Job Description

Senior Major Gift Officer - College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Wayne State University is searching for an experienced Senior Major Gift Officer - College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at its Detroit campus location.

Wayne State is a premier, public, urban research university located in the heart of Detroit, Michigan where students from all backgrounds are offered a rich, high-quality education. Our deep-rooted commitment to excellence, collaboration, integrity, diversity and inclusion creates exceptional educational opportunities which prepare students for success in a global society.

Essential functions (job duties):

Provide expertise and experience while participating in fundraising efforts, strategies and initiatives for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Manage a prospect portfolio to achieve aggressive fundraising and contact goals annually. Cultivate, solicit and steward major gift donors to meet established fundraising goals within the allocated expense budget. This position reports to the Senior Director, Major Gifts - College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Serve in the role of seasoned professional by providing expertise and guidance in identifying fundraising needs and priorities. Collaborate with the AVP and Sr. Director of Major Gifts, Dean, Department Chairs and faculty. Develop major gift fundraising plans and strategies. Establish realistic and achievable timeline. Remain current with fundraising trends.

Manage a prospect portfolio to achieve aggressive fundraising and contact goals annually. Establish and implement prospect qualification, cultivation, and solicitation strategies with
a particular focus on securing commitments of $25,000+. Engage university leadership and college-based colleagues as appropriate to support prospect strategies.

Responsible for achieving annual fundraising goal and assisting in meeting unit and division goals; allocating and prioritizing time and resources to achieve the greatest return on investment. Performance and productivity will be measured on the following core metrics as determined annually:
Dollars raised for campaign gift commitments
Number of major gift solicitations of $25,000+
Number of major gift closures at $25,000+
Number of face-to-face prospect and donor meetings (in-person and virtual visits)
Number of meaningful, significant contacts each month

Serve as seasoned resource with Development units (e.g., Corporate Relations, Foundation Relations, Donor Experience, Planned Giving, and Prospect Development) as well as other university units to ensure operational efficiencies within the unit.

Draft and negotiate gift and pledge documentation ranging from moderate to high complexity. Ensure timely routing of donor contributions to central development for processing.

Perform other related duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

Education Bachelor\'s degree
Graduation from an accredited college or university with a degree in marketing, public relations, business administration or related field.

Experience Specialist (minimum 5 years of job-related experience)
Five (5) to Eight (8) years of experience working as a fundraising professional in direct major donor solicitations in excess of $25,000.

Direct experience preparing proposals and conducting major gift solicitations required.

Higher education development and prior volunteer management experience preferred.

Professional understanding of, and interest in, Development and Alumni Affairs best practices and general operations. Understanding of trends and best practices related to major gift solicitation. Positive and collaborative professional philosophy, recognizing that this position is integral to the achievement of the goals and objectives of Development and Alumni Affairs.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

COMMUNICATIONS SKILLS: Ability to communicate clearly, concisely and professionally both orally and in writing. Strong interpersonal skills are a must. Ability to work successfully with persons from diverse backgrounds.

PLANNING AND ORGANIZATION: Ability to manage several projects simultaneously, prioritize and plan work activities while meeting respective deadlines. Strong organizational and time-management skills required. Demonstrated ability to manage and execute multiple creative projects in various media, often at the same time. Ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously in a deadline-oriented environment.

ANALYTICAL AND PRESENTATION SKILLS: Ability to evaluate, interpret, and present complex information effectively in professionally prepared documents or presentations. Must possess a demonstrated attention to detail in order to achieve a high degree of accuracy.

TECHNICAL SKILLS: Proficient in the use of complex administrative systems software, preferably in the higher education environment. Proficient with Microsoft Office suite, especially Word, Excel and Teams.

LEARNING AGILITY: Independent and innovative self-starter who displays an ability to learn quickly and easily adapts to changing situations. Experience researching topics to gain knowledge and understanding when information gaps exist.

TEAMWORK: Ability to collaborate effectively with colleagues within the division and other units to gain full understanding of the project and desired outcome; ability to produce high quality and consistent results with assistance of team members; provide support to teammates when tackling complex projects.

DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION: Demonstrates a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion through continuous development, modeling inclusive behaviors and proactively managing implicit bias.

School/College/Division:

H86 - Development & Alumni Affairs

Primary department:

H8605 - Development Office

Employment type:

• Regular Employee
• Job type: Full Time
• Job category: Staff/Administrative

Funding/salary information:

• Compensation type: Annual Salary

• Salary minimum: $75,000
• Salary hire maximum: $85,000

Working conditions:

Normal office environment. Adhere to confidentiality and data usage policy for the division. This position requires a high level of commitment and enthusiasm. Due to travel requirements, evening meetings and special events, etc., incumbent must be willing to work extended hours as needed.

Job openings:

• Number of openings: 2
• Reposted position: No

Background check requirements:

University policy requires certain persons who are offered employment to undergo a background check, including a criminal history check, before starting work. If you are offered employment, the university will inform you if a background check is required.

Equal employment opportunity statement:

Wayne State University provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. The university encourages applications from women, people of color and other underrepresented people. Wayne State is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer.

Wayne State University