Leadership Giving Officer

Job Summary: The Graduate School of Design (GSD) is a global leader in design education and research, training the next generation of architects, landscape architects, urban planners, urban designers, and design thinkers whose work will shape the future of cities, communities, and the planet. At a moment when the world faces urgent and interlocking challenges—from climate change and environmental justice to access to housing, public health, and infrastructure—the GSD is uniquely positioned to generate the creative, interdisciplinary, and actionable solutions these crises demand.     The School’s faculty and students push the boundaries of knowledge and practice, advancing ideas that influence policy, industry, and communities worldwide. To sustain and accelerate this impact, the GSD must secure philanthropic investments in its core priorities: ensuring access for exceptional students, supporting world-class faculty, and fueling innovative programs and research.     Development and Alumni Relations is central to advancing these goals. Our dynamic and collaborative team, including five frontline fundraising positions, is pivoting toward a more metrics- and goal-oriented development program designed to significantly increase philanthropic support for the School. The Leadership Giving Officer (LGO) will play a pivotal role in this evolution, helping to build a robust, sustainable pipeline of annual leadership donors who are deeply engaged with advancing the GSD’s mission and work.     Reporting to the Senior Director of Annual and Leadership Giving, the LGO is a key frontline fundraiser for the GSD responsible for managing and growing a portfolio of approximately 300 annual leadership giving donors and prospects, with an actively managed segment of approximately 125–175 individuals. The LGO will develop and execute thoughtful, data-informed multi-channel personalized strategies to acquire, renew, and retain annual and multi-year current-use commitments of $10,000 or more, while building a sustainable pipeline of future leadership donors.     The LGO will be responsible for conducting approximately 125 substantive donor and prospect visits annually. A key responsibility is securing approximately 20-30 commitments of new or renewed gifts of $10,000 or more, with a goal of increasing this each year. This position will also oversee DevAR’s annual giving pipeline for all assigned prospects and will collaborate with other gift officers on annual giving strategies. Additionally, the LGO will assist with meeting overall assigned revenue and retention goals for annual fundraising.      The position oversees stewardship and engagement for the GSD’s Leadership, Loyalty, and Legacy Giving Circles and collaborates with colleagues on Term Fellowship fundraising and donor experiences. The LGO will attend and staff approximately 5-10 GSD receptions in conjunction with annual industry/professional conferences and will leverage these conferences for meaningful visits and meetings.     This position requires a person comfortable in an energetic, action-oriented environment who brings a high level of organization, professionalism, and mastery of the objectives of annual, current-use fundraising. This is a frontline fundraising position that requires regular donor contact, domestic travel, occasional evening and weekend work, and strong collaboration with faculty, School leadership, and Development and Alumni Relations colleagues.     This full-time, exempt position is hybrid, with a general expectation of one-to-two days per week in the Cambridge office. Job-Specific Responsibilities: Portfolio Management, Annual Giving Fundraising Strategy, and Closing Commitments    • Manage a performance-based, data-informed leadership giving program, including mana