Working/Functional Title
Director of Development, CANR
Position Summary
Are you passionate about building relationships and securing major gifts for interdisciplinary research that tackles pressing global challenges? The College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at Michigan State University is the largest STEM academic unit. It is a dynamic interdisciplinary powerhouse focused on solving global challenges that reach far beyond traditional agriculture. The college, along with MSU Extension and AgBio Research, serves as an epicenter of innovation that tackles pressing global issues such as climate science, sustainability, urban planning, food security, and public health.
The College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at Michigan State University is seeking a talented and ambitious individual to join our collaborative development team as the Director of Development.
In this results-oriented position, you’ll play a critical role in shaping the future of STEM education and research. You’ll leverage your strategic thinking and interpersonal skills to cultivate relationships with alumni and friends, securing vital resources that fuel innovation and opportunity in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
What will you do?
- Become a champion for the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and Michigan State University by raising support for cutting-edge research with a real-world impact across multiple fields: You’ll manage a portfolio of 75 - 100 prospects, fostering long-term relationships that elevate the College’s reputation and fuel its success.
- Uncover hidden potential: Employ your keen eye for discovery to identify new alumni and donors, building a robust pipeline for future giving.
- Leverage your strategic planning experience: Develop and execute personalized cultivation and stewardship strategies, averaging 12-15 strategic face-to-face visits and 2-4 solicitations per month.
- Collaborate for collective success: Partner with faculty, college leadership, and internal stakeholders to deepen relationships and maximize your impact.
- Be a part of and learn from a team dedicated to building a cohesive culture: Work alongside a high-performing development team, sharing best practices and celebrating collective achievements.
Why You’ll Love Working Here:
- Make a tangible difference: Your efforts will directly translate into increased resources that empower students, faculty, research, and programs in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, AgBio Research, and MSU Extension.
- Join a collaborative environment: We foster a supportive and team-oriented atmosphere where you’ll be empowered to grow and excel.
- Be part of a prestigious institution: You’ll have the privilege of donning Spartan green and white, while representing the land grant mission to provide high-quality education, conduct research, and engage with the public to advance knowledge and improve lives.
Duties and Responsibilities:
The Director of Development will manage a portfolio of 75-100 major and principal gift donor prospects, focusing efforts on prospects whose philanthropic capacity is $100,000 or more to maximize the fundraising potential within the College and on behalf of Michigan State University. Additionally, the Director will oversee and manage the Associate and Assistant Directors of Development, providing leadership, mentorship, and strategic direction to ensure their success in advancing the college's development goals.
The Director will average 12-15 strategic visits per month, resulting in greater engagement and movement toward a major gift solicitation at a rate of 2 to 4 solicitations per month, with all solicitation efforts cleared and coordinated with the college and University Advancement at Michigan State University. A significant amount of the Director’s time will be dedicated to traveling out of state and managing prospect activity within a few major metro areas.
The duties of the Director of Development are as follows, but are not limited to:
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.
- Assist with 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; and
- Obtain advice and counsel from peers across the enterprise in order to coordinate the cultivation and solicitation of donor prospects.
SUPERVISION RECEIVED: Direction is received from the Senior Director of Development for the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
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; three to five years of related and progressively more responsible or expansive work experience in public relations, volunteer administration, professional and higher education fund raising, marketing or related field; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Desired Qualifications
- Experience managing front-line fundraisers.
- Candidates should have a proven track record of driving six-figure gifts to business deals with demonstrative experiences closing gifts.
- Experience working with leadership to develop fundraising priorities.
- Experience working on multifaceted gift conversations.
- Travel involving automobile, airline, and rail.
- Possession of a valid vehicle operator’s license at the time of hire.
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
Interested in joining the team at Michigan State University? For questions, contact Patricia Karam, Director of Talent Acquisition, at karampat@msu.edu.
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Work Hours
8 am - 5 pm with possible 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 May 12, 2026, at 11:55 PM
