Heather Gelles-Ebner

Heather brings extensive experience to Philanthropy Company, having worked for over 25 years in Higher Education fundraising across the US and UK in a range of senior Advancement positions. Heather brings a deep understanding of major and principal gift fundraising strategy and a strong track record of working with senior stakeholders to deliver ambitious philanthropic results.

Heather most recently served as Director of Strategic Philanthropy at University College London, where she was recruited to energise the team’s principal gift fundraising in advance of UCL’s next ambitious campaign. Working closely with the President, VPs and Deans, she led a team of principal gift fundraisers and under her coaching delivered a 25% increase in revenue secured by the team in the first year alone, continuing to uplift the value and frequency of 8-figure gift discussions UCL engaged with both alumni and new non-alumni donors.

Prior to UCL, Heather held senior roles at the University of Oxford for over 13 years, including interim Director of Development for Humanities and the Schwarzman Centre, and Development Director roles at Magdalen and University Colleges. She has personally secured multiple 7- and 8-figure gifts and has advised more than 10 Oxford colleges on principal gift strategy, campaign planning, and leadership coaching. Heather serves as Council member for Ulster University in Northern Ireland. She has delivered international philanthropic engagement through events such as the World Economic Forum in Davos and has helped institutions secure major gifts from donors across Asia, North America, and Europe. Her dual US/UK citizenship and global experience means she brings a global perspective to her fundraising approach and can work effectively across geographical and cultural boundaries that are often particularly nuanced.