Michigan State University · 1 day ago
Senior Director of Development, CAL / Development Officer III/S
East Lansing, MI
Full-time
Hybrid
Lead/Staff, Director/Executive
5+ years expMichigan State University is a leading educational institution focused on liberal arts education. They are seeking a Senior Director of Development for the College of Arts and Letters to lead fundraising efforts, manage a team, and engage with major donors to achieve an ambitious fundraising goal of $55 million.
EducationUniversities
Hiring Manager
Patricia Karam, PHR,SHRM-CP
Responsibilities
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
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
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
Michigan State University Alumni/Individuals/Major Corporations/Businesses/Employees and Corporate Leadership - to solicit as potential donors, handle their donor requests and to cultivate and train them as potential volunteers
Faculty and College Leadership - to determine college/department priorities and involve them on campaign direction, to seek their advice on needs, to answer funding questions, and advise them on fundraising strategy
Staff - to train/guide their work, establish goals and priorities, and ensure cohesive execution of college strategies by the team
Department Heads/Michigan State University Executive Management - 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 - to advise on the progress of specific college campaigns and goals
Michigan State University campaign leadership - to seek their advice on the cultivation and solicitation of major donors and to assist them in soliciting donors
Michigan State University Trustees - to seek advice and obtain assistance for solicitation, when appropriate
Peers/Professional Organizations - to obtain advice and counsel on options being considered for programs
Government Agencies/Foundations - to assess current funding priorities and particular donor procedures
Qualification
Required
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
Valid vehicle operator's license is required
Travel is required
Preferred
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
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
Benefits
Remote-friendly means some or all of the duties can be performed remotely as mutually agreed upon.
Company
Michigan State University
Michigan State University has been working to advance the common good in uncommon ways for more than 150 years.
10001+ employees
H1B Sponsorship
Michigan State University has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (163)
2024 (217)
2023 (224)
2022 (162)
2021 (121)
2020 (66)
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageTotal Funding
$118.22MKey Investors
Carnegie Corporation of New YorkUS Department of EnergyDenso
2025-09-23Grant· $0.9M
2025-03-27Grant· $48.5M
2024-10-30Grant
Leadership Team
Raymond Boeman
Director, IACMI Scale-up Research Facility and Vehicle Technology Area
Stephanie Vasko
Senior UX Researcher, MSU College of Arts and Letters
Recent News
2025-12-14
International CIO Leadership Association
2025-12-05
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