Assistant Vice President of Principal Gifts

Assistant Vice President of Principal Gifts

Please see Special Instructions for more details.

Dartmouth College has a Tobacco-Free Policy. Smoking and the use of tobacco-based products (including smokeless tobacco) are prohibited in all facilities, grounds, vehicles or other areas owned, operated or occupied by Dartmouth College with no exceptions. For details, please see our policy.

Position Information

Posting date 09/17/2026

Open Until Filled Yes

Position Number

Position Number

Position Title

Position Title Assistant Vice President of Principal Gifts

Hiring Range Minimum

Hiring Range Minimum Please inquire.

Hiring Range Maximum

Hiring Range Maximum Please inquire.

Union Type

Union Type Not a Union Position

SEIU Level

SEIU Level Not an SEIU Position

FLSA Status

FLSA Status Exempt

Employment Category

Employment Category Regular Full Time

Scheduled Months per Year

Scheduled Months per Year 12

Scheduled Hours per Week

Scheduled Hours per Week 40

Schedule

Location of Position

Remote Work Eligibility? Hybrid

Is this a term position?

Is this a term position? No

If yes, length of term in months.

If yes, length of term in months. N/A

Is this a grant funded position?

Is this a grant funded position? No

Position Purpose

The Assistant Vice President of Principal Gifts ( AVP -PG) in Medical & Healthcare Advancement ( MHA ) is responsible for the development and oversight of a coordinated and comprehensive principal giving (>$5M gifts) program spanning Dartmouth Health (DH) and the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College. While defined as gifts of $5M or more, of equal importance is the inherent complexity of gifts of this magnitude. As a result, the AVP requires a creative thinker, a tenacious fundraiser, a detailed tactician, and an individual who needs to be both an independent self-motivator as well as a consummate team player.

The AVP is responsible for leading MHA efforts to cultivate, solicit and close principal gifts, and will serve as a key resource to other staff managing principal gift prospects and as an advisor on principal gifts to the Chief Development Officer ( CDO ), to whom the position reports. The AVP will serve as a member of the CDO’s Senior Leadership team.

In addition to the oversight of the principal giving program, the AVP is charged with creating an ecosystem for transformational gifts to launch, power and sustain transformational ideas, including partnering with institutional leadership to support strategic initiatives across Geisel and DH. In the highly complex intersection of science, medicine and healthcare, this approach can galvanize donor and alumni communities to solve complex problems in health.

This role will be essential in identifying our best opportunities to employ this approach and then working with institutional leadership to implement and execute. Essential to this aspect of the role is serving as the liaison from the MHA and in partnership with the CDO , Dartmouth College’s principal gifts team.

Description

We are seeking an accomplished fundraising leader to serve as the Assistant Vice President of Principal Gifts. This highly visible role will lead and expand a growing principal giving program, partnering with institutional leaders, faculty, researchers, clinicians, and volunteers to engage some of the most generous philanthropists at Dartmouth Health and the Geisel School of Medicine. The successful candidate will drive strategy for transformational giving opportunities that advance groundbreaking research, exceptional patient care, medical education, and innovation.

Required Qualifications - Education and Yrs Exp

Required Qualifications - Education and Yrs Exp Bachelors or equivalent combination of education and experience

Required Qualifications - Skills, Knowledge and Abilities

• Minimum 15 years of complex fundraising experience.
• Ability to effectively manage, motivate and coach colleagues through influence and persuasion.
• Ability to work with and command the respect of senior officers, faculty and administrators, and high-level volunteers.
• Excellent oral, written, and project management skills. Excellent organizational skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills and adept at collaboration, negotiating and listening. Ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously and to set priorities.
• Expertise in operating database, spreadsheet, and Web-based software applications in a complex computer information system environment.
• Ability to handle sensitive and confidential information with discretion.
• Demonstrated ability to build trusting, effective relationships with individuals across a wide range of backgrounds, perspectives, and communities.
• Demonstrated ability to craft creative, original strategies for cultivating and closing complex, high-value gifts.
• Bring a sense of humor and joy to the workplace.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree or equivalent professional experience.
• Experience in a principal gift capacity closing multiple seven- and eight-figure gifts, along with program management responsibilities, strongly preferred.
• Previous capital campaign experience and experience fundraising in a complex college, university, or medical center development operation with a proven record of successful fundraising strongly preferred.
• Writing and communications experience in higher education or non-profit environment desired.

Department Contact for Recruitment Inquiries

Cheryl Cerny

Department Contact Phone Number

Department Contact for Cover Letter and Title

Matthew P. Haag, Chief Development Officer, Dartmouth Health\Vice President, Development and Alumni Engagement, Geisel School of Medicine

Equal Opportunity Employer

Dartmouth College is an equal opportunity employer under federal law. We prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, veteran status, marital status, or any other legally protected status. Applications are welcome from all.

Employment in this position is contingent upon consent to and successful completion of a pre-employment background check, which may include a criminal background check, reference checks, verification of work history, conduct review, and verification of any required academic credentials, licenses, and/or certifications, with results acceptable to Dartmouth College. A criminal conviction will not automatically disqualify an applicant from employment. Background check information will be used in a confidential, non-discriminatory manner consistent with state and federal law.

Is driving a vehicle ...

Yes

Special Instructions to Applicants

Dartmouth College has a Tobacco-Free Policy. Smoking and the use of tobacco-based products (including smokeless tobacco) are prohibited in all facilities, grounds, vehicles or other areas owned, operated or occupied by Dartmouth College with no exceptions. For details, please see our policy.

Program Planning, Management and Leadership

• In concert with the CDO and executive leadership, ultimately develops, builds and sustains a sophisticated principal gifts program to support key priorities at Dartmouth Health, the Geisel School of Medicine and healthcare at Dartmouth more broadly.
• Serves as the manager to the Associate Director of Principal Gifts. In that capacity, leads a principal gifts team in service to the overall objectives of that team. Further, supports the typical managerial needs of a staff member.
• In partnership with senior leadership, plays a lead role in developing long-term principal gift opportunities and gift strategies for principal gift donors and prospects.
• The AVP reviews and updates existing policies, practices and systems to best support an environment for principal gift opportunities and gifts across Geisel and DH.
• Coordinates with Dartmouth College’s principal gifts team ensuring effective and efficient management and where appropriate, joint prospect coordination.
• Helps to set strategic direction for principal gifts fundraising in MHA , including benchmarks and program evaluation. Further, as a member of the senior leadership team, helps to inform the comprehensive goals set by MHA .
• Identifies and prioritizes development communications and engagement needs for the program. Coordinates those needs with the respective senior leaders to ensure smooth prioritization and implementation of goals and objectives.
• Works with the stewardship and pipeline teams to ensure consistency and continuity in the building and stewarding of relationships with the highest-level donors and prospects.

Percentage Of Time

25

Description

Fundraising and Portfolio Management

• Manages a portfolio of principal gift level prospects; achieves annual funds raised targets and face-to-face visit metrics.
• Works to identify, engage, cultivate and solicit high net-worth unaffiliated donors who are regional or national philanthropists in healthcare.
• Exercises significant judgment, discretion and confidentiality in working with patients, prospective donors, alumni, volunteers and faculty and staff.
• Develops a keen understanding for the priorities and funding needs for the programs, departments, centers and units of Geisel and Dartmouth Health, specifically those that present a philanthropic opportunity of $5M or more.
• Partners closely with the Vice President of Development, Vice President of Advancement Administration and CDO on building out the systems and structures required to advance principal gifts strategies across both organizations.
• Analyzes and reports on progress and outcomes.

Percentage Of Time

50

Description

Engagement

• In partnership with the Executive Director of Development, Geisel, will work closely with Magnuson Center for Entrepreneurship at Dartmouth to focus on opportunities that leverage Geisel, Dartmouth College and Dartmouth Health’s contributions to the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
• The AVP is most successful in this role by balancing “being in the know” on priorities vs. being “in the weeds.” As a result, it is essential to rely on and utilize the skills and talents of colleagues within the MHA and across Dartmouth.
• Fosters a collegial, efficient, effective, productive and highly successful principal gifts fundraising environment, both by direct action and collaboration with the broader team.
• Builds trust-based, respectful, collegial, and effective relationships with the most senior levels for Dartmouth Health and Geisel including, faculty, administrators, volunteers, and colleagues as part of a team in a large, complex, academic medical institution and university.
• Recognizing that not all principal gift prospects will be directly managed by the AVP , the person in this role serves as a mentor, resource, role model and coach to MHA leadership ( CDO , VP-Development) and staff on matters of prospect strategy and solicitation; regularly shares new approaches and techniques.
• Support initiatives regarding diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging by thoughtfully and authentically engaging new constituents and communities, and by respecting the diversity of thought and personal experiences of current and new colleagues.

Percentage Of Time

25

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-- Demonstrates professionalism and collegiality through actions, interactions, and communications with others appropriate to an environment that is welcoming to all.

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-- Performs other duties as assigned.

Supplemental Questions

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• * How did you learn about this employment opportunity?
  • Current Dartmouth employee (Please specify full name below)
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  • Other (Please specify below)
• If you would like to add more information to your answer, please specify here:

  (Open Ended Question)

Documents Needed to Apply

Required Documents

• Resume
• Cover Letter

Optional Documents

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