Associate Director, Principal Gifts Communications

ABOUT THE FOUNDATION 

The Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health, in partnership with Stanford Medicine and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, unlocks philanthropy to transform health for children and families in Northern California - and around the world. Through fundraising and grantmaking, the Foundation drives scientific research, innovation, and policy change that will improve care, advance cures, and reform healthcare systems for this and future generations.  

MAIN FOCUS: Reporting to the Director, Strategic Communications, Principal Gifts on the Donor Relations team, you will serve as a strategic thought partner and bring your persuasive writing skills and expertise in communications strategy to engage, build and deepen  relationships with the Foundation’s principally rated donors.

LOCATION: Hybrid Position – the candidate will work an average of eight (8) days per month in our Palo Alto, CA office; the successful candidate will be based in the Bay Area.

WHAT YOU'LL DO... 

As the Associate Director, Principal Gifts Communications, you will partner closely with Principal Gift Officers and faculty to translate their research ideas into compelling philanthropic communications including proposals, case statements, vision documents, impact reports, talking points for faculty and leaders, stewardship letters, and other communications.

The compensation range for this role is $120,000-$130,000 annually.

YOU'LL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR...

• Working closely with gift officers in shaping the communication strategy for principal gift donors.
• Consistently developing and producing inspiring, custom communication pieces to build relationships with principal gift donors. This includes collaborating closely with principal gift officers and regularly interacting with faculty and translating vision, research, and priorities into a compelling story, writing proposals, white papers, stewardship impact reports, and other materials.
• Effectively crafting talking points, briefings, and messaging for faculty, foundation and hospital leaders for donor meetings, programs, events, and other activities. Managing the production of various communication projects at the same time.
• Coordinating reviews by internal and external partners and incorporating feedback.
• Independently tracking and managing project timelines while adhering to deadlines.
• As and when needed, researching a particular area diligently within and across Stanford and beyond for critical data on a particular field.
• Serving as a trusted source of information about maternal and child health care programs, and pediatric research at Stanford.
• Collaborating across internal and external teams of communicators to share resources and ensure consistency of messaging.
• While this position is primarily focused on communications and writing, an ability to work with designers and help guide the development of compelling visuals is strongly preferred.
• Ensuring all communications are consistent with the Lucile Packard Foundation and Stanford Medicine Children’s Health brand and platform.
• Leading projects with freelance writers, consultants, designers, and other outside vendors.
• Recommending new approaches, procedures, and processes to effect continual improvements in efficiencies across the Foundation.
• Performing other related duties as assigned.

YOU MUST HAVE...

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.
• Minimum 7 years’ related experience demonstrating progressively increasing responsibilities.
• Interest in and basic knowledge of science and medicine.
• Experience creating donor-facing writing in similarly complex contexts (e.g., creating donor-facing materials in service of medical research or higher education fundraising, managing a complex donor communications strategy for a national organization, etc.).
• Experience translating scientific/medical (or otherwise highly complicated/technical) concepts into lay language and synthesizing material from multiple sources to produce materials for diverse audiences, including smart lay audiences.
• Experience managing multiple tasks simultaneously, coordinating the roles of various project contributors, setting priorities, and prioritizing deadlines with a minimum of supervision.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite.

 IT'S AN ADDED PLUS IF YOU HAVE EXPERIENCE WITH...

• A bachelor’s degree in journalism, communications, or writing.
• Education or professional experience in writing about medicine, biology, or scientific research.
• Experience working in fundraising or a nonprofit environment.
• Prior experience with Raiser's Edge or other nonprofit database software.
• Prior experience using project management software/tools such as Monday.com.
• Prior experience or willingness to leverage AI-based tools for producing proposals, reports, and other communications.

YOU'LL BE SUCCESSFUL IF...

You are an exceptional writer and strategic communicator.
You can translate complex, technical, and medical concepts into clear, accurate, and compelling narratives that inform, persuade, and inspire action across audiences and channels, bringing creativity, analytical rigor, adaptability of voice, and meticulous attention to detail to every piece.

You are highly organized with strong project management discipline.
You effectively juggle multiple priorities and deadlines, coordinate contributors, and thrive in fast-paced, deadline-driven environments, working both independently and collaboratively to deliver high quality results.

You are a highly collaborative partner.
You build trusted relationships and work seamlessly with gift officers, designers, senior leaders, faculty, physicians, and external partners, welcoming feedback and contributing to shared success through thoughtful collaboration.

You are adaptable and comfortable with ambiguity.
You listen closely to stakeholder needs, adjust quickly to changing priorities, and navigate complex, matrixed environments with flexibility and responsiveness.

You demonstrate sound judgment and discretion.
You operate with diplomacy and professionalism, balance competing needs with care, and handle sensitive and confidential information with the highest level of integrity, including strict adherence to HIPAA requirements.

Working at the Foundation

WE OFFER EXCELLENT BENEFITS & PERKS, INCLUDING…

• Generous leave, including PTO, holidays, Summer Fridays, and a sabbatical (after 7 years of employment) 
• Annual bonus opportunity
• Retirement plan + employer match
• Premium Medical and Dental coverage
• FSA + dependent care FSA
• Employer-paid life insurance
• Legal services plan 
• Commuter Benefits, including CalTrain “Go Pass” Program
• 4-week paid maternity and paternity leave for new parents
• Stipend for home office and mobile phone

WE’RE DYNAMIC…

The Foundation is a dynamic organization in a rapidly changing industry. Therefore, the responsibilities associated with this position will evolve and grow in accordance with LPFCH's business needs and growth plans. More specifically, the incumbent may be required to perform additional and/or different responsibilities based on the future growth plans for the Foundation.

WE STRIVE TO EMBODY OUR CULTURAL TOUCHSTONES

• Mission-first - We can never lose sight of why we exist and exercise profound commitment to advancing child and maternal health. 
• Good of the whole - We share responsibility for overall results, think of what’s best for the team and organization, and act as responsible stewards of resources. 
• Bold and bendy - We’re unapologetically ambitious for our mission, creative, and take risks by trying new things.   
• Sweat the big stuff - We’re clear on our priorities, calibrating effort and resources to audience and impact; the higher the return, the greater the investment. 
• Make it happen - We’re focused on outcomes and prepared with ideas and solutions for every challenge. 
• Community matters - We prioritize listening to and supporting each other, not just as colleagues, but as people with varied experiences and perspectives. 

EVERYONE BELONGS HERE 

Our Foundation values the unique qualities each of us brings to our team and community.  We take pride in cultivating a workplace where every voice is heard and each of us has the opportunity to achieve our fullest potential—so that together, we can make meaningful impact on the health outcomes for children and their families.  

We are guided by the following principles: 

• Uphold integrity and professionalism in all our actions.
• Foster a welcoming and supportive culture.
• Embrace unique perspectives and contributions.
• Interact with compassion, openness, and an eagerness to learn.

 The Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

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