You must apply through the U-M Jobs website (umjobs.org). In addition to your resume, please submit a cover letter not to exceed one page. In the body of your letter, please describe how the position fits with and advances your career goals. Your resume and cover letter will be a writing sample for the initial screening process. Please submit your cover letter and resume as a single electronic document (a PDF is best, but there are other acceptable formats), as the system will accommodate only one attachment.

Note: The expected timeline for this search is Round 1 phone interviews and Round 2 Zoom interviews through March and early April, with an anticipated start date in late April.

Salary and Work Location

The salary range for this position is $65,000 - $72,000. Salary is determined by direct relevant experience and demonstrated past performance results while ensuring equity on our team.

Our office is located at 309 Maynard Street in Ann Arbor, Michigan. This position is hybrid with the major gift officer team typically being in-office on Tuesdays. Specific days in the office will be determined with your manager and team.

This position also requires frequent travel across the central states region. Your primary regional coverage will include these states: IN, MN, WI along with discovery work in IL.

Who we are

LSA Advancement champions the liberal arts at the University of Michigan by creating access and opportunities for learning, engagement, and giving that will improve the world. We are more than 80 professionals building a positive hybrid work environment that supports the excellence and transformative power of the college's liberal arts mission through values-based fundraising, marketing, and communications. To learn more about what we do, our culture (including our practice of positive organizational scholarship), and our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, visit our Join Our Team Website.

Who you are

You are an active listener who enjoys meeting new people and can encourage someone to share their story through clarifying and thoughtful questions. You have a passion for the goals of higher education and can share them with a diverse audience. You are a strategic thinker who enjoys working toward a goal. You approach challenges with creativity and collaboration. You are a lifelong learner with curiosities on example topics ranging from Astrophysics to Native American studies to Van Gogh. If this describes you, we'd love to hear from you.

What you'll do

Major gift fundraisers in LSA have conversations about student support and scholarships, dinosaurs, economic recovery, and English literature all in one day, sometimes in one discussion. Our alumni live in all corners of the world, work in every imaginable field, and have one thing in common: their love for Michigan and their liberal arts education.

Members of our team travel to assigned regions of the country to meet with alumni, parents, and friends who have the potential to make gifts of $100,000+. You will talk to them about their experience on campus and the path that they have followed since graduation. You will guide a discussion to help alumni understand the priorities of LSA and connect those to their philanthropic involvement with LSA in a way that is meaningful for them. You will work with college leaders, faculty, staff of our academic departments, and other colleagues across campus to cultivate potential donors and steward existing donors to be sure that they recognize the impact of their giving. You will also partner with 3-5 academic departments or programs to help position them to receive major gifts.

Reports to: You will report directly to the Executive Director for Central States Fundraising with project-based assignment reporting lines to other members of the LSA major gift officer team.

A full job description can be found here.

The mission of the University of Michigan is to serve the people of Michigan and the world through preeminence in creating, communicating, preserving and applying knowledge, art, and academic values, and in developing leaders and citizens who will challenge the present and enrich the future.

In addition to a career filled with purpose and opportunity, the University of Michigan offers a comprehensive benefits package to help you stay well, protect yourself and your family, and plan for a secure future. Benefits include:

• Generous time off, including vacation time, sick time, holidays, and season days
• A retirement plan that provides two-for-one matching contributions with immediate vesting
• Many choices for comprehensive health insurance
• Life insurance
• Long-term disability coverage
• Flexible spending accounts for healthcare and dependent care expenses

In addition, LSA offers:

• Enhanced tuition support programs for LSA courses
• Strong commitment to work/life balance
• Flexible work arrangements with respect to campus stakeholder needs

Being part of something greater, of serving a larger mission of discovery and care, that's the heart of what drives people to work at Michigan. In some way, great or small, every person here helps to advance this world-class institution. It's adding a purpose to your profession. Work at Michigan and become a victor for the greater good.

You can see a summary of the benefits you will be eligible to receive here.
 

Here are the things you already have: 

• A bachelor's degree.
• One to three years previous experience in fundraising or a related relationship building field, such as sales, financial industry, education, or marketing.
• Experience working and collaborating with a variety of partners.
• Demonstrated writing and interpersonal communication skills.
• Working knowledge of business productivity tools such as Google Workspace or Microsoft Office and video conferencing applications (e.g. Zoom, Google Meet).
• Demonstrated cultural competency through actions, interactions, or communications with others.
• Experience working with sensitive and confidential data.

We encourage applications from candidates with varied perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds.

Travel requirements: 

Individuals must be able to travel by air and car to their assigned region, including areas that may not have reliable public transportation, such as Uber, Lyft, etc. Travel will include overnight stays several days a month and occasional evening and weekend work responsibilities such as attending donor meetings, sporting events, lectures, tailgates, dinners, etc.

Work Authorization: 

Authorization to work in the U.S. is a precondition of employment, and applicants for this position will not be sponsored for work visas.

Positions that are eligible for hybrid or mobile/remote work mode are at the discretion of the hiring department. Work agreements are reviewed annually at a minimum and are subject to change at any time, and for any reason, throughout the course of employment. Learn more about the work modes.

As one of the world's great liberal arts colleges, LSA pushes the boundaries of what is understood about the human experience and the natural world, and we foster the next generation of rigorous and empathetic thinkers, creators, and contributors to the state of Michigan, the nation, and the world.

To learn more about diversity, equity, and inclusion in LSA, please visit lsa.umich.edu/lsa/dei.

To learn more about LSA's Mission, Vision and Values, please visit lsa.umich.edu/strategicvision.

The University of Michigan conducts background checks on all job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent offer and may use a third party administrator to conduct background checks.  Background checks are performed in compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Job openings are posted for a minimum of seven calendar days.  The review and selection process may begin as early as the eighth day after posting. This opening may be removed from posting boards and filled anytime after the minimum posting period has ended.

The University of Michigan is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.