Working/Functional Title
Senior Director of Development, CAL
Position Summary
BASIC FUNCTION AND RESPONSIBILITY
As a core college with a focus on a broad liberal arts education, the College of Arts and Letters educates actors, artists, designers, filmmakers, linguists, philosophers, poets, teachers, translators, writers, and much more while exposing students to the major cultural issues facing a global society. The College employs engaged, talented and forward-thinking faculty, and scholars to educate our students and bring public focus to the arts and humanities. Arts and humanities education in the College of Arts and Letters fosters creativity, critical thinking and communication skills, the ability to see issues from multiple perspectives, and a solid sense of social responsibility in our graduates.
Under the leadership of a dynamic and energetic dean, the college seeks a confident, creative, collaborative, enthusiastic, and results-oriented major gift officer who has an understanding of and appreciation for the arts and humanities, to build upon the foundation of its advancement program. The College of Arts and Letters has surpassed its second campaign goal of $20 million as part of the $1.5 billion Empower Extraordinary Campaign for MSU and has set an ambitious target for the next 18 months. The Senior Director will be instrumental in helping the college achieve this aggressive new goal by identifying, cultivating, and soliciting individuals for significant 6- and 7-figure support as well as periodic special purpose appeals and programs with business, industry and interested foundations. The chosen candidate must be an exceptional fundraiser, an accomplished motivator and mentor, an effective manager of people, and a visionary change agent who has a proven track record in successfully implementing comprehensive development programs. Capital campaign experience is a plus.
Serving as the college’s chief development officer, the Senior Director will maintain a personal prospect portfolio of major donor prospects as well as employ a strategic moves management program to ensure constant positive movement along the development pipeline. Leading by example, the Senior Director will oversee a team of two full-time development officers and one alumni relations professional, and work closely with the Dean, senior administrators, and volunteer leadership to ensure that the College reaches its full philanthropic potential.
As MSU strategically positions itself through its second billion-dollar-plus campaign, the Senior Director will assume a leadership role in planning and spearheading the campaign effort for the College. This includes recruiting and training volunteers, articulating the case for support, identifying and cultivating prospects, developing and reviewing proposals, and actively soliciting contributions with a focus on gifts of $100,000 and more.
CHARACTERISTIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Fundraising:
- Plans and implements methods of prospect identification, cultivation, and solicitation in order to maximize fundraising support and match donor's interests with the needs of the College. The Senior Director will manage a portfolio of approximately 120 major gift prospects, strive to conduct 15-20 significant personal visits per month, which will include discovery visits to qualify new prospects and deliver 2-4 proposals per month.
- Plans and implements the major and planned gifts program for the College as well as funding from other sources, including corporations and foundations.
- Provides assistance to donors regarding tax laws, policies, and procedures and resolves problems in order to maintain a positive image of the University.
Personnel Management:
- Supervises, directs, motivates, and evaluates staff in order to assure consistency in quantity and quality of work performed.
- Sets clear direction and priorities for staff of professionals and administrative support personnel. Promotes excellence through well-defined and measurable goals; inspires and motivates staff through the free flow of information, placing staff members’ work within the context of CAL strategic priorities as well as within the mission of Michigan State.
- Leads by example; fosters a work environment that recognizes and rewards cross-functional collaboration and team-based efforts. Celebrates current achievements and sets clear expectations for future success.
- Actively mentors and trains staff, providing frequent opportunities for professional learning and growth; emphasizes retention as a means of increasing capacity and expertise of the team. Fully leverages human and financial resources and promotes greater efficiency.
- Provides the structure and guidance necessary to promote a high-performance culture that meets the needs and expectations of a successful and diverse alumni community.
- Recruits, trains, motivates, and evaluates volunteers in order to accomplish college goals and objectives.
Programmatic Management:
- Supervises and/or coordinates with external relations staff, including development, alumni, public relations, and communications, in order to ensure coordination of information to alumni and friends of the College.
- Audits internal operations in order to develop standardized procedures and to ensure conformity with established policy.
- Assists in setting both long- and short-term goals/plans in order to determine resources required.
- Plans, hosts, and communicates at meetings of the public and University personnel in order to provide information on the College and/or University.
- Assists in budget preparation in order to ensure consistency with departmental goals.
- Coordinates the composing, editing and publishing of College literature in order to provide staff and volunteers with campaign progress reports.
COMMUNICATIONS/INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS
- Michigan State University Alumni/Individuals/Major Corporations/Businesses/Employees and Corporate Leadership - in order to solicit as potential donors, handle their donor requests and to cultivate and train them as potential volunteers.
- Faculty - in order to educate and train them on Development direction, to seek their advice on needs, to answer funding questions, and advise them on funding strategy.
- Staff - in order to train and oversee their work and to establish priorities.
- Department Heads/Michigan State University Executive Management - in order to consult and coordinate work within University structure to aid in the identification of potential donors and gain support of special projects.
- Michigan State University Vice President and Associate Vice President of University Advancement - in order to advise on the progress of specific College campaigns.
- Michigan State University campaign leadership - in order to seek their advice on the cultivation and solicitation of major donors and to assist them in soliciting donors.
- Michigan State University Trustees - in order to seek advice and obtain assistance for solicitation.
- Peers/Professional Organizations - in order to obtain advice and counsel on options being considered for programs.
- Government Agencies/Foundations - in order to assess current funding priorities and particular donor procedures.
SUPERVISION RECEIVED
Direction is received from the Executive Director of Constituency Programs and from the Dean of the College of Arts and Letters.
SUPERVISION EXERCISED
Supervision over the Associate and Assistant Directors of Development for the College and other alumni relations College staff.
Unit Specific Education/Experience/Skills
Knowledge equivalent to that which normally would be acquired by completing a four-year college degree program in Communications, Public Relations, Marketing and/or Business; five to eight years of related and progressively more responsible or expansive work experience in professional and higher education fundraising, public relations, marketing, development of budgets, preparation and presentation of case statements and analysis of operations; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Desired Qualifications
- A Bachelor’s degree: Arts, Humanities Communications, Public Relations, Marketing, and/or Business or the Social Sciences preferred.
- Eight years of successful fundraising experience (preferably in higher education) including several years at a director or manager level. Experience in related fields such as public relations or marketing may be taken into consideration.
- Demonstrated organizational, interpersonal, and written/oral communications.
- Demonstrated experience in facilitating major gifts through planned giving instruments.
- Working knowledge of tax laws affecting charitable giving.
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, age, disability or protected veteran status.
Required Application Materials
Resume and cover letter
Special Instructions
If you review this job description and have done many of the responsibilities or have transferable skills, we want to hear from you and welcome your application! We are seeking successful, ambitious fundraisers who want to become part of our team and, help us help us in our ambitious campaign!
Michigan State University has partnered with Aspen Leadership Group in the search for a Senior Director of Development for the College of Arts and letters. For additional information regarding this position, please reach out to Michael Vann at michaelvann@aspenleadershipgroup.com
HOW TO APPLY
If you have any questions regarding this position, please contact Patricia Karam, Director of Recruitment, at karampat@msu.edu. All candidates must submit an application, resume, and cover letter through the Michigan State University Human Resources web-based system, the URL for this website is careers.msu.edu. Please indicate the position number 931981 when submitting your application.
Screening of applicants will continue until the position is filled.
Work Hours
8 am - 5 pm with some evenings and weekends
Website
Advancement.msu.edu
Remote Work Statement
MSU strives to provide a flexible work environment and this position has been designated as remote-friendly. Remote-friendly means some or all of the duties can be performed remotely as mutually agreed upon.
Bidding eligibility ends February 27, 2024 at 11:55 P.M.
