strategies that align donor interests with organizational goals while addressing challenges and finding innovative solutions.
• Collaboration and Teamwork: Strong experience working with senior leadership and colleagues across departments to coordinate and align fundraising efforts.
• Ethical and Data-Driven Decision-Making: Commitment to ethical fundraising practices and the ability to use data to track progress, assess success, and refine strategies.

Work Location

• This position is eligible for a hybrid work arrangement. Employees typically perform this role remotely 3 days per week and in-office 2 days per week in Ithaca. The university reserves the right to modify, suspend, revoke, or terminate the hybrid work arrangement at any time.

Rewards and Benefits

• Cornell receives national recognition as an award-winning workplace for our health, wellbeing, and sustainability.
• Our benefits programs include comprehensive health care options, generous retirement contributions, access to wellness programs, and employee discounts with local and national retail brands. We invite you to follow this link to get more information about our benefits: Understand Your Benefits | Working at Cornell.
• Our leave provisions include health and personal leave, three weeks of vacation and 13 holidays: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and the day after, and an end of the year winter break from December 25-January 1. To offer greater flexibility for observing faiths and traditions we also offer two additional floating holidays. Learn more about our generous leave provisions: Holiday and Accrued Time Off | Working at Cornell
• Cornell's impressive educational benefits include tuition-free Extramural Study and Employee Degree Program, tuition aid for external education, and Cornell Children's Tuition Assistance Program. Learn more about our extensive educational benefits: Education Benefits | Working at Cornell
• Follow this link to learn more about the Total Rewards of Working at Cornell: Total Rewards | Working at Cornell.

Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

University Job Title:

Major Gifts Ofcr III

Job Family:

Alumni Affairs Development

Level:

G

Pay Rate Type:

Salary

Pay Range:

$104,037.00 - $127,157.00

Remote Option Availability:

Hybrid

Company:

Contact Name:

Laura Clark

Contact Email:

[email protected]

Job Titles and Pay Ranges:

Non-Union Positions

Noted pay ranges reflect the potential pay opportunity for each job profile. The hiring rate of pay for the successful candidate will be determined considering the following criteria:

• Prior relevant work or industry experience

• Education level to the extent education is relevant to the position

• Unique applicable skills

• Academic Discipline

To learn more about Cornell’s non-union staff job titles and pay ranges, see Career Navigator.

Union Positions

The hiring rate of pay for the successful candidate will be determined in accordance with the rates in the respective collective bargaining agreement. To learn more about Cornell’s union wages, see Union Pay Rates.

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For general questions about the position or the application process, please contact the Recruiter listed in the job posting or email [email protected].

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2026-11-03