Julie A. Lucas has determined to step down as MIT’s vp for useful resource growth, President Sally Kornbluth introduced at the moment. Lucas has set her final day as June 30, which coincides with the shut of the Institute’s fiscal yr, to make sure a easy transition for employees and donors.
Lucas has led fundraising on the Institute since 2014. Throughout that point, MIT’s common annual fundraising has elevated 96 % to $611 million, up from $313 million within the decade earlier than her arrival. MIT’s annual fundraising totals have exceeded the Institute’s annual $500 million fundraising goal for 9 straight fiscal years, together with just a few banner fiscal years with outcomes upward of $700 to $900 million.
“Earlier than I arrived at MIT, Julie constructed a fundraising operation worthy of the Institute’s world-class stature,” Kornbluth says. “I’ve seen firsthand how Julie’s experience, collegial spirit, and dedication to our mission resonates with alumni and mates, motivating them to help the Institute.”
Lucas spearheaded the MIT Marketing campaign for a Higher World, which concluded in 2021 and raised $6.2 billion, setting a document because the Institute’s largest fundraising initiative. Emphasizing the Institute’s hands-on strategy to fixing the world’s hardest challenges — and centered on its strengths in training, analysis, and innovation — the marketing campaign attracted participation from greater than 112,000 alumni and mates across the globe, together with practically 56,000 new donors.
“From the second I met Julie Lucas, I knew she was the fitting particular person to function MIT’s chief philanthropic chief of our capital marketing campaign,” says MIT President Emeritus L. Rafael Reif. “Julie is each a ‘maker’ and a ‘doer,’ effectively attuned to our ‘mens et manus’ motto. The Institute has benefited immensely from her spectacular set of abilities and talent to convey a coherent message that has impressed and motivated alumni and mates, foundations and firms, to help MIT.”
Underneath Lucas, MIT’s Workplace of Useful resource Improvement (RD) created new fundraising packages and processes, and launched expanded methods of giving. For instance, RD established the Institute’s deliberate giving program, which helps donors who need to make a long-lasting affect at MIT by philanthropic automobiles similar to bequests, retirement plan distributions, life-income items, and items of complicated belongings. She additionally performed a lead function in making a donor-advised fund at MIT that, since its inception in 2017, has seen virtually $120 million in contributions.
“Julie is a outstanding fundraiser and chief — and in terms of Julie’s management of Useful resource Improvement, the outcomes communicate for themselves,” says Mark Gorenberg ’76, chair of the MIT Company, who has participated in a number of MIT committees and campaigns over the past 20 years. “These tangible fundraising outcomes have helped to facilitate improvements and discoveries, develop academic packages and services, help school and researchers, and be certain that an MIT training is reasonably priced and accessible to the brightest minds from around the globe.”
Previous to becoming a member of MIT, Lucas served in senior fundraising roles on the College of Southern California and Fordham Legislation College, in addition to New York College and its enterprise and legislation colleges.
Whereas Lucas readies herself for the subsequent part in her profession, she stays grateful for her time on the Institute.
“Philanthropy is a strong gas for good in our world,” Lucas says. “My resolution to step down was tough. I really feel honored and grateful that my work — and the work of the crew of pros I lead in Useful resource Improvement — has helped proceed the superb trajectory of MIT analysis and innovation that advantages all of us by fixing humanity’s best challenges, each now and sooner or later.”
Lucas at the moment serves on the steering committee and is the rapid previous chair of CASE 50, the Council for Development and Assist of Training group that features the highest 50 fundraising establishments on the planet. As well as, she is chair of the 2025 CASE Summit for Leaders in Development and a founding member of Aspen Management Group’s Chief Improvement Officer Community.
