Senior Development Officer (New York)

Position Overview

The United Board is a transformative nonprofit organization committed to advancing Christian higher education across Asia. With an annual operating budget of approximately $8 million, a dedicated team of 26 staff, and an endowment valued at $180 million, we have the resources and vision to make a lasting impact. We collaborate with over 250 partner institutions in 27 countries and regions, fostering leadership, integrity, and service through Whole Person Education. Our global presence—anchored by offices in New York, Hong Kong, India, and soon Thailand—enables us to build strong partnerships across the region.

Education transforms lives, institutions, and communities. The United Board is guided by our Christian identity and values and a century-old commitment to serving higher education in Asia and to the formation of the whole person. We advance leadership, creativity, and ethics across Asia's diverse educational landscape. Through programs that foster holistic learning and inspire compassion, we empower educators and institutions to prepare young minds for a future of purpose and impact.

Join us in shaping a more just, creative, and connected world-one built on knowledge, empathy, and shared commitment.

Position: Senior Development Officer (New York)

The United Board seeks a dynamic, mission-driven Senior Development Officer to join our New York office. This position reports to the Assistant Vice President of Development and will play a key role in building and sustaining the United Board’s donor base, with a primary focus on cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding individuals for annual support and major gifts, and assisting with planned gifts. The individual will also manage donor engagement and fundraising campaigns, strengthen and reimagine our stewardship practices, and in doing so, contribute to the organization’s long-term financial strength.

The ideal candidate will have a passion for the United Board's mission and programs, as reflected in a combination of educational and professional experiences. They are willing to embrace change, are flexible to work with people from different backgrounds, geographies and find joy and purpose in their daily work, along with a genuine curiosity and interest in others.

Key Responsibilities

• Maintain a strong understanding of the United Board’s programming and funding priorities to effectively represent the organization to donors. Stay current on trends and best practices in individual giving and membership programs to inform strategy and execution.
• Travel domestically (20%) for donor visits and events across the U.S. to manage key regional donor markets. There will also be an annual international trip for board meetings, with possible additional travel to witness programming in Asia.
• Lead the design and implementation of an annual giving program, including appeals, campaigns, and donor engagement initiatives to solicit and cultivate donors from the $1,000 to $10,000 level and above, and expand giving at these levels by 15% each year.
• Support the stewardship of nearly 100 donor-established endowed funds and market endowment giving and planned gifts in consultation with the Assistant Vice President for Development.
• Develop proposals and briefing materials for prospect solicitations and high-level cultivation opportunities that involve the President and/or Trustees.
• Develop strategies to grow and diversify our donor base, with an emphasis on cultivating new and lapsed donors to understand and give to the United Board’s mission and programs.
• Manage and steward a portfolio of annual giving donors, building meaningful relationships that align with the United Board’s mission and values, and qualifying such donors for the potential of six-figure and planned gifts.
• Collaborate with colleagues to ensure fundraising efforts align with the objectives of the United Board’s new strategic plan – of which one key goal is to Expand and Diversify the Circle of Giving.
• Conceive, plan and deliver donor and/or program alumni engagement and fundraising events across the United States with a minimum of 2-4 events per calendar year.
• In consultation with the Assistant Vice President for Development and with the support of the Development Coordinator and Associate, ensure that gifts are processed, acknowledged and stewarded in a timely and accurate manner.
• Supervise up to one direct report, providing guidance and support to mentor and coach development team members as they progress in the sector.
• Collaborate regularly with staff and trustees in both the United States and Asia, occasionally attending evening meetings to accommodate different time zones.
• Track donor activity, engagement, and revenue projections in the database, and regularly report on progress and outcomes.

Qualifications and Experiences

• A minimum of 5–7 years of professional fundraising experience, with demonstrated success in annual giving, planned giving and/or related areas. Demonstrated track record in soliciting five-figure gifts or relevant corporate sponsorship experience.
• Demonstrated experience creating development strategies that meet and exceed goals, supported by skills and experience in creating budgets, forecasting revenue, and closing five to six-figure gifts.
• Experience with or aptitude for working in a global, multicultural, and interfaith context.
• Excellent verbal and written communication, interpersonal skills, sound judgment, and experience handling highly confidential information required.
• Project management experience required and ability to handle a multitude of tasks under the pressure of deadlines in a high-volume office.
• Demonstrated leadership skills and the ability to work successfully both independently and as part of a flexible team environment are a must.
• Creative, proactive, and innovative thinker who takes initiative to expand our donor base using best practices of the sector and incorporating new ideas such as emergent AI and crowdsourcing fundraising.
• Experience with donor databases (especially Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge and NetSuite) preferred.
• Bachelor’s degree required; related advanced degree a plus.
• Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

About the United Board

The United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia collaborates with institutions to enhance leadership, nurture innovation, and support learning that forms the whole person, enabling communities to lead with purpose, vision, courage, and integrity.

Our strength flows from our Christian identity and values and from our enduring relationships with Asian institutions of higher learning. We share a commitment to whole person education that offers students opportunities for transformation — of mind, body, heart, and spirit — grounded in compassion, conscience, and care for creation. We join together in forming individuals who live in wisdom, humility, and with ethical responsibility to the common good.

Our vision: A thriving network of Christian higher education in Asia, shaping and embracing the future through collaboration and innovation, inspired and transformed by Whole Person Education.

For more information about the United Board, please visit www.unitedboard.org.

• Salary range: $100,000 - $120,000 annually, commensurate with experience.
• United Board offers a highly competitive and comprehensive benefits package, generous time off policies and a hybrid office work model with 4 days in the office and one remote day. This position is based in New York City.
• Opportunities for professional growth and meaningful work in service to higher education in Asia.