About the University of Florida & UF Health
The University of Florida is Florida’s flagship land-grant university, with a statewide service mission reaching every county in the state. As one of the nation’s leading public research universities, UF combines education, discovery, innovation, and public service at extraordinary scale.
UF Health is the University’s academic health center, bringing together the clinical enterprise with UF’s health colleges, research programs, institutes, and centers. Within this environment, UF College of Medicine faculty are advancing biomedical research, complex clinical care, technology, and education while serving patients throughout Florida and beyond. The breadth of UF creates unique opportunities for philanthropy. A single donor relationship can connect patient gratitude with scientific discovery, faculty innovation, education, clinical care, and broader community impact.
Fundraising within UF Health takes place across a complex academic medical center. The hospital enterprise, UF College of Medicine, academic departments, institutes and centers, faculty practices, regional entities, and central University functions are closely connected, while authority, resources, relationships, and expertise are distributed throughout the institution. Successful development professionals learn where those relationships sit, earn trust within the clinical environment, and bring together the right faculty members, fundraisers, specialists, and institutional resources around each donor opportunity.
UF Advancement provides centralized expertise, including campaign leadership, principal gifts, gift planning, corporate and foundation relations, prospect research, data, talent management, and other advancement services. Its collaborative shared-credit structure enables fundraisers to engage specialists and colleagues across the University without sacrificing recognition for the outcome.
UF Health Advancement builds meaningful partnerships that bridge generosity with the people, programs, and priorities of UF Health. Through collaboration, strategic philanthropy, and trusted relationships, we advance exceptional patient care, accelerate discovery, and educate tomorrow’s health care leaders.
We base our work on core values:
We partner with leadership, our faculty, physicians, alumni, donors and other medical staff to identify and match support for shared visions.
We uphold ethical guidelines for our professional work by providing all constituents with the best service in our capacity and genuinely caring for the donors and their interests.
We aim at surpassing industry performance and set a standard of excellence in academic medicine fundraising by reviewing and implementing new strategies and tools for advancing our results within our culture of philanthropy at the University of Florida.
A culture of philanthropy:
UF Health Advancement is the largest unit-based advancement team at UF.
A record-breaking $143 million raised in FY26 for the UF College of Medicine — the highest among all UF colleges.
Over $1B in total commitments secured during the Go Greater capital campaign from 2014-2022.
4,000-plus endowed funds sustaining initiatives that enhance training, research and patient outcomes across UF Health.
UF Advancement: The Gold Standard Culture
UF Advancement is committed to its Gold Standard Culture. Its vision is to be ranked among the best, as measured by Voluntary Support of Education. Its mission is to be a catalyst in securing and managing private support for University priorities. The ability to embrace and live the Gold Standard is essential to success in this position.
Grateful Patient Fundraising at UF Health
Grateful patient philanthropy is an important and growing component of fundraising for the UF College of Medicine and UF Health. Many of the institution’s strongest potential philanthropic relationships begin with patients and families whose experiences with physicians, care teams, research programs, or medical innovation create a desire to give back or advance the work that affected their lives.
UF has made significant investments in the data and operational infrastructure supporting this work. The number of prospective patient relationships identified through its grateful patient program has grown substantially, from approximately 1,700 before the system was rebuilt to more than 20,000 during its first three years. Recurring prospect reports expanded considerably, providing development officers with multiple prospect streams and stronger information for qualification and prioritization.
Approximately $6 million in giving has been attributed to referred prospects, demonstrating the philanthropic potential of a coordinated referral and engagement model. The opportunity now is not simply to generate more names. Success depends on judgment, prioritization, physician partnership, ethical engagement, and consistent major gift execution.
Development portfolios are intentionally limited to approximately 80 relationships across qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship. Officers are expected to actively move relationships rather than simply accumulate prospects.
Position Summary
UF Health seeks a Director of Development to identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit, and steward major gift prospects for UF Health, with a primary emphasis on grateful patient fundraising and gifts of $100,000+.
Reporting to the Senior Director of Development, the Director will coordinate strategic research, data collection, and planning to identify and advance new major gift prospects in support of the UF College of Medicine and UF Health.
The Director will work closely with physicians, researchers, medical staff, administrators, volunteers, faculty, and other clinical partners to identify grateful patient prospects, understand the context surrounding those relationships, and align philanthropic opportunities with clinical and academic priorities.
The portfolio may also include alumni, parents, friends, and faculty in support of broader UF College of Medicine initiatives. This role requires more than effective portfolio management. The Director must become a trusted partner to the physicians and clinical teams whose relationships with patients and families make grateful patient fundraising possible.
Clinical faculty carry a fundamental responsibility for patient care, privacy, and well-being. The successful fundraiser must demonstrate that they understand and respect what is being protected before expecting access to those relationships.
The Director will learn assigned clinical areas thoroughly, become known and useful to faculty and administrators, bring well-developed recommendations rather than placing the burden of fundraising strategy on clinicians, and exercise sound judgment about when engagement with patients and families is appropriate.
The successful candidate will combine major gift discipline with humility, clinical curiosity, emotional intelligence, persistence, and maturity. They will be comfortable adapting to physician schedules and clinical environments and will understand that becoming genuinely embedded in a unit is essential to long-term fundraising success.
Essential Job Functions
The Director will identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit, and steward major gift prospects for the UF College of Medicine and UF Health, maintaining primary emphasis on grateful patient philanthropy and gifts of $100,000 and above. Responsibilities include:
Manage a portfolio that may also include alumni, parents, friends, and faculty in coordination with UF College of Medicine departments and units.
Grow and refine an existing portfolio of prospects and donors.
Strategically advance relationships through the gift cycle and bring gifts to closure through face-to-face visits, proposals, and direct solicitations.
Develop and present concept papers and major gift proposals.
Ensure gifts are appropriately acknowledged and recognized in ways meaningful to donors and consistent with the mission, vision, and values of UF Advancement.
Maintain continuous personal contact with key donors, prospects, volunteers, alumni, and other constituencies both within Florida and outside the state.
Maintain contact with alumni and other University constituencies, including members of college and department advisory boards.
Conduct significant face-to-face donor engagement and solicitation activity.
Prioritize soliciting and closing gifts of $100,000 and above.
Properly handle gifts and pledges, including cash, securities, checks, and related documents, and ensure their complete and proper transfer to the UF Advancement.
Physician and Clinical Partnership
The Director will develop philanthropic support for UF Health and UF College of Medicine priorities by engaging physicians, medical staff, researchers, administrators, volunteers, faculty, and staff. They are expected to:
Support physicians, researchers, administrators, and medical staff in identifying and referring prospective donors.
Help clinical partners communicate philanthropic needs effectively.
Collaborate with physicians and development officers to identify strategies that increase grateful patient and house-staff engagement and solicitation opportunities.
Become known and accessible within assigned clinical environments rather than appearing only when a donor opportunity requires attention.
Learn the clinical unit’s work well enough to represent its faculty, research, procedures, priorities, and fundable opportunities accurately.
Understand the schedules, responsibilities, and working styles of clinical partners and adapt accordingly.
Build practical referral relationships with physicians, administrators, clinic managers, and other staff members familiar with patient experience.
Bring prepared recommendations and strategies to faculty rather than expecting clinicians to design the fundraising process.
Use prospect data to focus activity while obtaining appropriate clinical context before determining whether and when outreach should occur.
Respect that physicians will participate in fundraising in different ways. Some will become active partners, others will provide permission and context, and some may remain uncomfortable with fundraising.
Protect patient relationships by carefully evaluating timing and circumstances before outreach, particularly following serious illness, death, or family crisis.
Maintain patient well-being, privacy, donor intent, and institutional reputation as paramount considerations in fundraising decisions.
Recognize that the physician or care team is often central to a patient or family’s experience. The fundraiser’s role is to serve as strategist and facilitator.
Strategic Initiatives and Donor Engagement
The Director will increase knowledge of and philanthropic support for UF College of Medicine campaign priorities, building support for scholarships, faculty endowments, research, and department-specific initiatives. They will:
Prepare research and reports for college staff, volunteers, and other stakeholders in support of targeted relationship-building and partnership initiatives.
Initiate, plan, and support activities and events involving volunteers, donors, grateful patients, and prospects on campus and throughout the region.
Create donor experiences that connect gratitude with the broader mission of UF Health and the UF College of Medicine.
Develop opportunities for donors to engage with research, faculty, laboratories, technology, clinical innovation, and other aspects of UF’s medical mission when appropriate.
Coordinate with principal gifts, gift planning, corporate and foundation relations, and other Advancement specialists when those resources can strengthen a donor strategy.
Collaborate across departments, institutes, and other units when donor interests overlap multiple areas of UF Health.
Use UF’s shared credit structure to pursue the strongest possible philanthropic outcome for the donor and institution.
Administration and Institutional Responsibilities
The Director is required to effectively manage prospect tracking, portfolio management, record keeping, and reporting using the Ascend database. They must also:
Maintain best practices in office systems, files, and record keeping.
Maintain accurate institutional memory concerning donor relationships, referrals, clinical context, and prospect histories.
Provide research, market, and prospect information for inclusion in the UF Advancement's integrated database.
Handle confidential prospect and donor information sensitively, ethically, and in accordance with institutional requirements.
Participate in UF College of Medicine activities and events, including those designed to cultivate prospects and donors for scholarships, faculty support, research, and related initiatives.
Assist in determining policies for fundraising and alumni activities as they pertain to the unit and College.
Assist in formulating development policies and procedures consistent with the University’s development program.
Plan and implement short- and long-term development and alumni programs.
Develop individualized solicitation strategies with appropriate consideration for College and Advancement priorities, procedures, and donor circumstances.
Assist College leadership in developing longer-range public information programs supporting development goals.
Maintain regular communication with College development and alumni officers and directors, deans, administrators, faculty, UF Advancement colleagues, and the Senior Director of Development to promote collaboration, strengthen relationships, and foster a cohesive, team-oriented approach.
Perform related duties as required or appropriate to accomplish the responsibilities and functions of the position.
Qualifications
Minimum Qualifications
Candidates must possess a master’s or bachelor’s degree in an appropriate area of specialization with a minimum of three and five years of appropriate experience, respectively, in development or a related field.
Preferred Experience
Strong candidates will bring four to six years of successful fundraising experience in a medical center, college, or university setting. They will also have:
Experience soliciting gifts of $100,000 and above.
Experience working with volunteers, physicians, care teams, medical staff, or other clinical partners.
Experience in grateful patient or physician-facing major gift fundraising.
Experience operating within an academic medical center or similarly complex healthcare environment.
Prior experience in a college or university environment.
Enthusiasm for fundraising within a comprehensive research university.
Evidence of working collegially in a goal-oriented fundraising organization.
Fundraisers with experience in surgery, cardiovascular medicine, transplant, cancer, neuroscience, orthopedics, pediatrics, and other high-acuity clinical specialties may be particularly well prepared for the role.
Skills and Professional Competencies
The successful candidate will demonstrate:
Knowledge of fundraising principles, methods, and professional standards.
The ability to motivate and effectively engage volunteers.
Expertise in developing solicitation strategies.
The ability to work strategically and develop and implement constituency programs and activities.
Strong collaboration and a genuine team orientation.
Excellent problem-solving skills and organizational ability.
Exceptional written and verbal communication.
Strong interpersonal abilities.
Capacity to engage collaboratively with a broad range of individuals.
Demonstrated success working with stakeholders.
Strong project-management skills.
Experience in a data-driven environment.
The capacity to lead, influence, and inspire others.
The ability to explain complex care, research, procedures, and medical innovation accurately to donors.
Comfort working independently, without constant access to senior leadership.
The ability to build trust with physicians and clinical partners over time.
Strong clinical curiosity and the ability to learn technical medical and scientific information.
Sound judgment regarding privacy, vulnerability, grief, timing, and patient relationships.
Humility, maturity, persistence, and strong emotional intelligence.
Proficiency with Windows operating systems, Microsoft Word, Excel, , internet browsers, and email platforms.
Familiarity with donor databases, contact-management systems, and tracking systems.
UF Advancement Leadership Competencies
UF Advancement has identified several critical competencies for organizational and position-specific success.
Relationship Mastery. The Director will identify, target, and strategically build relationships with colleagues, prospects, donors, and volunteers. They will:
Establish and maintain effective relationships.
Demonstrate genuine interest in the perspectives and well-being of others.
Find common ground with individuals from varied backgrounds.
Anticipate conversational direction and adapt effectively.
Navigate difficult or high-tension situations appropriately.
Select the right timing, medium, and frequency of stakeholder engagement.
Demonstrate a high level of emotional intelligence.
Donor Focus. The Director will establish, cultivate, and steward prospects and donors in ways that build long-term institutional trust. They will:
Continually seek opportunities to improve the donor experience.
Match donor and prospect interests with University priorities.
Engage the appropriate people and resources at the right time.
Put donor needs and institutional outcomes ahead of personal recognition.
Remain flexible and create individualized engagement opportunities.
Tenacity. The Director will demonstrate the discipline and resilience necessary to achieve goals and advance relationships. They will:
Identify and seize opportunities.
Establish ambitious goals and pursue them consistently.
Maintain productive focus when donor conversations become distracted.
Demonstrate a strong commitment to bringing gifts to closure.
Persist in the face of obstacles and rejection.
Credibility. The Director will demonstrate responsible, reliable, and trustworthy behavior, and:
Act ethically and authentically in support of the University’s mission.
Demonstrate ownership, urgency, and commitment.
Remain current on the functional and technical aspects of fundraising.
Continually seek opportunities to build new knowledge and skills.
Establish trust, respect, and rapport through diplomacy and tact.
Fulfill commitments to donors, faculty, colleagues, and University partners.
Entrepreneurial Spirit. The Director will generate creative solutions and demonstrate an appropriate willingness to take risks. They will:
Adapt to changing opportunities and challenges.
Generate innovative approaches that improve results.
Learn from both success and failure.
Accept, embrace, and lead change.
Engaging Communication. The Director will listen attentively, communicate clearly and empathetically, engage and inspire others, and:
Read verbal and nonverbal cues and adapt communication accordingly.
Demonstrate active listening.
Ask thoughtful questions to gather more complete information.
Communicate effectively with both individuals and groups.
Strategic Thinking. The Director will develop strategies and plans aligned with institutional mission, priorities, and goals. They will:
Synthesize information and data to evaluate and prioritize prospects and donors in a broader context.
Document comprehensive engagement strategies with realistic timelines.
Integrate knowledge from colleagues and academic partners.
Think expansively, develop compelling approaches to donor engagement.
Mission Driven. The Director will understand philanthropy as a means of advancing the University, and:
Keep up with national trends and best practices in higher-ed advancement.
Develop an appreciation of UF history, culture, and tradition.
Understand the power of philanthropy and how to engage donors in achieving their goals.
Create advocates for the University through thoughtful relationship development, solicitation, and stewardship.
Reporting Relationships
The Director of Development reports directly to the Senior Director of Development, UF Health Advancement. The Director has no direct reports. The Senior Director provides general supervision and establishes goals and areas of particular concentration. Within those parameters, the Director is expected to act independently and make autonomous decisions consistent with clearly defined goals and objectives. The Director will provide reports and updates as requested. Progress will be evaluated periodically in addition to the University’s annual review process.
Location & Work Schedule
This is a Gainesville-based role requiring substantial on-site engagement. Successful grateful patient fundraising depends on being genuinely embedded within the clinical environment. The Director must build relationships with physicians, administrators, clinic managers, care teams, and other partners; participate in relevant meetings and activities; learn how assigned clinical units operate; and remain accessible to faculty.
The normal schedule is Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Considerable evening and weekend activity is essential to successful performance. Extensive travel is required.
Additional Position Requirements. The successful candidate must:
Be able and willing to travel, possess a valid Florida driver’s license, a good driving record, and meet UF driving requirements for business travel.
Complete and maintain CPR/AED training within the first year.
Comply with federal and state privacy regulations.
Maintain the confidentiality of all information entrusted to the position.
Maintain UF Advancement records, information, and materials protected under Florida Statutes Section 1004.28 in the strictest confidence.
Comply with University of Florida Rule 6C1-3.022, Finance and Administration; Payment to Vendors; Payment Processing Guidelines, as amended, including applicable requirements concerning the approval and processing of vendor invoices and payments.
Demonstrate professionalism in appearance and demeanor.
Demonstrate leadership and contribute to a harmonious and supportive environment within the UF College of Medicine.
Manage multiple priorities effectively.
Maintain composure and exercise sound judgment in resolving problems.
Cooperate with departmental policies and institutional decisions.
Demonstrate a willingness to learn new approaches and methods.
Business expenses are reimbursed through the University’s standard accounting system. Employees must be able to initially cover reimbursable business expenses using personal funds or a personal credit card and subsequently seek reimbursement.
Compensation & Benefits
The University of Florida offers a comprehensive total compensation package. The anticipated salary range for the Director of Development is $85,000-$105,000, commensurate with experience and qualifications. Benefits include:
Leave and Holidays:
22 vacation days and 13 sick days earned annually; 11 paid holidays annually; Four personal leave days annually (used during the December holiday break).
Health Insurance: (Standard and High-Deductible HMO or PPO options)
State of Florida insurance premiums are generally paid one month in advance. Most coverage, therefore, does not begin until a full month of premiums has been paid, although health insurance may begin the month after enrollment. Initial paychecks may include double deductions to bring premium payments current.
Life Insurance
Employer-paid basic life insurance of $25,000. Optional life insurance ranging from one to seven times base annual earnings, up to $1 million.
Supplemental Insurance + Additional Benefits:
Dental and Vision insurance.
Disability coverage, legal services, education benefits, and other voluntary and supplemental benefit options.
Gator Perks.
Development officers who travel 50% or more may also be eligible for a monthly cell phone reimbursement and a $600 travel stipend, paid twice annually in September and March. Explore all University benefits options: https://benefits.hr.ufl.edu/my-benefits/explore/
Retirement:
Employees may choose among three retirement options.
Optional Retirement Plan:
Immediate vesting.
5.14% employer contribution; 3% employee contribution.
Up to an additional 5.14% optional employee contribution.
FRS Investment Plan:
Vesting after one year of FRS-covered service.
3% employee contribution; 8.3% employer contribution.
FRS Pension Plan:
Vesting after eight years of FRS-covered service.
3% employee contribution; employer contribution based on a fixed percentage of gross salary determined by the Florida Legislature.
Submission Instructions (read carefully)
Cooper Coleman is leading this search on behalf of UF Health. To apply, please click Apply Now and complete the simple application. All expressions of interest should be made only through the online application, and all inquiries will be held in confidence.
A cover letter is not required with your initial application but is welcome to help us understand your fitness for and interest in this role during our initial evaluation. Candidates invited for interviews will be asked to provide a thoughtful letter of interest indicating their specific qualifications for the opportunity, desire to join UF Health, and connection to its mission.
Cooper Coleman LLC is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all qualified candidates and will refer candidates without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity), age, disability, genetic information, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law, including the Florida Civil Rights Act