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The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) has an outstanding opportunity for an experienced, accomplished, and passionate advancement professional to serve as the inaugural Chief Philanthropy Officer (CPO). The CPO will report to the Institute director and will serve as the chief fundraiser for individual gifts to support new, innovative projects at IHME. The CPO will be a member of IHME’s highly accomplished, dynamic, and fast-moving senior management team, one that is heavily invested in the success of the fundraising enterprise, and will serve a critical role in helping the Institute achieve its strategic priorities and foster a culture of philanthropy. They will also have a close relationship with the UW Medicine advancement office.
IHME is an independent research center at the University of Washington. Its mission is to deliver to the world timely, relevant, and scientifically valid evidence to improve health policy and practice. IHME carries out its mission through a range of projects within different research areas including the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors; Future Health Scenarios; Costs and Cost Effectiveness; Resource Tracking; and Impact Evaluations. IHME’s vision is to provide policymakers, donors, and researchers with the highest-quality quantitative evidence base so that all people live long lives in full health
Furthering IHME’s mission requires creativity and innovation, which are cultivated by an inclusive, diverse environment that respects and appreciates differences, embraces collaboration, and invites the voices of all IHME team members. IHME seeks a CPO who will actively contribute to improving diversity and inclusion, through their work and through IHME’s ongoing DEI efforts. IHME is especially interested in recruiting members from diverse and under-represented communities.
Success in this role will, in part, depend on the CPO’s effectiveness at educating and engaging all members of the IHME community—senior leadership, board members, donors, faculty, staff, and other key constituents—in a strategic fundraising approach that will meet and exceed aggressive goals. The CPO will play an essential role in designing a compelling case for support for philanthropic investment opportunities in IHME’s strategies and programs, and in so doing, build the major gift pipeline by identifying, cultivating, and soliciting six-, seven-, and eight-figure gifts from new individual donors. Additionally, the CPO must implement a comprehensive, collaborative, and inclusive donor stewardship program, engage board members in the fundraising process, and build a sustainable infrastructure that will support IHME’s ambitious goals.
Ideal candidates must be passionate about IHME’s mission and about being part of a team that is having a global impact. In addition, they must have a minimum of 10 years of proven development leadership and organizational experience, a keen understanding of fundraising best practices, a strong record of securing major individual gifts, the ability to set, achieve, and exceed fundraising goals without a defined constituent base, and a demonstrated ability to build a highly efficient and effective development program.
The CPO must demonstrate a high level of integrity and trustworthiness and must be an energetic self-starter with a sense of urgency, a clear set of priorities, and the ability to adapt to changing circumstances in a complex, fast-paced environment. Ideal candidates will possess extraordinary communication skills and the drive to succeed balanced with a collegial, team-oriented approach and a proven ability to lead and motivate key stakeholders. Ideally, candidates will have experience and strong ties in a health care, global health, or technology setting.
IHME
Part of the UW School of Medicine, IHME was founded in 2007 with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the State of Washington. In 2017, the Gates Foundation committed to invest an additional $279 million in IHME to expand its work over the following decade. The award complements other investments from the Gates Foundation to further the work of the University of Washington’s Population Health Initiative—which was launched in May 2016 to establish a University-wide, 25-year vision to advance the health and well-being of people around the world—and to fund construction of a new building to house several UW units working in population health, including IHME.
IHME provides rigorous and comparable measurement of the world’s most important health problems and evaluates the strategies used to address them. IHME’s findings are freely available to all so that policymakers have the evidence necessary to make informed decisions about how to allocate resources to best improve global health.
CHIEF PHILANTHROPY OFFICER
This is a rare and exciting opportunity for a dynamic and entrepreneurial individual to lead and grow IHME’s nascent individual donor fundraising program from the ground up. Reporting to IHME Director Christopher J.L. Murray, the CPO must fully understand IHME’s complex interdisciplinary research and important topics in global health and related fields in order to draw connections between prospects’ and donors’ interests and priorities and IHME’s work and impact. The CPO will identify and secure critical new funding streams for areas of work that are of strategic importance to IHME, but otherwise difficult to secure funding for from IHME’s traditional funding sources. In addition to building an individual giving program, the CPO will also support fundraising efforts for the UWSOM Department of Health Metrics Sciences in support of faculty positions and student scholarships.
Duties and Responsibilities:
Leadership, Philanthropic Strategy, and Planning
Work with Institute director Christopher J.L. Murray and other members of IHME’s senior management team to develop funding priorities and implement advancement programs needed to sustain philanthropic support. Develop a pool of prospective donors for each assigned area.
Advise the Institute director, Senior Management Team, and IHME Board on the strategy, execution, and issues relating to IHME’s individual donor fundraising program.
Working with senior leaders and researchers, lead the development of a compelling case for support, and provide critical insights that will help guide the development of messaging and collateral that will appeal to prospective donors whose interests align with IHME’s mission, vision, and strategic priorities.
Operate with IHME’s culture, vision, mission, and values in mind, and encourage others to act in a manner aligned with organizational culture, vision, mission, and values.
Create a clear, specific operational plan with milestones to achieve progress toward long-term and immediate operational and fundraising goals for individual philanthropic gifts.
Relationship Development and Management
Manage and maintain current donor relationships while cultivating new relationships to build IHME’s visibility, impact, and diversification of financial resources domestically and internationally. Specifically, manage a portfolio of 50 to 100 prospective donors with capacity to make gifts of $500,000 or more, including donors with potential of $1 million or more. Develop and implement a cultivation and solicitation strategy for each prospective donor.
Advise Institute director on prospective IHME board members with expertise and experience in philanthropy. Cultivate strong relationships with current and prospective board members who have expressed interest in supporting IHME’s philanthropic strategies.
Record and track all activity using the University’s prospect management and tracking system. Prepare written proposals, informational materials, endowment agreements, gift illustrations, and other materials needed to secure major gifts. For each major gift donor managed, develop appropriate stewardship activities within the context of the overall stewardship plan.
Fundraising
Lead fundraising from individual donors. The CPO will be expected to focus on relationship development in years one and two, bringing in smaller, starter gifts as relationships form. By year two, the expectation is to bring in gifts of $500,000 and greater.
Raise critical funds for the UWSOM Department of Health Metrics Sciences. Specifically, seek individual gifts to support endowed faculty positions, lecture series, and PhD student scholarships.
Research Comprehension
Understand and articulate to philanthropic audiences the major areas of research undertaken at IHME and their policy relevance.
Persuasively express how IHME’s research and training feeds its mission and how in turn that has a tangible impact in population health around the globe.
Become a skilled emissary for IHME and its mission with high-level prospects and donors.
General
Maintain ties to national organizations and associations in the field of advancement to remain current with emerging new ideas and approaches to fundraising.
Perform additional duties as assigned that fall within the reasonable scope of this position.
As a UW employee, you will enjoy generous benefits and work/life programs. For a complete description of our benefits for this position, please visit our website, click here.
REQUIREMENTS
Bachelor’s degree in humanities, business, social sciences, public health, or related field required.
At least 10 years of professional experience in philanthropy with an emphasis on cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding major gifts (100k+).
Additional Requirements:
Demonstrated success in building an advancement program through development of fundraising strategies and plans that advance key relationships and build lifelong connections to the organization.
Demonstrated success as a charismatic and effective leader with the ability to anticipate, develop, and communicate long-term vision, values, and strategies that focus and drive the creative energy of the organization.
A proven commitment to, extensive knowledge of, and experience in fundraising best practices and industry trends.
Experience synthesizing information to balance the interests of multiple parties and taking timely action. Ability to work with various constituents including the academic community and prominent volunteers to define and articulate IHME’s image and priorities.
Proven ability to create, communicate, achieve, and drive outstanding results that energize and inspire senior leadership, faculty, staff, volunteers, and donors while creating a culture of collaboration across organizational units.
Ability to translate and compellingly convey complex scientific and technical concepts to donors in an inspirational manner.
Demonstrated ability to develop, manage, and achieve comprehensive goals; ability to accurately forecast and develop both short-term and long-term goals.
Strong interpersonal skills and a customer service orientation. Poised, professional manner with the ability to express oneself clearly and empathetically in interactions with others in all forms of communication, including verbal and written, one-on-one, group, etc. Ability to communicate in a direct and professional manner that promotes open dialog and resolves differences.
Proven ability to work independently, problem solve, take initiative, set priorities, and handle multiple projects efficiently and effectively. Demonstrated ability to take responsibility and initiative to set and achieve goals, objectives, and obligations while representing the mission, vision, and values of an organization.
Demonstrated creativity, organizational ability, and strong attention to detail. Ability to make decisions in ambiguous situations, exercise good judgment based on information and analysis in a dynamic, deadline-driven environment in an organized and professional manner.
Demonstrated ability to maintain confidences and protect confidential information; acts in a selfless manner and models ethical values of the University.
Values IHME’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Demonstrated strong proficiency using PC computers and Microsoft Office for correspondence, presentations, special reports, spreadsheets, databases, forms, etc.
Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license/certification/registration.
DESIRED
Master's degree.
Development experience in a health care, global health, or technology setting.
Health- and/or technology-focused philanthropy/advancement experience preferred.
CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT
Evening and weekend work sometimes required.
Frequent domestic and some international travel is expected to develop and maintain relationships with prospects and donors.
The CPO position is eligible to work fully remote in the US; work schedule required to overlap 50% of IHME office hours between 8am and 6pm Pacific time.
This position is open to anyone authorized to work in the U.S. The UW is not able to sponsor visas for staff positions.
Application Process:
The application process for UW positions may include completion of a variety of online assessments to obtain additional information that will be used in the evaluation process. These assessments may include Workforce Authorization, Cover Letter and/or others. Any assessments that you need to complete will appear on your screen as soon as you select “Apply to this position”. Once you begin an assessment, it must be completed at that time; if you do not complete the assessment you will be prompted to do so the next time you access your “My Jobs” page. If you select to take it later, it will appear on your "My Jobs" page to take when you are ready. Please note that your application will not be reviewed, and you will not be considered for this position until all required assessments have been completed. | 
