University of Kentucky
Institutional Philanthropy Officer Sr
🇺🇸
Lexington, KY
🕑
Full-Time
💰
$72K - $119K
💻
Development & Advancement
🗓️
April 30th, 2026
Edtech.com's Summary
University of Kentucky is hiring a Senior Institutional Philanthropy Officer. The role involves leading major gift fundraising efforts by identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding major donors and prospects, while collaborating with university gift officers to increase financial support across all areas. The officer reports to the Assistant Vice President for Philanthropy and focuses on advancing the university's funding priorities through sophisticated philanthropic conversations.
Highlights
- Lead major gift fundraising and manage a well-rounded portfolio of high-capacity donors and prospects.
- Collaborate with university gift officers to boost financial support institution-wide.
- Primary responsibility includes identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of donors.
- Requires strong skills in relationship-building, marketing, philanthropic messaging, and persuasive writing.
- Preferred qualifications include a bachelor's degree and at least 7 years of professional fundraising experience, preferably in higher education.
- Salary range is $72,405 to $119,496 per year.
- Reports to the Assistant Vice President for Philanthropy within the Office of Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement.
- Work schedule generally Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, with some evenings and weekends; travel throughout Kentucky and the U.S. required.
- Commitment to the PAE core values: Collaboration, Communication, Mission Driven, Mutual Respect, Innovation, and Transparency.
- Must be able to effectively communicate with professionals at various levels and understand the university's vision and donor interests.
Institutional Philanthropy Officer Sr Full Description
Institutional Philanthropy Officer Sr
Posting Details
Job Title | Institutional Philanthropy Officer Sr
Requisition Number | RE54226
Working Title | Institutional Priority Officer
Department Name | 14000:Office Of Philanthropy
Work Location | Lexington, KY
Grade Level | 49
Salary Range | $72,405-119,496/year
Type of Position | Staff
Position Time Status | Full-Time
Required Education | BA
Click here for more information about equivalencies: | https://hr.uky.edu/employment/working-uk/equivalencies
Required Related Experience | 7 yrs
Required License/Registration/Certification | None
Physical Requirements | Effectively communicating with individuals of various professional levels. Must have ability to travel throughout the Kentucky and the U.S. for donor visits.
Shift | Monday – Friday 8:00am – 5:00 pm with some evenings and weekends
Job Summary
The University of Kentucky Office of Philanthropy & Alumni Engagement seeks to hire a Senior Institutional Philanthropy Officer. Reporting to the Assistant Vice President for Philanthropy, the Senior Institutional Philanthropy Officer is responsible for philanthropy activities focused on funding priorities for the university. With a primary focus on major gift fundraising at high giving levels, the incumbent will engage in progressively more sophisticated philanthropic giving conversations with major gift donors and prospects of greater capacity.
The Senior Institutional Philanthropy Officer is responsible for the identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of major gift donors and prospects and be responsible for developing and maintaining a well-rounded portfolio. The Senior Institutional Philanthropy Officer will work collaboratively with gift officers across the university to increase financial support for all areas.
The culture within the Office of Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement (PAE) is built on our shared core values CoMMIT– Collaboration, Communication, Mission Driven, Mutual Respect, Innovation and Transparency.
By applying for a position within UK PAE, you are indicating your commitment and expressing your agreement to our six values. It is important you share these values in order to be part of our committed team!
Skills / Knowledge / Abilities
The ideal candidate will be a strong, collaborative leader with a proven record of success in building and sustaining relationships that foster major gift giving. This position requires an individual who understands person-to-person relationships and has the ability to convincingly articulate the vision and priorities of the University and match them to the interests of prospective donors. Familiarity with planned giving, charitable gift arrangements as well as demonstrated experience in marketing, philanthropic messaging and persuasive writing is also desirable.
Does this position have supervisory responsibilities? | No
Preferred Education/Experience | Bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 7 years of professional fund-raising experience, or related experience. Experience at a higher education institution and an understanding of the Land-grant mission is preferred.
Deadline to Apply | 05/27/2026
Our University Community | We value the well-being of each of our employees and are dedicated to creating a healthy place for everyone to work, learn and live. In the interest of maintaining a safe and healthy environment for our students, employees, patients and visitors, the University of Kentucky is a Tobacco & Drug Free campus.
The University follows both the federal and state Constitutions as well as all applicable federal and state laws on nondiscrimination. The University provides equal opportunities for qualified persons in all aspects of institutional operations and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnic origin, religion, creed, age, physical or mental disability, veteran status, uniformed service, political belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, marital status, genetic information or social or economic status.
Any candidate offered a position may be required to pass pre-employment screenings as mandated by University of Kentucky Human Resources. These screenings may include a national background check and/or drug screen.
Requisition Number | RE54226
Working Title | Institutional Priority Officer
Department Name | 14000:Office Of Philanthropy
Work Location | Lexington, KY
Grade Level | 49
Salary Range | $72,405-119,496/year
Type of Position | Staff
Position Time Status | Full-Time
Required Education | BA
Click here for more information about equivalencies: | https://hr.uky.edu/employment/working-uk/equivalencies
Required Related Experience | 7 yrs
Required License/Registration/Certification | None
Physical Requirements | Effectively communicating with individuals of various professional levels. Must have ability to travel throughout the Kentucky and the U.S. for donor visits.
Shift | Monday – Friday 8:00am – 5:00 pm with some evenings and weekends
Job Summary
The University of Kentucky Office of Philanthropy & Alumni Engagement seeks to hire a Senior Institutional Philanthropy Officer. Reporting to the Assistant Vice President for Philanthropy, the Senior Institutional Philanthropy Officer is responsible for philanthropy activities focused on funding priorities for the university. With a primary focus on major gift fundraising at high giving levels, the incumbent will engage in progressively more sophisticated philanthropic giving conversations with major gift donors and prospects of greater capacity.
The Senior Institutional Philanthropy Officer is responsible for the identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of major gift donors and prospects and be responsible for developing and maintaining a well-rounded portfolio. The Senior Institutional Philanthropy Officer will work collaboratively with gift officers across the university to increase financial support for all areas.
The culture within the Office of Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement (PAE) is built on our shared core values CoMMIT– Collaboration, Communication, Mission Driven, Mutual Respect, Innovation and Transparency.
By applying for a position within UK PAE, you are indicating your commitment and expressing your agreement to our six values. It is important you share these values in order to be part of our committed team!
Skills / Knowledge / Abilities
The ideal candidate will be a strong, collaborative leader with a proven record of success in building and sustaining relationships that foster major gift giving. This position requires an individual who understands person-to-person relationships and has the ability to convincingly articulate the vision and priorities of the University and match them to the interests of prospective donors. Familiarity with planned giving, charitable gift arrangements as well as demonstrated experience in marketing, philanthropic messaging and persuasive writing is also desirable.
Does this position have supervisory responsibilities? | No
Preferred Education/Experience | Bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 7 years of professional fund-raising experience, or related experience. Experience at a higher education institution and an understanding of the Land-grant mission is preferred.
Deadline to Apply | 05/27/2026
Our University Community | We value the well-being of each of our employees and are dedicated to creating a healthy place for everyone to work, learn and live. In the interest of maintaining a safe and healthy environment for our students, employees, patients and visitors, the University of Kentucky is a Tobacco & Drug Free campus.
The University follows both the federal and state Constitutions as well as all applicable federal and state laws on nondiscrimination. The University provides equal opportunities for qualified persons in all aspects of institutional operations and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnic origin, religion, creed, age, physical or mental disability, veteran status, uniformed service, political belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, marital status, genetic information or social or economic status.
Any candidate offered a position may be required to pass pre-employment screenings as mandated by University of Kentucky Human Resources. These screenings may include a national background check and/or drug screen.
Posting Specific Questions
Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).
- * How many years of experience do you have working with the cultivation of donors in a college or university setting?
- None
- More than 0, up through 1 year - (20.0 points)
- More than 1 year, up through 3 years - (40.0 points)
- More than 3 years, up through 5 years - (60.0 points)
- More than 5 years, up through 10 years - (80.0 points)
- More than 10 years - (100.0 points)
- * How many donors have you managed at, or moved up, to contribute $25,000 + annually?
- None
- More than 0, up through 15
- More than 15, up through 30
- More than 30, up through 45
- More than 45, up through 60
- More than 60
- * How many years of paid work experience do you have developing and managing a portfolio of major gift prospects (individual donors, not grants)?
- None
- More than 0, up through 1 year
- More than 1 year, up through 3 years
- More than 3 years, up through 5 years
- More than 5 years, up through 10 years
- More than 10 years
- * What are the three attributes/skills you deem most useful in developing strong alumni/donor relationships?
(Open Ended Question) - * The Office of Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement (PAE) recognizes a set of values that guide us in our daily interactions. These values are collaboration, communication, mission driven, mutual respect, innovation and transparency. Please choose one of the PAE values and give a specific example when you exhibited this quality in your professional experience.
(Open Ended Question)
Applicant Documents
Required Documents
- Resume
- Cover Letter
Optional Documents
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