Chief Advancement Officer

The University of Pennsylvania (Penn) is among the nation’s oldest and most highly regarded universities in the world. Its four undergraduate and twelve graduate and professional schools provide extraordinary educational opportunities to 28,000 students and a unique professional environment for 5,100 faculty. The University is also home to Penn Medicine, which is comprised of the Perelman School of Medicine (PSOM) and the University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS). Penn Medicine’s educational and clinical enterprise is an integral and fully integrated component of the University, to a degree that is unusual among its peers. Its leaders are citizens of the University and share its mission, goals, and responsibilities. Faculty and staff routinely collaborate with and meaningfully contribute across Penn’s institutes, centers, and schools, and Penn Medicine’s culture embraces the University’s values of inclusion, innovation, and impact.

Philanthropy plays a critical role in supporting Penn Medicine’s $11.9 billion enterprise dedicated to excellence in the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, and patient care. The institution seeks a fundraising expert with a deep track record of success leading teams and programs in a complex environment as its next Chief Advancement Officer (CAO). Reporting directly to Dr. Jonathan Epstein, Dean of PSOM and Executive Vice President of the University of Pennsylvania for the Health System (Dean/EVP), and Kate Griffo, Vice President (VP) for Penn Development and Alumni Relations (DAR), the CAO will also work closely with UPHS CEO Kevin Mahoney. The CAO will oversee all medical fundraising programs and guide the future of Penn Medicine philanthropy following its successful $1.68 billion The Power of Penn Medicine Campaign, which closed in 2021.

In total, the CAO will oversee a team of 160 FTEs across an enterprise that raised $230 million in commitments in Fiscal Year 2024. The CAO will manage an annual operating budget which presently stands at ~$22 million. Success for the next CAO will be, in part, defined by the ability to serve as an effective partner to the Dean/EVP and VP, lead and inspire the team to meet aggressive goals, and educate and engage all members of the broader Penn Medicine community in philanthropy and engagement efforts. The CAO will address a wide range of opportunities and challenges, including but not limited to the following:

• Develop and implement an innovative and data-informed advancement program that will support the strategic plan and remarkable legacy of Penn Medicine at a time of global change.
• Bolster infrastructure and resources to support future fundraising efforts, including the implementation of a more robust principal and transformational gift enterprise and a future comprehensive campaign.
• Build upon existing success with grateful patients while growing support for basic science fundraising opportunities, particularly among unaffiliated prospects, as well as deepening alumni engagement efforts.
• Enhance volunteer engagement and recruitment opportunities, supporting Penn Medicine’s Board of Trustees and identifying friends and donors to serve as future volunteer leaders.
• Leverage and build upon existing partnerships to educate and inspire key faculty and academic leaders to engage with Penn Medicine DAR in mutually impactful ways.
• Strengthen collaboration and integration between Penn Medicine DAR and its affiliated hospitals.
• Deepen collaboration between Penn Medicine DAR and University DAR, as well other schools, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and other partner hospitals, in support of transformational, multi-disciplinary fundraising opportunities.
• Motivate and empower team members of all levels and roles across Penn Medicine DAR, ensuring each individual is enabled to professionally develop and achieve their goals.

 
The ideal candidate will have significant senior-level organizational and staff management experience in a complex research institution, ideally an academic medical center with both grateful patient fundraising and basic/translational research fundraising. This leader will have a strong track record of success personally cultivating and stewarding transformational gifts with exceptional interpersonal and collaborative skills. The CAO will be responsible for motivating a large and complex team and engaging key leaders in the fundraising process. The ideal candidate will bring a deep commitment to the institution’s mission and a desire to fully invest in the Penn Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, and Greater Philadelphia communities.

Jack Gorman is leading this search with Grace Zakim and Lisa Clayton.