Director of Development, CANR / Development Officer II/S

Duties And Responsibilities

• Fundraising - Engage in the identification, cultivation, and solicitation of gifts, mainly from individuals, as well as some corporations and professional groups in support of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources' strategic and campaign priorities.
• Collaborate and coordinate with University Advancement, administrators, and faculty in the college to create and carry out fundraising strategies and solicitation of gifts of $100,000 and more.
• Identify and maintain an active pool of 75 prospects under strategic management.
• Achieve college fundraising goals through an active and consistent program of prospect and donor outreach that includes 180 significant contacts annually.
• Utilize phone calls, email, mail, social media, and other strategies to identify, connect with, and engage alumni with the goal of soliciting financial support.
• Identify, qualify, and work to build strong, engaged relationships with major gift prospects to determine and merge prospect passions, interests, and needs with the college’s funding priority areas.
• Schedule joint prospect visits with members of college leadership, faculty, or other Development colleagues.
• Serve as a liaison officer between the unit and donors and potential donors to ensure that such information and services as may be desired are provided to the full extent permitted by university policy, rules, and regulations.
• Serve as a consultant to donors on the tax advantage of various types of gifts.
• Plan and host campus visits for donors or potential donors and their representatives.

Management

• Provide mentorship and professional development opportunities to enhance fundraising effectiveness and career growth.
• Set clear performance goals and metrics to ensure alignment with the college’s strategic fundraising priorities.
• Conduct regular one-on-one meetings to review progress, provide feedback, and address challenges.
• Collaborate with Associate and Assistant Directors on donor strategies, portfolio management, and solicitation plans.
• Facilitate communication and collaboration among team members to foster a cohesive and high-performing advancement team.
• Evaluate performance and provide constructive feedback during annual reviews, ensuring accountability for achieving individual and team fundraising targets.
• Encourage innovative approaches to donor engagement and outreach that align with best practices in higher education fundraising.

Program Management

• Develop and prepare solicitation appeals, proposals, and other materials with a focus on gifts of $100,000 or more that, through the clear identification of funding priorities and articulation of the case for support of the college, engender a level of understanding that is conducive to giving and that help achieve the unit’s fundraising goals.
• Aid in the coordination of and participation in college alumni and donor engagement, prospecting, recognition, and stewardship events.
• Utilize the Advance alumni and donor database to coordinate with other development colleagues, record contact activities, update donor information, record strategic moves management steps, and gift documentation.
• Build working relationships with internal constituents to enhance information exchange between units within the college, including advising faculty and administrators on appropriate fundraising strategies.
• Serve as a primary development liaison with several units within the college and will identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward alumni and friends of CANR, MSUE, and AgBioResearch, as well as business, industry, and foundations, in support of the Land Grant mission and the units' priorities.

Communication and Stewardship

• Cultivate, engage, and train Michigan State University alumni, leadership, and employees as potential donors and volunteers.
• Engage faculty, department chairs, program directors, and other college leaders in order to assist in the understanding and implementation of fundraising procedures, to seek their advice on funding needs, to answer development questions, to advise them on development strategy, and to solicit them as potential donors;
• Obtain advice and counsel from peers across the enterprise in order to coordinate the cultivation and solicitation of donor prospects.