East Lansing, Michigan, United States

Constituency Program Dir 3 40001225

Area of Interest: Administrative/Business/Professional

Area of Interest: PR/Media/Graphics/Comm/Fund Raising

Full Time/Part Time: Full Time (90-100%)
Support Staff

Opening on: Aug 27 2025

Closing at: Sep 23 2025 - 23:55 EDT

15

Salary Commensurate with Experience

University Advancement

1075324

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

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.
Travel is required. Valid vehicle operator’s license is required.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Demonstrated experience working in higher education in the area(s) of Arts, Humanities or Social Sciences.
• 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.
  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, talented fundraisers who want to become part of our team and help drive our ambitious campaign for the College of Arts and Letters!

Fundraising:

• Plans and implements methods of prospect identification, cultivation, and solicitation to maximize fundraising support, and match donor’s interest with the needs of the College. The Senior Director will manage a portfolio of approximately 60-75 major gift prospects, strive to conduct 15-20 significant contacts (visits/virtual) per month, which will include discovery visits to qualify new prospects, and deliver 2-3 proposals per month.
• Plans and implements the major and planned gifts strategy for the College as well as funding from other sources, including corporations and foundations.
• Assists donors regarding tax laws, policies, and procedures and resolves problems to maintain a positive image of the University.

Personnel Management:

• Supervises, directs, motivates, and evaluates staff 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 University.
• Leads by example and 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 and donor community.
• Recruits, trains, motivates, and evaluates volunteers to accomplish college goals and objectives.

Programmatic Management:

• Supervises and/or coordinates with external relations staff, including development, alumni, public relations, and communications to to ensure coordination of information to alumni and friends of the College.
• Audits internal operations to develop standardized procedures and to ensure conformity with established policy.
• Assists in setting both long- and short-term goals/plans to determine resources required.
• Plans, hosts, and communicates at meetings of the public and University personnel to provide information on the College and/or University.
• Assists in budget preparation to ensure efficiency and consistency with departmental goals.
• Coordinates the composing, editing, and publishing of College literature to provide staff and volunteers with campaign progress reports.