Executive Director, Office of Philanthropic Partnerships

Aspen Leadership Group is proud to partner with Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the search for an Executive Director, Office of Philanthropic Partnerships.

Reporting to the Senior Executive Director, Resource Development, the Executive Director, Office of Philanthropic Partnerships (OPP) will be responsible for the overall leadership and direction of MIT’s cause-based major and principal gift fundraising efforts, with a special focus on non-alumni friends and corporations, both domestic and international. While raising funds at all levels, the OPP focuses most of its energy on principal and transformational gifts. While the OPP occasionally works with alumni, its primary donor focus is on non-alumni and corporations capable of making lifetime gifts of $5 million or more. Philanthropy from previously unaffiliated donors has become a significant revenue stream for MIT, as individual and corporate donors develop relationships with MIT based on shared objectives for impact on society in areas including artificial intelligence, climate change, and life sciences.

The Executive Director will be responsible for setting and implementing strategies for donor development, market development, volunteer management, and resource allocation in collaboration with the offices of Strategic Information Management; Communications, Events, Donor Engagement, and Stewardship; Development Planning and Initiatives; and Finance and Operations. The Executive Director will work closely with the Executive Director of the Office of Individual Giving and the Executive Director of the Office of Foundation Relations to maintain a pipeline of solicitation activity towards an annual giving goal determined by Institute leadership. In addition, the Executive Director will be responsible for identifying and informing leadership of new trends in cause-based giving that may affect success in this realm. The Executive Director will also establish close cooperative working relationships with other offices within Resource Development and across the Institute to assure the best results for MIT. The Executive Director will establish and track progress towards appropriate goals and manage and motivate staff to assure that MIT realizes significant funding from this constituency.

Founded in 1861 to accelerate the nation’s industrial revolution, MIT has risen over its history to become one of the most distinguished and productive higher education institutions in the world. With ingenuity and drive, its graduates have invented fundamental technologies, launched new industries, and created millions of American jobs. At the same time, MIT is profoundly global. The Institute’s community gains tremendous strength as a magnet for talent from around the world. Through teaching, research, and innovation, MIT’s exceptional community pursues its mission of service to the nation and the world. Originally located in Boston, MIT moved to Cambridge in 1916. Offering students opportunities to study and research in state-of-the-art classrooms, as well as acres of green spaces, gardens, and playing fields, the campus is home to nearly 12,000 students. A low student-to-faculty ratio promotes intensive learning that allows students to excel. MIT offers 56 undergraduate majors and has 50 departments and programs offering graduate degrees across its five schools. As an institution with a global reputation, MIT has been home to many internationally prestigious award winners such as Nobel laureates and MacArthur Fellows.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s objective is to promote a workplace of inclusion that welcomes and supports people of varying backgrounds, different viewpoints, experience, talents, and ideas. By respecting and valuing differences in race, gender, ethnicity, age, physical and language abilities, culture, religion, and sexual orientation, opportunities become numerous. Approaches to problem-solving and decision-making are multidimensional, leading to success and empowering staff to thrive and do their best work. MIT is committed not only to meeting the requirements of laws, but also to creating an atmosphere of civility, collegiality, mutual respect, and inclusion that stimulates and supports all employees in their work at MIT.

The OPP was created in 2009 and has grown substantially, as the opportunities for philanthropic partnership with previously unaffiliated donors from around the world are nearly limitless. The office nurtures the Institute’s relationships with its most generous non-alumni individual and corporate donors, and cultivates and engages potential donors from around the globe who have the capacity to contribute $5 million or more. It complements and works in close partnership with the Office of Individual Giving, whose focus is on alumni giving. The OPP has the primary responsibility of managing relationships with individuals living outside of the United States capable of making gifts of $5 million or more to MIT. Secondary responsibilities include collaborating with faculty leaders to develop and implement the Institute’s global strategy and the myriad funding relationships that result from that strategy. In partnership with the schools, the OPP also supports school-based strategies and engages school leaders to support Institute-wide goals.

A bachelor’s degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience and at least ten years of direct fundraising experience including soliciting and closing principal gifts, as well as at least four years of experience supervising a staff of ten or more, setting goals, and managing performance and budgets is preferred for this position as is experience within a major research institution, medical center, or university. Massachusetts Institute of Technology will consider candidates with a broad range of backgrounds. If you are excited about this role and feel that you can contribute to MIT, but your experience does not exactly align with every qualification listed above, we encourage you to apply. All applications must be accompanied by a cover letter and résumé. Cover letters should be responsive to the mission of Massachusetts Institute of Technology as well as the responsibilities and qualifications presented in the prospectus.

The salary range for this position is $250,000 to $300,000 annually.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology is committed to the inclusion of all qualified candidates. If you require reasonable accommodation in completing this application, interviewing, or participating in the selection process, please contact Tonya Malik-Carson at tonyamc@aspenleadershipgroup.com.

To apply for this position, visit: https://opportunities.aspenleadershipgroup.com/opportunities/1425.