Careers at
UW Medicine Advancement

A Collaborative and Inspiring Workplace

At UW Medicine, we work to improve health for all people through excellence in clinical, research, and education and training programs. As the only comprehensive clinical, research and learning health system in the five-state WWAMI (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, Idaho) region, UW Medicine provides the most up-to-date care for each individual patient, leads one of the world’s largest and most comprehensive medical research programs, and provides innovative learning programs for students, trainees and practitioners in the health professions.

The passionate, 70-person team at UW Medicine Advancement works collaboratively to connect donors with meaningful opportunities to enhance patient care, expand educational opportunities and advance research at UW Medicine. This inspiring, challenging and rewarding work provides team members an opportunity to grow their careers, while making a difference in people’s lives, in our community and around the world. In the 2022 fiscal year, UW Medicine Advancement raised $284 million in gifts and private grants (46 percent of the University of Washington’s total) from nearly 14,000 donors to support the mission of UW Medicine.

Meet Our Team

Get to know our exceptional UW Medicine Advancement team.

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UW Medicine Advancement

About UW Medicine Advancement

To promote inclusivity and foster a welcoming work environment, UW Medicine Advancement maintains an active EDI Committee. This committee works to identify opportunities for learning and actionable steps to incorporate equity, diversity and inclusion values into our fundraising efforts and improve our office culture.

Successful job candidates will value and demonstrate respect and commitment to diversity, inclusion and equity.

UW Medicine presents a unique opportunity to work with world-class physicians, researchers and educators who are leading the way by inspiring the next generation of medical professionals, caring for the health of our community, and discovering new treatments and cures for some of humanity’s deadliest diseases. The work environment is collaborative yet competitive, inspiring yet challenging, rewarding yet daunting. Individuals who want to test themselves to work with the very best will have the opportunity to grow their careers, while making a difference in people’s lives, in our community and around the world.

UW Medicine Advancement leadership understands the difficulties of working in a fast-paced, high-profile institution and is committed to creating a balanced, supportive culture. We strive to provide the resources and environment needed for you to succeed. And we are committed to helping you develop your career and grow your professional skills with in-house trainings, mentoring programs and networking opportunities. In turn, UW Medicine expects the highest standards of performance excellence and professionalism from all employees.

Learn more about the culture and philosophy at UW Medicine Advancement >>

The University of Washington (UW) offers a wide range of benefits as part of your total compensation package. Choose from top medical and dental insurance programs; plan for your future with tax-deferred investing through the UW retirement options; enjoy generous vacation and sick leave policies; and protect yourself and your family with life insurance and long-term disability insurance.

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UW Medicine Advancement is a hybrid work environment, in which employees split their time between telework and onsite work.

Our office is located in South Lake Union at 850 Republican Street, Seattle, WA 98195-8045.

UW Medicine Advancement is comprised of more than 70 staff members, who work across the following teams:

Frontline Fundraisers (FLFs): These are major gift officers who collaborate closely with UW Medicine faculty and their donors to support clinical care and research at UW Medicine, as well as education at the UW School of Medicine. FLFs are organized into different teams, generally based on disease areas. Most of our FLFs are focused on individual gifts and we also have a Corporate and Foundation Relations team focused on institution giving from corporations and foundations.

Donor Relations: This team focuses on gift processes and stewardship to express appreciation to our donors and share the impact of their contributions.

Pipeline: This team concentrates on attracting new donors to UW Medicine and renewing existing donors. The team also leads Engage, our grateful patient faculty and clinician training program that partners faculty with FLFs to learn fundraising strategies together.

Communications: This team manages UW Medicine Advancement and UW School of Medicine Alumni Associate website properties and email programs, shares stories of the difference philanthropy makes to the health of the community, and supports the fundraising and stewardship efforts across Advancement.

Special Events: This team develops engaging experiences to connect donors with faculty and departments that benefit from their generosity.

Administrative and Finance Professionals: Our central team provides advancement coordination and financial expertise in support of all of the teams at UW Medicine.

You can meet our whole team here.

UW Medicine Advancement provides each new staff member with a personalized onboarding program that typically spans three months. This program includes scheduled appointments with our team and project leaders, senior leadership, faculty members from UW Medicine and key campus partners. The primary objective of these meetings is to enable new staff to establish meaningful relationships with their colleagues and obtain a foundational understanding of the intricate UW Medicine system. Additionally, every new staff member is assigned a buddy from another team to serve as a valuable resource for questions and to further enhance their understanding of UW Medicine.

Career Opportunities

The Assistant Director for Philanthropy is responsible for securing major gifts ($25,000+) and cultivating donors who have the capacity to give at that level to support the Departments of Rehabilitation Medicine, Neurology, and Neurological Surgery. Such activities may include scholarships, professorships, programmatic support, support for faculty initiatives, outright and endowed support, and interdisciplinary projects that may span across UW Medicine. The Assistant Director will help develop annual fundraising plans as assigned. The Assistant Director reports to the Senior Director for Philanthropy and will be expected to work closely with senior UW Medicine administrative leadership, department chairs, academic leaders, faculty, and volunteers to identify, cultivate, and solicit major gift prospective donors for gifts in support of UW Medicine.

Learn more about this position and apply here >>

The Associate Director for Philanthropy, as part of a dynamic major gift fundraising team, focuses on securing major gifts ($25,000+), and cultivating donors who have the capacity to give at that level. The Associate Director will work with academic and hospital leaders, volunteers, and other staff to identify, cultivate, and solicit major gift prospective donors for gifts in support of UW Medicine. The Associate Director will have assigned responsibility for oversight and coordination of major gift fundraising programs that support UW Medicine Eye Institute and other departments and/or programs as assigned.

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The Director for Philanthropy focuses on securing major gifts ($75,000+) for UW Medicine and cultivating donors who have the capacity to give at that level. The Director will work with the Senior Director for Philanthropy, Assistant Vice President for Advancement, the Chief Advancement Officer, alumni, academic leaders, volunteers, and other Advancement staff to identify, cultivate, and solicit major gift prospective donors for gifts in support of UW Medicine. The Director will be the lead staff member generating philanthropic support for UW Medicine with a focus on the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine as well as the Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine (ISCRM). In this capacity, the Director will have leadership responsibility for developing and implementing a comprehensive strategy to increase gift and grant support for UW Medicine. In this role, the Director will work with department and institute leaders, administrators, and other academic leaders to develop fundraising strategies that support key programs in Rehabilitation Medicine, ISCRM, and other beats as assigned.

Learn more about this position and apply here >>

As part of a dynamic major gift fundraising team, the Associate Director for Philanthropy focuses on securing major gifts ($25,000+), and cultivating donors who have the capacity to give at that level. The Associate Director will work with academic and hospital leaders, volunteers, and other staff to identify, cultivate, and solicit major gift prospective donors for gifts in support of UW Medicine. The Associate Director will have assigned responsibility for oversight and coordination of major gift fundraising programs that support the Department of Medicine, otolaryngology, the Bloedel hearing research center, and other departments and/or programs as assigned.

Learn more about this position and apply here >>

The Assistant Director for Corporate and Foundation Relations (CFR) will work to cultivate, solicit and steward organizations (foundations, corporations, associations and other types of organizations). Assistant Director will secure gifts and grants primarily from private organizations for clinical, translational and basic research as well as the educational and health systems at UW Medicine. The Assistant Director serves as a strategist and resource for corporate and foundation fundraising and will manage a portfolio of major gift/grant level prospects. The portfolio may include a number of individual giving prospects as well as organizational prospects. The Assistant Director will be expected to work closely with faculty, staff, alumni, and volunteers to develop and advance departmental fundraising priorities.

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As a member of the Health System Philanthropy team, the Associate Director for Health System Philanthropy focuses on securing gifts $25,000+ and cultivating donors who have the capacity to give at that level. The Associate Director will work with the Director for Philanthropy, Assistant Vice President for Health System Philanthropy, Associate Vice President, Campaign, the Chief Advancement Officer, academic leaders, volunteers, and other Advancement staffs to identify, cultivate, and solicit major gift prospective donors for gifts in support of UW Medicine. The Associate Director position provides strategic leadership and direction for critical and high-profile programs that support major fundraising programs. It coordinates activities across UW Medicine — Harborview Medical Center, UW Medical Center, Valley Medical Center, UW Neighborhood Clinics and Airlift Northwest — and must work collaboratively with diverse constituencies with diverse goals and expectations.

Learn more about this position and apply here >>

The Associate Director for Philanthropy, as part of a dynamic major gift fundraising team, focuses on securing major gifts ($25,000+), and cultivating donors at that level. The Associate Director will work with academic and hospital leaders, volunteers, and other Advancement staff to identify, cultivate, and solicit major gift prospective donors for gifts in support of UW Medicine. The Associate Director reports to the Director for Philanthropy and will have assigned responsibility for oversight and coordination of major gift fundraising programs, supporting research, patient care, support for faculty initiatives, outright and endowed support, and interdisciplinary projects that span across UW Medicine including the Cancer Vaccine Institute, the Institute for Protein Design, and the Department of Dermatology. The Associate Director may have assigned responsibility for staffing one or more volunteer committees.

Learn more about this position and apply here >>