Senior Development Associate, 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: The Senior Development Associate, Major Gifts, provides high-level operational and data support to enable the Major Gifts team to perform at their best. By maintaining precise systems, managing critical workflows, and supporting donor-focused projects and events, this role ensures fundraisers can dedicate their energy to building meaningful relationships and raising philanthropic support.

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.

ABOUT THE TEAM

The Foundation’s Major Gifts team works with donors (individuals and family foundations) to raise philanthropic support in the range of $100,000 to $5 million. The team partners closely with the Foundation President/CEO’s office and frequently interacts with the hospital President/CEO’s office, the Dean of the School of Medicine’s office, and Foundation and hospital board members.

WHAT YOU'LL DO... 

The Senior Development Associate plays a vital role in supporting the Major Gifts team by managing and optimizing the data and systems that drive donor engagement and philanthropic impact. This highly organized, detail-oriented professional excels at handling multiple priorities, exercising sound judgment, and taking initiative in a fast-paced environment. They are an effective communicator, comfortable collaborating across functional teams and a range of working styles. With a proactive and solutions-oriented approach, they develop and maintain processes and tools that ensure data integrity, operational efficiency, and seamless team performance.

The Senior Development Associate reports to the Associate Director, Major Gifts Program.

The compensation range for this role is between $36.06-$39.42 per hour.

YOU'LL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR...

Administrative Responsibilities (~50%):

• Manage agendas for weekly Major Gifts Team meetings including preparation of PowerPoint decks and data pulls from Raiser’s Edge.
• Manage bi-weekly meetings of Grateful Patient Family Taskforce.
• Coordinate logistics for team meetings and AV support.
• Maintain processes for storing, tracking, and sharing information on SharePoint and other centralized records.
• Actively update and maintain the Foundation’s constituent relationship management database, electronic filing systems, and content-sharing platforms.
• Serve as backup for front desk coverage on occasion.
• Serve as backup for Major Gifts associates on occasion.
• Other administrative duties, as assigned.

Data and Information Management (~40%)

• Support complex data projects related to salons and signature events like Science Under the Stars. This may include managing invitation lists, coordinating logistics, and assisting onsite.
• Manage data for teamwide efforts in grateful patient family outreach ensuring data collection is properly shared with the advancement services team.
• Assist with pulling grateful patient data in coordination with the prospect development team.

Gift Administration and Finance (~10%):

• Prepare and submit monthly expense reports, reconcile team card.
• Assist with preparing gift processing documentation including Gift Transmittal Forms.

YOU MUST HAVE...

• Bachelor’s degree or 3+ years of relevant experience, or combination of education and relevant experience.
• Capacity to function effectively at a rapid pace on a high-execute team with a high volume of work.
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office 365 including Word, Excel, Outlook (incl. mail merge), SharePoint and Teams; understanding of database systems.
• Excellent organization and project management skills with outstanding attention to detail.
• Proven ability to meet shifting and tight deadlines while managing multiple priorities.

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

• Development fundraising and/or understanding of philanthropy.
• Project management in a complex environment, preferably in healthcare and/or higher education.
• Additional software proficiency in: Raiser’s Edge, Monday.com, Power BI, AI, and Blackbaud.

YOU'LL BE SUCCESSFUL IF YOU POSSESS THE FOLLOWING...

• Organizational Excellence & Systems Thinking: You maintain exceptional attention to detail while managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment. You are a systems thinker and process expert, able to learn new technologies quickly, take initiative, and drive projects to successful completion.
• Adaptability & Growth Mindset: You embrace change, remain open to new ideas, and navigate ambiguity with ease. You work effectively both independently and collaboratively, adjusting priorities as needed in a dynamic environment.
• Collaboration & Relationship Building: You build strong working relationships across teams and roles, responding promptly and effectively to requests. You contribute actively to a high-performing, cohesive team of development professionals.
• Judgment & Discretion: You make sound, independent decisions, solve problems creatively, and handle sensitive situations with diplomacy and confidentiality.
• Mission-Driven Mindset: You demonstrate a deep commitment to the Foundation’s mission, prioritizing children’s health and advancing philanthropic impact through thoughtful leadership and strategic support.

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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