Senior Director of Development, Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center

Reporting to the Executive Director of Development for VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Senior Director of Development serves as a senior fundraising strategist and frontline leader responsible for advancing major and principal gift philanthropy in support of Massey’s mission. This role provides strategic leadership for grateful patient fundraising initiatives, manages a portfolio of high-capacity donors and prospects, partners closely with institutional leadership, faculty physicians, and researchers, and supervises frontline fundraising staff and volunteer engagement efforts.

This position works closely with leadership and development colleagues across the Medical College of Virginia Foundation, Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, VCU Health, and VCU Development and Alumni Relations (DAR) to advance fundraising priorities aligned with VCU and VCU Health’s tripartite mission of research, education, and clinical care.

• Manage a portfolio of approximately 80-100 major and principal gift prospects and donors.

• Identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward prospects capable of making five-, six-, and seven-figure philanthropic commitments.

• Develop and execute sophisticated cultivation and solicitation strategies that lead to philanthropic investments and long-term donor engagement.

• Prepare compelling written proposals, gift agreements, and donor communications aligned with institutional priorities.

• Maintain accurate prospect strategy and engagement records to support donor pipeline development and long-term relationship management.

• Serve as a strategic partner to clinical and research faculty to advance grateful patient philanthropy and strengthen physician engagement in fundraising efforts.

• Collaborate with physicians, researchers, and institutional leaders to align donor interests with funding priorities across research, education, patient care, and community engagement initiatives.

• Advise faculty and administrators on fundraising strategy, donor engagement, and philanthropic best practices, as necessary.

• Lead, mentor, and develop assigned frontline fundraising staff by fostering accountability, collaboration, strategic pipeline management, and a culture of high performance.

• Establish clear performance expectations and monitor progress toward fundraising and engagement goals.

• Support cross-functional collaboration and knowledge-sharing among development colleagues and institutional partners.

• Partner with volunteer leaders and the Massey Advisory Board Philanthropy Committee to strengthen philanthropic engagement, expand networks, and advance friend-raising initiatives.

• Support board and volunteer leadership activities, including strategic agenda development, donor engagement opportunities, and stewardship initiatives.

• Work collaboratively with leadership across Massey, VCU Health, the Medical College of Virginia Foundation, and VCU Development and Alumni Relations to meet or exceed fundraising goals.

• Partner with DAR’s prospect development team to identify and prioritize high-capacity donor prospects.

• Collaborate with planned giving colleagues to identify and secure blended and deferred gift opportunities.

• Develop and monitor fundraising metrics, pipeline activity, and performance outcomes to support accountability and strategic decision-making.

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.

• Seven or more years of progressively responsible fundraising experience including demonstrated success closing $1M+ gifts.

• Experience fundraising within an academic medical center, hospital or cancer center.

• Experience with grateful patient fundraising and physician engagement strategies.

• Demonstrated ability to navigate complex organizational structures and aligning philanthropic strategy with institutional priorities.

• Strong strategic thinking, relationship management, and interpersonal skills with the ability to engage effectively with donors, physicians, researchers, senior leadership, and volunteers.

• Experience managing frontline fundraisers and demonstrated ability to lead, mentor, and develop staff while fostering a collaborative and high-performing team culture.

• Executive presence, sound judgment, emotional intelligence, and the ability to influence and build credibility across complex organizations.

• Excellent written, verbal, presentation, and organizational skills.

• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities and thrive in a fast-paced, results-oriented environment.

• Experience working with CRM systems, fundraising databases, and technology platforms used for donor engagement and pipeline management.

• Ability and willingness to travel for donor engagement, including occasional overnight travel.

• Demonstrated ability to work in and foster an environment of respect, professionalism and civility with a population of faculty, staff, and students from all backgrounds and experiences, or a commitment to do so as a staff member at VCU

Familiarity with Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) guidelines and related compliance considerations.

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