Career Center

Director of Major Gifts, Burnes Center for Social Change & Innovation

About the Opportunity

Northeastern University seeks a self-motivated, entrepreneurial and mission-driven development professional to serve as Director of Major Gifts, Burnes Center for Social Change and Innovation (Director). This inaugural role was conceived to augment the university's philanthropic resources for academic initiatives that address some of society's biggest issues. At the heart of this mission is the Burnes Center for Social Change and Innovation -a new and ambitious initiative that employs education, research, and outreach to create a new class of public problem solvers who can advance real-world social change and accelerate systems level impact.

Under the leadership of Faculty Director Dr. Beth Noveck, the Burnes Center aims to unlock the capacity of individuals and institutions to solve pressing public problems. Areas under the Center's purview may include climate change and planetary well-being, racial injustice and social equity, economic inequality, public health, educational outcomes, workforce development, and strengthening democracy.

Reporting to Dr. Paul Zernicke, Senior Associate Vice President for Development and working closely with Dr. Beth Noveck, the Director will implement a fundraising roadmap for social impact initiatives at Northeastern University. As the lead fundraiser for the Burnes Center, the Director will devote seventy-five percent of their time to the discovery, qualification, and cultivation, and solicitation of donors who will support this interdisciplinary initiative. The remaining time will be dedicated to identifying donors who are already engaged with the university and may be interested in supporting complementary projects outside the Burnes Center, specifically ones that offer an opportunity to impact diversity, equity and inclusion issues. Since these projects may overlap with Burnes-related initiatives, this role would benefit from a development professional who can envision collaborative funding opportunities across the entire institution and who can be solution-oriented when approaching colleagues who serve as primary relationship managers to donors with relevant interests.

In addition to working collaboratively with development colleagues to raise blended gifts in support of the university's diversity, equity, and inclusion goals, the Director will personally develop and manage a portfolio of high-net worth prospects with the capacity to make major and principal gifts to the Burnes Family Center. Internally, this work will require the Director to identify, recommend, and enable synergies across academic disciplines.

Potential philanthropic designations may include funds for training and education in the use of collaborative strategies, AI, and data analytics to solve public problems; scholarships for historically underserved and underestimated populations; college pathway programs; novel community partnerships; action-based research; and experiential learning opportunities for catalyzing social change.

The Director must have proven success in planning, executing, and closing six-figure gifts, including a track record of effectively identifying new donor prospects and investing the time and energy needed to convert them to donors. They will be an engaged and energetic fundraiser who values all aspects of the major gift life cycle, including discovery and qualification work, cultivation, solicitation, and the stewardship of donors. The Director should be imaginative and judicious in developing philanthropic relationships knowing that the most fruitful and innovative projects can evolve from entrepreneurial approaches that forge a shared vision between the donor and the university. As such, the Director must also have the skills and mindset to collaborate with colleagues in other colleges and program areas to bring those gifts to bear.

Above all, the successful candidate will bring an understanding and passion for the role higher education and philanthropy can have in achieving positive social impact.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The Director of Major Gifts will be responsible for the following activities and outcomes:

• Provide the Faculty Director of the Burnes Center and other academic leaders with strategies and tactical support for engaging prospective donors (including volunteer board management); staff critical meetings; and execute follow-up activities/correspondence related to potential philanthropy.
• Partnering with the Advancement Resources team and the Senior Associate VP, build and manage a portfolio of major gift prospects, including alumni, parents, and friends, rated at the $100K to $1M+ level.
• Identify new prospects, make discovery and qualification calls, establish cultivation and solicitation strategies, and solicit gifts.
• Collaborate with school- and college-based Development colleagues, as well as central Development offices such as Planned Giving and Family Philanthropy to successfully meet donor interests and leverage their full philanthropic potential.
• Assist corporate and foundation relations colleagues in identifying and securing new opportunities for institutional support.
• Collaborate with Advancement staff, particularly with the departments of Donor Relations, Communications, and Events to execute events and engagement activities.
• Utilize Salesforce to log activity, create call reports and progress reports, and maintain data integrity of prospect portfolio.
• Travel as needed, and when it is safe to do so, to qualify new prospects and to build relationships with existing prospects and donors.

QUALIFICATIONS

• A highly entrepreneurial, energetic and collaborative individual with 5-7 years of progressive fundraising experience, with a proven ability to discover, qualify, cultivate, solicit and close major gifts at the 5- and 6-figure levels;
• An interest in exploring and supporting multi-disciplinary solutions to leading social problems paired with a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.
• An appreciation for lifelong learning and skills gained through a structured education as well as through hands-on work experience.
• Demonstrated ability in strategic planning for a comprehensive, sustained operation necessary to carry out the vision, goals and fundraising aspirations of the University;
• Tested ability to work closely with high-level decision makers, advisory board members and other top-level volunteers;
• Strong interpersonal skills necessary for building relationships with external (donors, prospects, trustees) and internal (deans, faculty, staff, colleagues) constituents;
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills;
• Highly collaborative in approach;
• Ability to travel as needed, including some nights and weekends.

ABOUT THE BURNES CENTER FOR SOCIAL CHANGE AND INNOVATION

The Burnes Center for Social Change and Innovation was established with a $20 million commitment from the late emerita trustee Nonnie Burnes, L'78, H'07, and her husband, Rick Burnes. Integrating education, research, experiential learning, and professional development, the center reflects Northeastern's focus on advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion, and its multidisciplinary approach to solving global problems. The Burnes family's gift builds on one they made in 1999 to create the Public Interest Law Scholars Program, which supports outstanding lawyers committed to social justice. Nonnie Burnes passed away in August 2021, shortly before the center's launch.

Through education, research, and outreach, the Burnes Center empowers students, faculty, professionals, and activists who have a desire to learn, lead, and advance public problem solving. And, through action, we partner with organizations who can bring our public problem-solving approach to bear on specific real-world challenges to advance social change and impact in communities around the world.

The development of initiatives like the Burnes Center are a reflection of Northeastern's new and highly innovative Academic Plan in which the University will center learning and discovery on 21st century problem solving by creating diverse clusters of interdisciplinary expertise and experience, each focused on a global problem and its contexts and perspectives. These clusters will be called