Associate Vice President, Major Gifts

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: Lead and grow LPFCH’s major gifts vertical and inspire $100,000–$5M philanthropic investments by building meaningful relationships with visionary donors and partnering with leading voices across pediatric health, research, and philanthropy to advance lasting impact for children and families.

LOCATION: Palo Alto, CA (hybrid); the successful candidate for this role will live in the Bay Area.

WHAT YOU'LL DO... 

LPFCH seeks an experienced and collaborative Associate Vice President, Major Gifts to lead the Major Gifts vertical and fundraising efforts for donors capable of making gifts between $100,000 and $5 million, while building and strengthening the future pipeline for major gift philanthropy. Reporting to the Vice President, Major Gifts, this role combines frontline fundraising leadership with team management responsibilities and will play a critical role in advancing the Foundation’s major gifts program.

The Associate Vice President will manage a portfolio of high-capacity donors and prospects, oversee complex donor engagement strategies, and provide leadership for a team that includes gift officers, a program manager and administrative support team members. The successful candidate will bring strong fundraising acumen, strategic leadership skills, and a collaborative approach to building meaningful donor partnerships that advance institutional priorities.

The compensation range for this role is $250,000-$270,000 annually.

YOU'LL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR...

Major Gifts Revenue Leadership

• Build, manage, and strategically advance a personal portfolio of donors and prospects with the capacity to make gifts between $100,000 and $5 million.
• Develop and execute sophisticated cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies that result in lifelong donor relationships.
• Grow the overall revenue efforts of the Major Gifts program year over year to meet or beat industry standards.
• Lead and coordinate donor strategies that maximize philanthropy to institutional priorities.
• Engage President and CEO, Foundation Board members, hospital leadership, and volunteers in cultivation and stewardship activities as appropriate for select donors.
• Initiate and lead events for grateful patient populations as well as other donors to generate pipeline for major gifts.
• Serve as a leader for the major gifts vertical and contribute meaningfully toward annual and long-term fundraising goals.

Team Leadership and Management

• Mentor and coach a team that includes gift officers, a program manager and administrative support team members.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, strategic thinking, and donor-centered fundraising.
• Provide guidance to team members related to donor strategy, portfolio management, proposal development, and stakeholder engagement.
• Help establish and refine operating standards, business planning processes, and systems that support effective fundraising execution and donor management.
• Lead recruitment, onboarding, professional development, and retention of team members.

Content Expertise & Program Building

• Maintain a current body of knowledge about the Foundation’s development priorities and key initiatives in order to support donor interest.
• Collaborate with Gift Strategy and Operations team as needed to secure approval for gift opportunities and budgets related to funding priorities.

Pipeline Building

• Develop and lead a strategy to identify and cultivate emerging major gift prospects, by leveraging grateful patient data, volunteer networks, and broader communities.
• Develop long-term engagement strategies designed to move donors toward increasingly significant and strategic philanthropy.
• Evaluate and strengthen portfolio composition and prospect strategy across the vertical to maximize long-term revenue growth.

Operational Excellence

• Lead strategic planning efforts related to major gifts revenue forecasting and growth.
• Maintain strong portfolio management practices, including contact reports, proposals, and stewardship planning.
• Monitor progress toward fundraising and activity goals and implement adjustments to maximize effectiveness.
• Ensure fundraising activities reflect the Foundation’s values, standards of excellence, and commitment to donor partnership.

YOU MUST HAVE...

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Minimum of 12+ years of progressively responsible fundraising experience, including significant experience securing 6 and 7-figure gifts from high-net-worth individuals and families.
• Prior management and revenue program management experience.
• Exceptional relationship management, strategic thinking, and communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a highly collaborative academic medical and philanthropic environment.
• Experience partnering with senior leaders, physicians, researchers, and volunteers in donor engagement and fundraising activities.
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple sophisticated fundraising strategies simultaneously.
• Ability to collaborate effectively across teams.
• Passion for advancing child and maternal health through philanthropy.

YOU'LL BE SUCCESSFUL IF YOU EXHIBIT THE FOLLOWING COMPETENCIES...

Major Gifts Fundraising Expertise

• Secures Philanthropy — Demonstrates expertise in cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding high-net-worth individuals and families, with a proven ability to close 6 and 7-figure gifts preferably in academic medicine.

Strategic Leadership

• Drives Revenue & Long-Term Growth — Balances immediate revenue goals with long-term pipeline development and program growth.

Stakeholder Partnership

• Influences Across a Complex Ecosystem — Builds trusted partnerships with physicians and clinical partners to foster a robust grateful patient referral program and culture of philanthropy.

Donor Relationship Management

• Builds Meaningful Philanthropic Partnerships — Develops highly personalized, donor-centered engagement strategies that connect donor interests with institutional priorities and begin a lifelong donor journey.

People & Team Leadership

• Develops High-Performing Teams — Coaches and develops fundraising and support professionals while fostering accountability, collaboration, strategic thinking, and a culture of excellence.

Strategic Execution & Operational Excellence

• Turns Strategy into Results — Effectively manages portfolios, forecasts revenue, develops business plans and budgets, establishes effective processes, and uses data and disciplined execution to achieve fundraising goals.

AI Fluency

• Embraces Emerging Technologies — Explores thoughtful ways to use artificial intelligence to work more effectively, solve problems, and advance team and organizational goals, while exercising sound judgment and maintaining appropriate human oversight.

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.