Working/Functional Title
Senior Director of Devel, CommArtsSci
Position Summary
As the first college of its kind, the MSU College of Communication Arts & Sciences is known as a pioneer in the industry and is one of the largest and most respected communication colleges in the country. Around the world, over 56,000 alumni are leaders in a staggering array of successful careers, including CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, presidents of entertainment networks, producers of award-winning films and documentaries, and researchers determining the impact of messages upon society.
The chosen candidate will be a high-energy leader who thrives in a fast-paced work environment. Further, the chosen candidate must be an exceptional fundraiser, an accomplished motivator and mentor, an effective manager of people, and a visionary leader 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 one full-time development officer, one alumni relation professional and one development assistant, and work closely with the Dean, senior administrators, and volunteer leadership to ensure that the College reaches its full philanthropic potential.
As MSU strategically progresses through its third billion-dollar plus campaign, the Senior Director will assume a leadership role in planning and spearheading the campaign effort for the College. This includes building relationships with volunteers with capacity, articulating the case for support, identifying and cultivating prospects, developing engagement strategies to best position successful proposal delivery, and actively soliciting philanthropic investments with a focus on gifts of $100,000 and greater.
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 interest with the needs of the College. The Senior Director will manage a portfolio of approximately 75-100 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.
- Collaborates with colleagues across campus to ensure that donors’ philanthropic interests are being met.
Programmatic Management -
- Audits internal operations in order to develop standardized procedures and ensure conformity with established policy.
- Plans, hosts, and communicates at college and university events and engagements in order to provide information on the College and/or University.
- Assists in budget preparation in order to ensure consistency with departmental goals.
- Assists in setting both long- and short-term goals/plans in order to determine the resources required.
- 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.
- Coordinates the composing, editing, and publishing of college development-related materials in order to provide staff and volunteers with campaign progress reports.
Personnel Management -
- Supervises, directs, motivates, and evaluates all staff in order to assure consistency in quantity and quality of work performed.
- Sets clear direction and priorities for professionals and administrative support personnel. Provide excellence through well-defined and measurable goals.
- Lead by example; foster a work environment that recognizes and rewards cross-functional collaboration and team-based efforts. Celebrate current achievements and set clear expectations for future success.
- Actively mentor and train staff, providing frequent opportunities for professional learning and growth; emphasizing retention as a means of increasing capacity and expertise of the team. Fully leverage human and financial resources and promote greater efficiency.
- Provide 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, and motivates volunteers in order to accomplish college goals and objectives.
COMMUNICATIONS/INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS
SDOD will work closely with the Dean, Faculty, and Staff within Communications Arts & Sciences in order to advance the overall mission, directives, and priorities set forth by unit leadership, specifically the Dean. Level of collaboration for each group will verify; however, the consistency of strategy and messaging will be agreed upon with Dean approval and in conjunction with the SDOD.
- 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.
- College Development Staff – in order to advise on best practices, 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 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 council 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 Communication Arts & Sciences.
SUPERVISION EXERCISED
Supervision over the CAS Development Office staff.
This position is hybrid-eligible and requires regular on-site presence. Remote work is not guaranteed and must be approved through a Remote Work Agreement.
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
- Successful track record working with academic unit leadership, including the Dean, Associate and Assistant Deans, Chairs, and Faculty.
- Demonstrated exceptional emotional intelligence, interpersonal effectiveness, and relationship-building skills across diverse stakeholders.
- Demonstrated professionalism and sound judgement, including the ability to represent the organization effectively in a variety of settings and with diverse stakeholders.
- 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
Interested in joining the team at Michigan State University? For questions, contact Patricia Karam, Director of Talent Acquisition, at karampat@msu.edu. To apply, submit your application, resume, and cover letter at careers.msu.edu and reference position number #1153495.
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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 deadline is August 18, 2026, at 11:55 PM
