Principal Gifts Support Team Lead

   

Cornell University welcomes candidates for the position of Principal Gifts Support Team Lead in our Alumni Affairs and Development division, based in Ithaca, NY. This role presents an exceptional opportunity to contribute to the university's development efforts.

Position Summary

Reporting to the Associate Vice President for Principal Gifts, this role provides day-to-day leadership for a team of Principal Gift Associates and Administrative Assistants who support the university's principal gift fundraising activities.

 

The Principal Gifts Support Team Lead is responsible for coordinating team workflows, assigning and monitoring work, and ensuring effective administrative and project support for Principal Gift Officers. This position works closely with colleagues across Alumni Affairs and Development to coordinate donor communications, prepare proposals and briefing materials, support donor engagement activities, and facilitate special projects. Through strong team leadership and operational coordination, this role supports engagement with donors whose philanthropy helps advance Cornell's mission and priorities.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide direct supervision and day-to-day leadership for Principal Gift Associates and Administrative Assistants supporting the Principal Gifts team.
• Coordinate and assign team workload, establish priorities, and monitor progress to ensure timely completion of projects and assignments.
• Support Principal Gift Officers by coordinating prospect and donor activities, preparing materials, and managing administrative processes related to cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship efforts.
• Draft, edit, and coordinate donor correspondence, gift proposals, stewardship reports, briefing materials, presentations, and other written communications.
• Coordinate logistics and administrative support for donor visits, meetings, events, and engagement activities involving principal gift prospects and donors.
• Collaborate with colleagues across Alumni Affairs and Development and university partners to gather information, coordinate projects, and facilitate communication.
• Serve as the lead staff member supporting the University's Presidential Councilor Program in coordination with the Office of the President.

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 3-5 years of fundraising or donor-related support experience, including project coordination, communications, executive support, and staff leadership, or an equivalent combination of education and experience
• Superior writing and communication skills, with the ability to translate complex information into clear and compelling content.
• Sound judgment and demonstrated experience handling sensitive and confidential information with professionalism and discretion.
• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively with colleagues and stakeholders across the university and external partners.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities and produce high-quality work in a deadline-driven environment.
• Strong computer and data management skills, including proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, databases, and internet-based tools.

 

 Work Location

• This position is eligible for a hybrid work arrangement. Employees typically perform this role remotely there (3) days per week and on campus two (2) 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 Associate III

   

Job Family:

Alumni Affairs Development

   

Level:

G

   

Pay Rate Type:

Salary

   

Pay Range:

$82,735.00 - $101,062.00

   

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

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2026-10-29