University of Michigan

Major Gift Officer

School of Education

Working Title

: 

Major Gift Office

Posting Number

: 

56878

Job Category

: 

Fundraising - Major Gift Officer

Salary

: 

$75,000 - $80,000

Reports To

: 

Director of Development, Communications, and Alumni Relations

Date Posted

: 

2011-05-06

Experience Range

: 

2 to 5 Years

A cover letter is required for consideration for this position and should be attached as the first page of your resume. The cover letter should address your specific interest in the position and outline skills and experience that directly relate to this position.

To apply for this position, please submit your cover letter and resume as one document on the University of Michigan Careers at the U site.

If you are unable to apply via the U-M Jobs site, please submit your cover letter and resume to dev.careers@umich.edu. In the subject line, please type in the Job ID# for which you are applying.

For questions about the U-M application process, please refer to the FAQ page

Position Description

The Major Gift Officer (MGO) is part of a team of professionals whose primary responsibility is the identification, cultivation, and solicitation of individual prospects capable of giving in excess of $100,000. The MGO will develop and drive fundraising strategies to secure major gifts from alumni and friends. Frequent travel is required as is occasional work on weekends.

Characteristic Duties and Responsibilities

Advance individual relationships that result in philanthropic contributions (50%):

• Manage a portfolio of 250 prospects and donors with capacity to make gifts of $100,000 or more.
• Gather data, assess prospects, and develop strategies designed to realize the current and lifetime giving potential of individual prospects.
• Ensure consistent and appropriate contact, facilitate or make solicitations, and ensure effective stewardship.
• Make persuasive verbal and written cases for supporting the School of Education’s key programs and projects, effectively matching the interests of prospects to specific school priorities.

Develop and refine a prospect pool and apply resources of the larger team to accomplish the goals of the School of Education (20%).

• Gain a comprehensive understanding of the priorities of the School of Education.
• Participate in the development of department objectives and strategies.
• Set priorities for multiple short-term and long-term projects.
• Report activity and monitor resources and expenditures associated with his/her program and portfolio.

Identify new prospects within the alumni community and initiate cultivation for support (10%).

Meet with colleagues across campus to coordinate and execute strategies (5%).

Develop and maintain relationships with faculty, administrators, and staff associated with his/her portfolios/programs at the School of Education (5%). 

Work closely with planned giving colleagues within the university and the school to close planned gifts with an understanding of the principals and techniques associated with planned giving and financial and estate planning (5%).

Gather, record, and properly store information about prospects and donors utilizing the university’s donor and alumni tracking database (5%).

Perform other duties as required or assigned.

Preferred Qualifications

• A baccalaureate degree is required; graduate or professional degree preferred.
• Minimum of 3-5 years of successful fundraising—or comparable—experience.
• Close familiarity with and commitment to both K-12 and higher education.Excellent communications skills, especially strong writing and presentation skills.Ability to work collaboratively with colleagues in a team environment.A general level of comfort when dealing with high net worth individuals, and an ability to maintain discretion, and high level of confidentiality, when dealing with significant benefactors.
• A high level of competence with personal computers and software programs—especially Microsoft Office—for retrieving, organizing, and researching appropriate donor/prospect information, as well as data gathering and manipulation.
•  An ability and willingness to quickly learn the School of Education’s and the university’s history, culture, mission, demographics, faculty, current programs, departments, etc., to be able to articulate persuasively how the school distinguishes itself from peer institutions.
•  Strong interpersonal skills are required, both written and oral, as well as a high level of sophistication and maturity in social and professional settings.
•  Prior campaign experience is preferred.

Mission Statement

The Office of University Development maximizes private support for the University of Michigan through high-quality collaboration with the development programs of schools, colleges, and units. We also provide fundraising leadership through the stimulation and facilitation of healthy, productive and life-long relationships with our colleagues, alumni, friends, foundations and corporations.

U-M EEO/AA Statement: The University of Michigan is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.