Principal Gift Officer / Development Officer III

Working/Functional Title

Principal Gift Officer

Position Summary

BASIC FUNCTION AND RESPONSIBILITY

Michigan State University seeks an experienced and collaborative fundraiser to join the University Principal Gifts Program. The Principal Gift Officer will play a key role – individually and collectively – in cultivating long-term relationships with donors who have the capacity to make transformative gifts, while leveraging the relationships and vision of university leaders to secure support for strategic university priorities and initiatives. The Principal Gift Officer will be a seasoned and exceptional team-oriented fundraising professional with a demonstrated successful track record in securing multi-million-dollar philanthropic gifts.

The Principal Gift Officer at Michigan State University reports to the Associate Vice President of Advancement. The individual will provide creative and visionary leadership and coordination of fundraising endeavors for university-wide programs. They will convene campus partners and advise on the development of coordinated strategies aimed to maximize the life-time engagement and support of a portfolio of high-net-worth households. They will help assemble key university members together with prospects around cross-cutting strategic funding priorities.

This role has three defining dimensions:

• The disciplined management of approximately 50 relationships with consistent focus and high-touch engagement, cultivation, and stewardship that leads to successful solicitations strategies.

• The ability to work closely with academic leaders, fundraising colleagues, faculty, and volunteers to shape compelling ideas that will attract transformational gifts based on institutional initiatives and presidential priorities. 

• The ability to work in tandem with colleagues in the University Principal Gifts program and with officers of other schools to coordinate cultivation and solicitation of prospects where there are multiple interests.

Principal gift work requires understanding the University’s overarching strategic priorities, as well as the programs and aspirations of the colleges and units where Principal Gifts are needed. Consultation, coordination and collaboration with regional and unit-based colleagues is essential.

CHARACTERISTIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The Principal Gift Officers major areas of responsibility include, but are not limited to, the following:

Fundraising:

• Working with approximately 50 high potential individual prospects through the identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship cycles. Forge long-term relationships with these individuals to cultivate their interest in MSU that will lead to eight and nine-figure solicitations

• Actively maintain a portfolio of principal gift level prospects, particularly where there are multiple complex university relationships and the opportunity exists to have university-wide impact that requires thoughtful, experienced, prospect management

• Oversee the preparation of funding proposals, talking points and scripts, assessments of potential support, briefings, gift agreements, endowments, and stewardship reports for assigned prospects. Ensures that all interested parties are involved in key efforts focused on specific prospects

• Promotes deferred giving and has an understanding and expertise in deferred vehicles and the role they can play in supporting visionary gifts

• Advise key university officers on opportunities for their involvement with specific fundraising and engagement events and initiatives with top prospects

• Provide staff assistance to President, Deans, and other University leadership in direct solicitations and interactions with top donor prospects

• Travel as necessary to meet with donors/prospects and execute strategic moves

Strategic Management:

• Strong ability to maintain confidentiality and set the pace around donor moves

• Model a collaborative style of leadership to facilitate and guide creative principal gift level donor relationship strategies in concert with colleagues

• Develop and execute a thoughtful plan to ensure that MSU can rely on an increasing and sustainable flow of philanthropic support from the highest level of donors/prospects

• Support the work of the Associate Vice President for Advancement and Vice President for Advancement

• Foster diversity at all levels of the organization, including the professional staff, the volunteer corps, and the constituencies served

RELATED DUTIES

• To develop proposals and other supportive material for solicitation purposes

• To plan and host campus visits of donor or potential donors or their representatives

• To recruit, organize and train volunteers to support the fundraising activities

SUPERVISION RECEIVED