Description

Senior Major Gifts Officer - Florida, Southern California & Latin America
Department: Office of Advancement
Reports to: Vice President for Advancement
Location: Remote (Florida or Southern California preferred)
Required Travel: Frequent domestic and international travel; required one week per month in New York

About Lebanese American University
Founded in 1924, the Lebanese American University (LAU) is a leading Americanstyle institution with campuses in Beirut and Byblos and a strategic presence in New York. For more than a century, LAU has educated generations of leaders who contribute to Lebanon, the region, and the world, grounded in a mission of academic excellence, access, innovation, and service.

As it enters its second century, LAU is undertaking a major institutional transformation—from a tuitiondependent university to an endowmentpowered, globally engaged institution capable of advancing research, innovation, and student opportunity at scale, even amid regional economic volatility.

To support this transformation, LAU is launching Transform Tomorrow Together, a $300 million comprehensive capital campaign (2026–2033) with a longterm vision of growing the University’s endowment toward $1 billion and securing durable institutional autonomy.

Position Summary
The Senior Major Gifts Officer (SMGO) – Florida, Southern California & Latin America serves as LAU’s frontline fundraiser for some of the University’s most strategic and underdeveloped philanthropic markets, with primary responsibility for Florida, Southern California, and Brazil, and a strong secondary focus on Mexico and broader Latin America.

This is a highautonomy, highimpact discovery role for a seasoned major gift fundraiser who thrives on building relationships from the ground up. The SMGO will inherit a modest base of prospects in U.S. markets and will be expected to actively build new portfolios, particularly in Brazil and Mexico, where LAU’s donor pipeline is minimal or nonexistent.

Reporting directly to the Vice President for Advancement, the SMGO will manage a portfolio of prospects capable of gifts of $50,000 and above, with a clear mandate to close five, six, and selective sevenfigure commitments in support of Transform Tomorrow Together. Success in this role is measured by discovery activity, portfolio growth, and the disciplined advancement of new relationships toward longterm philanthropic investment.

This position is fully remote, with a required oneweek monthly presence in LAU’s New York office when the Vice President for Advancement is in residence.

Key Responsibilities
Major Gift Portfolio Management & Fundraising
Manage and grow a portfolio of approximately 100–125 major gift prospects and donors, beginning with assigned relationships in Florida and Southern California and expanding aggressively through selfgenerated discovery.
Build the Latin American portfolio from the ground up, with particular emphasis on Brazil (primary) and Mexico (secondary).
Conduct 120+ meaningful donor interactions annually, including inperson visits, video meetings, phone calls, and substantive written correspondence.
Develop and execute individualized cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies aligned with donor interests and campaign priorities.
Close sixfigure gifts within the first 12–15 months and continue to secure major gifts throughout tenure.
Prepare tailored proposals, gift agreements, and solicitation materials.
Maintain accurate, timely, and complete records in Raiser’s Edge NXT.
Donor Discovery & Market Building
The Florida, Southern California, and Latin American regions represent significant and largely untapped philanthropic opportunity for LAU.

Proactively identify and qualify new prospects through: 
Alumni and diaspora engagement
Business and entrepreneurial networks
Professional referrals and peer introductions
Creative and proactive discovery strategies
Build entirely new pipelines in Brazil and Mexico, where no established donor base currently exists.
Establish relationships grounded in trust, cultural sensitivity, and an authentic understanding of diaspora connections to LAU.
Represent LAU at alumni events, community gatherings, and cultivation occasions across the region.
Engage donors in LAU’s academic life through faculty connections, student interactions, and campus visits (virtual and inperson).
Campaign Leadership: Transform Tomorrow Together
Serve as a frontline contributor to LAU’s $300 million comprehensive campaign (2026–2033).
Identify, cultivate, and close gifts supporting campaign priorities, including: 
Scholarships and student access
Endowed chairs and research funds
Programmatic and innovation initiatives
Institutional capacity and sustainability
Work closely with the Vice President for Advancement, the President’s Office, and faculty colleagues to create compelling, donorspecific cases for support.
Contribute regional market intelligence and pipeline insights to broader campaign planning and strategy.
Language & Cultural Fluency
Language and cultural fluency are strategic assets in this role.

Portuguese (Brazilian): Required – full professional fluency for donor conversations and written correspondence.
Spanish: Required – professional fluency reflecting the Mexico and broader Latin American focus.
Arabic: Strongly welcomed – any level of proficiency is an asset and enhances engagement within Lebanese diaspora communities.
Deep cultural fluency with Lebanese diaspora communities in Latin America and the United States—particularly Brazil, Florida, Southern California, and Mexico—is essential.
New York Presence & Team Integration
Be present in LAU’s New York office for one full week each month when the Vice President for Advancement is in residence (required condition of employment).
Use each New York week strategically for: 
Leadership briefings
Team coordination
Campaign planning
New Yorkbased donor meetings
Maintain regular communication with New York and Beirutbased colleagues between visits to ensure continuity and alignment.
Regional & International Travel
Travel extensively (40–50% of time) across Florida, Southern California, Brazil, Mexico, and other Latin American markets.
Develop and execute thoughtful travel strategies aligned with pipeline priorities and campaign goals.
Represent LAU at donor events, alumni receptions, and stewardship occasions across the 
Collaboration with BeirutBased Teams
Coordinate closely with Beirutbased fundraising colleagues to: 
Share prospect intelligence
Align strategies for donors with transnational ties
Ensure a seamless and coherent donor experience
Develop deep familiarity with LAU’s academic programs, research strengths, and faculty priorities.
Stewardship & Donor Relations
Partner with Stewardship and Donor Engagement colleagues to ensure timely, meaningful acknowledgment and reporting.
Maintain strong postgift relationships to encourage sustained and increased giving.
Qualifications
Required
Bachelor’s degree required.
Minimum 5+ years of frontline major gifts fundraising experience in higher education.
Demonstrated success cultivating and closing sixfigure gifts.
Proven experience building new donor markets or opening new geographies (not solely managing inherited portfolios).
Full professional fluency in Portuguese and Spanish.
Cultural fluency with Lebanese diaspora communities across the Americas.
Willingness and ability to travel 40–50% of the time and maintain monthly presence in New York.
Excellent written and interpersonal communication skills.
Strong organizational discipline and comfort working independently.
Experience using Raiser’s Edge NXT or a comparable CRM.
Preferred
Arabic language proficiency.
Experience working across time zones and international contexts.
Preferred Attributes
Entrepreneurial mindset and genuine enthusiasm for discovery and market building.
Cultural humility and trustbuilding instinct.
Strategic thinker with strong execution discipline.
Highly collaborative, despite remote work.
Deep commitment to education and the transformative power of philanthropy.
Curiosity about academic life and institutional mission.
Selfmotivation and accountability.
 

Requirements

Required
Bachelor’s degree required.
Minimum 5+ years of frontline major gifts fundraising experience in higher education.
Demonstrated success cultivating and closing sixfigure gifts.
Proven experience building new donor markets or opening new geographies (not solely managing inherited portfolios).
Full professional fluency in Portuguese and Spanish.
Cultural fluency with Lebanese diaspora communities across the Americas.
Willingness and ability to travel 40–50% of the time and maintain monthly presence in New York.
Excellent written and interpersonal communication skills.
Strong organizational discipline and comfort working independently.
Experience using Raiser’s Edge NXT or a comparable CRM.
Preferred
Arabic language proficiency.
Experience working across time zones and international contexts.
Preferred Attributes
Entrepreneurial mindset and genuine enthusiasm for discovery and market building.
Cultural humility and trustbuilding instinct.
Strategic thinker with strong execution discipline.
Highly collaborative, despite remote work.
Deep commitment to education and the transformative power of philanthropy.
Curiosity about academic life and institutional mission.
Selfmotivation and accountability.