Gift Planning Officer

Alumni Affairs and Development | Cornell University

Cornell University welcomes candidates for the position of Gift Planning Officer in our Alumni Affairs and Development division, based in Ithaca, NY. This role presents an exceptional opportunity to partner with donors, colleagues, and professional advisors to secure planned and complex gifts in support of Cornell’s academic and institutional priorities.

Position Summary

The Gift Planning Officer is a fundraising professional responsible for developing and closing a high volume of planned and complex gifts while stewarding gift planning donors and supporting college- and unit-based fundraising teams across the university. This role manages relationships with alumni, parents, and friends with giving potential ranging from $10,000 to $10M or more and regularly collaborates with major and principal gift officers to advance gifts from estates, life income agreements, real estate, and other complex assets. Success in this role requires strong financial acumen, collaborative partnership, and the ability to communicate technical concepts clearly to a wide range of audiences.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage a portfolio of planned giving prospects and donors, developing strategies to cultivate, solicit, and steward gifts ranging from $10,000 to $10M+.
• Develop and close $5M-$10M annually in planned and complex gifts, both independently and in collaboration with college and unit fundraising partners.
• Partner with major, principal, and leadership giving officers to identify, structure, and close gifts involving estates, life income agreements, real estate, and other complex assets.
• Serve as the gift planning liaison to at least two assigned colleges or units, providing technical expertise, fundraising strategy support, and colleague education.
• Conduct donor visits, lead collaborative strategy discussions, and participate in stewardship activities to advance gift planning opportunities and strengthen donor relationships.
• Support planned giving marketing and stewardship initiatives by partnering with internal colleagues to ensure consistent messaging and donor engagement.
• Maintain accurate donor records and activity reporting while collaborating with internal and external partners to facilitate gift closure and administration.
• Attend donor, stewardship, and university events and travel as needed to support fundraising objectives.

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

• Bachelor’s degree and 3-6 years of relevant experience required, minimum of two years in planned giving or a related field, such as trusts and estates or wealth planning experience required.
• Familiarity with personal financial planning and wealth management strategies.
• Knowledge of estate, gift and income tax principles relevant to charitable giving.
• Ability to communicate technical material in lay terms, both verbally and written. Demonstrated experience in transacting real estate with an emphasis on evaluating individual real estate transactions to determine suitability prior to invoking the mechanics of the process.
• Accuracy and attention to detail.
• Must have strong interpersonal skills. Must be able to work with all levels of the University, as well as with donors, alumni, alumni volunteers, professional advisors.
• Experience working directly with people from diverse racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
• Ability to cultivate and develop inclusive working relationships with colleagues, faculty, staff, and other members of the campus community.

Work Location

• This position is eligible for a hybrid work arrangement. Employees typically perform this role remotely three days per week and on-campus two days per week. 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

Gift Planning Ofcr III

Job Family

Alumni Affairs Development

Level

G

Pay Rate Type

Salary

Pay Range

$95,461.00 - $116,675.00

Remote Option Availability

Hybrid

Company

Endowed

Contact Name

Laura Clark

Contact Email

lhc66@cornell.edu

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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Employment Assistance

For general questions about the position or the application process, please contact the Recruiter listed in the job posting or email mycareer@cornell.edu .