Association of Academic Museums and Galleries

Title:                           Development Officer II

Level:                         AP14

Link to updated posting by clicking here.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Michigan State University seeks an Associate Director of Development, Cultural Arts to assist the Senior Director of Development, Cultural Arts in fundraising for two innovative and forward-thinking cultural organizations: the Broad Art Museum and the MSU Museum (including its new programmatic division Science Gallery).The Associate Director of Development will manage a portfolio of foundations, corporations, and individual major gift prospects with a focus on awards, sponsorships, and gifts of $50,000+. They will also manage an annual appeal campaign (and upper-level donor benefits program) while developing compelling fundraising materials that include proposals, reports, appeals and sponsor packs, that support the efforts of both museums. The successful candidate will be a strategic thinker, have demonstrated experience as a collaborator and a track record of personal fundraising success. 

Reporting to the Senior Director of Development, Cultural Arts, the Associate Director will actively partner with the Executive Directors of the MSU Museum and Broad Art Museum as well as key teams within each unit including marketing, education and community outreach.  In addition, they will work collaboratively with colleagues across MSU to identify giving opportunities that benefit cultural arts and other areas that align with the donor’s interests.

THE BROAD ART MUSEUM AND MSU MUSEUM

The Broad Art Museum connects people with art through experiences that inspire curiosity and inquiry. With a focus on the art of our time—in dialogue with the historical—the museum encourages engagement with timely issues of local relevance and global significance. Through a program that features local, national, and international artists, a permanent collection of over 10,000 works, and dynamic public programming, the Broad Art Museum advances the values of quality, inclusion, and connectivity that are paramount to Michigan State University.

Opened in 2012, the 46,000-square-foot museum was designed by the late Pritzker Prize-winning architect Zaha Hadid and named in honor of Eli and Edythe Broad, longtime supporters of the university and advocates for the arts who provided the lead gift of $28 million.

The MSU Museum is one of the earliest established museums in the nation and has continued to preserve collections and serve learners since its opening on the campus in 1857. It is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and was the first museum in the state to receive Smithsonian affiliate status. The MSU Museum is a registered scientific institution with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and a partner with the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs in select statewide programs.

The MSU Museum is a public steward for nearly a million objects and specimens in Anthropology, Natural Science, Folk Arts, and History from around the world. The collections provide the foundation for research, education, and outreach both locally and internationally. The Museum cultivates and maintains interdisciplinary linkages across campus, particularly in college-based programs in the sciences, arts and humanities, and international studies.

Founded in 2018, Michigan State University’s Science Gallery works with young adults to ignite creativity and discovery at the intersections of science, technology, art, and design. It became a programmatic division of the MSU Museum in 2021. MSU’s Science Gallery is our nation’s first member of the prestigious, international Science Gallery Network. The university-linked Science Gallery Network consists of nine locations worldwide: Dublin, London, Venice, Bengaluru, Melbourne, Rotterdam, Detroit, Atlanta, and Berlin. In 2021, Science Gallery became a programmatic division of the MSU Museum aimed at experimentation and innovation at the intersection of science and art.

FUNDRAISING

• Identify and maintain an active pool of 100 – 120 foundation, corporate, and individual donor prospects.
• Collaborate and coordinate with University Advancement, and administrators and faculty of the Broad Art Museum and the MSU Museum to create and carry out fundraising strategies and solicitation of donations and awards of $50,000 and more from these prospects, averaging 2 to 4 solicitations or proposals a month.
• Develop printed materials, including proposals, reports, and sponsors packs, that support these fundraising efforts.
• Develop and prepare effective annual giving solicitation appeals (and upper-level donor benefits program) and acknowledgement documents that focus both on renewing gifts and engaging new donors
• Work to build strong, engaged relationships with prospects to determine and merge prospect passions/interests/needs with Cultural Arts funding priorities.
• Achieve the College fundraising goals through an active and consistent prospect/donor outreach that includes 120 significant contacts annually. Attends events at the Broad Art Museum and the MSU Museum to connect with donors and prospects.
• Work collaboratively with and support volunteers, other development staff, and other MSU representatives to cultivate and solicit donors for college-wide priorities. 
• Serve as a consultant to donors on the tax advantage of various types of gifts.

EXTERNAL COMMUNICATION AND DONOR STEWARDSHIP

• Works with the appropriate marketing colleagues to maintain current giving information on the websites.
• Assist in developing and implementing an annual major donor communication and stewardship plan for both Museums that includes donor updates, reports, engagement events, and gift stories.
• Monitor all prospect contacts to ensure positive and purposeful prospect and donor relations. 

PROGRAM MANAGEMENT

• Prepare annual personal fundraising goals and analyze/report goal accomplishment.  Assist in planning and implementing special-purpose campaigns, as necessary.
• Assist with coordinating and participating in donor engagement, prospecting, recognition, and stewardship events, as appropriate.
• Utilize alumni and donor database to coordinate with other development colleagues, record contact activities, update donor information, record strategic moves management steps, and gift documentation as appropriate.

REPORTING

Reports to the Senior Director of Development, Cultural Arts.

COMMUNICATIONS/INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS

• Michigan State University alumni, faculty/staff/retirees, friends, patrons, and other potential donors (including corporate and foundation prospects) to solicit and handle their donor requests.
• Faculty and Staff – to educate and train them on development direction, seek their advice on needs, answer funding questions and advise them on funding strategy.
• Peers – to obtain advice and counsel for programs and coordinate donor prospects’ cultivation and solicitation.
• Professional Organizations – to obtain advice and counsel on options being considered for programs.         
• Government Agencies/Foundations – to assess current funding priorities and particular donor procedures.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

Knowledge equivalent to that which normally would be acquired by completing a four-year college degree program in Liberal Arts, 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 fundraising, marketing or related field; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Desired

• A Bachelor’s degree is required.  An advanced degree in the arts, sciences, museum studies, liberal arts, business, communications, public relations, marketing, or some other related field is desirable.
• Five years of meaningful experience in or knowledge of all key development areas (major giving, annual fund, and corporate and foundation relations), with history of securing awards and gifts of $50,000 or more.
• Strong verbal and written communications (including proposal and report writing), along with advanced interpersonal skills are required. 
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a complex higher education institution, and understanding and experience in development are highly desirable, as is a collaborative team-oriented style. 

• Understanding of and appreciation of science and arts and culture.
• Knowledge of fundraising and tax law affecting charitable giving is necessary. 
• Must have a valid driver’s license.
• In-state travel and some out-of-state travel required. 

HOW TO APPLY

If you have any questions regarding this position, please contact Pat Karam, Director of Recruitment, at karampat@msu.edu.

All candidates must submit an application and resume through the Michigan State University Human Resources web-based system the URL for that website is careers.msu.edu. Please refer to posting number 740269.

Screening of applicants will continue until the position is filled.

MSU is an affirmative action, equal opportunity employer.

MSU is committed to achieving excellence through cultural diversity.  The university actively encourages applications and/or nominations of women, persons of color, veterans, and persons with disabilities.