Annual Giving and Stewardship Officer

Michigan Giving; Ann Arbor (MI); Hybrid; USD 60,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

The Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor is seeking a development professional to support annual giving, stewardship, and data-driven donor engagement. This role collaborates with ISR colleagues and campus partners to advance fundraising priorities and build lasting donor relationships.

Hybrid or mobile work options are available; some travel for donor cultivation is expected, and candidates should be able to work evenings or weekends as needed to meet

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and a minimum of 2 years of fundraising experience.
• Experience using Excel with relational databases/CRMs and reporting tools.
• Experience managing multiple projects and meeting deadlines.
• Strong customer service orientation with emotional intelligence.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication.
• Ability to work independently and maintain confidentiality.
• Ability to collaborate in a team environment.
• Willingness to travel for donor cultivation; occasional evenings/weekends.

Responsibilities

• Draft solicitation letters for annual appeals and ensure ISR priorities are reflected.
• Use data to establish robust annual giving programs for various constituencies.
• Liaise with the Office of University Development for campus-wide fundraising.
• Lead ISR's leadership annual giving programs to increase gifts in the 1k–10k range.
• Design and execute stewardship programs, process gifts, and record donor data in DART.
• Run weekly gift reports and coordinate donor acknowledgments.
• Create and run reports and dashboards tracking fundraising progress.
• Support prospect development through tagging and analyzing donor indicators.
• Assist in planning stewardship and cultivation events.
• Represent ISR Office of Development on behalf of the team.
• Provide administrative support to the ISR Director's Office.
• Collaborate with faculty and campus partners on special initiatives.

Skills

Communication

Teamwork

Analytical thinking

Attention to detail

Discretion

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Excel

Salesforce

DART

Business Objects

Tableau

Job description

Who We Are

The Institute for Social Research (ISR) is the world's largest academic social science survey and research organization. With researchers from a broad range of academic disciplines, ISR serves as a national laboratory for the social sciences, advancing public understanding of human behavior through empirical research of extraordinary depth and breadth.

ISR serves as a telescope on society, bringing the attitudes and behavior of people into clearer focus.

Our Scientific Mission Is Threefold

• To plan and conduct rigorous social science research
• To disseminate the findings of the research, and
• To train future generations of social scientists

Job Summary

ISR is seeking a highly responsible, self-motivated, detail-oriented individual to help us reach our fundraising goals. ISR is an interdisciplinary environment that requires strong relationship-building skills to successfully partner with colleagues at ISR and across the University.

• We are currently unable to consider candidates who are not authorized to work in the United States. Additionally, we are not offering visa sponsorship for this position. Applicants must have appropriate work authorization at the time of application.

Responsibilities

30% - Annual Giving and Leadership Annual Giving Programs

• Draft solicitation letters for annual appeals and ensure that annual giving solicitations represent ISR's priorities and need for support.
• Utilize new data acquired to establish robust annual giving programs for various constituencies, including but not limited to: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) Summer Program Alumni, Michigan Program in Survey and Data Science (MPSDS) Alumni, and Next Generation Awardees.
• Liaison with the Office of University Development Annual Giving to manage ISR's participation in campus-wide fundraising such as Giving Blueday.
• Lead ISR's leadership annual giving program to increase philanthropic support in the $1k to $10k range.

25% - Stewardship

• Design and execute a robust stewardship program to appropriately recognize ISR's donors.
• Process gifts, and work with the Office of University Development Gift and Records Administration to ensure that all gifts are recorded correctly and donor information is accurately documented in DART.
• Run weekly gift reports and coordinate thank you notes with ISR and Center leadership and their support teams to mail gift acknowledgement letters to donors in a timely manner.
• Pull and analyze reports to recognize giving trends and giving milestones, and assist in the development and execution of stewardship strategies for these individuals.
• Assist in the planning and execution of stewardship and cultivation events, including list management.
• Partner with the ISR Next Generation Program Manager around stewardship aspects of the program.

25% - Data Management and Prospect Development

• Analyze fundraising and prospect data to identify trends, opportunities, and areas for growth across annual and campaign performance.
• Develop and maintain reports and dashboards that track fundraising progress, donor engagement, pipeline activity, and key performance indicators.
• Assist in preparing regular fundraising and campaign reports for ISR leadership, advisory boards, and other key stakeholders.
• Monitor campaign and annual fundraising performance against established goals and provide timely, accurate data to support planning and decision-making.
• Support prospect development through tagging and by identifying and analyzing potential donors, giving patterns, engagement history, and other indicators of philanthropic interest and capacity.
• Conduct data analysis and segmentation to support annual giving, stewardship, donor engagement, and pipeline-building strategies.
• Help establish consistent processes for tracking, measuring, and communicating the development team's activity and results.
• Liaison with the Office of University Development (OUD) Integrative Data Services to build reports and to learn how to most effectively utilize DART and Business Objects.
• Partner with the ISR Business Office, Center finance teams, and OUD Financial Operations, as appropriate, on financial matters, including items such as creating new gift funds, posting gift funds online, reconciling accounts, and pulling and updating gift fund information as appropriate.
• Ensure timely input of all contacts with donors through the creation of batch uploads, marketing efforts, and document imaging.
• Create, run, analyze, and streamline reporting processes using Business Objects and Tableau.

10% - Development Events

• Design and implement development events. Work with our communications staff to develop and distribute event materials, including print and digital communications. Manage logistics of events.

10% - Project Management and Administrative Support

• Represent the ISR Office of Development on behalf of the development team as needed.
• Provide organizational support for special development initiatives that often require collaboration with faculty, staff, and/or campus partners.
• Provide the development team with administrative support as needed.
• Provide support to the ISR Director's Office as needed for pressing projects and timelines.
• Project assistance as needed.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and a minimum of 2 years of experience working in a fundraising (or similar) environment.
• Experience managing complex data using Excel alongside relational databases/CRMs and reporting tools (e.g., DART, Salesforce, Business Objects, Tableau, or similar.
• Experience managing multiple projects and completing assigned tasks in a timely manner; ability to effectively organize and track a project from start to finish.
• Strong customer service orientation with a high degree of emotional intelligence to adapt and build trust with ISR's various audiences.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, including a demonstrated ability to engage effectively with donors, faculty, staff, students, or similar constituencies.
• Intellectual curiosity with the ability to think creatively to solve problems and find solutions.
• Ability to exercise initiative, independent judgement, confidentiality, and a high level of discretion while working with colleagues while dealing with highly sensitive information.
• Ability to develop positive working relationships and to work collaboratively with colleagues in a team environment.
• An ability and willingness to quickly learn about ISR and the University's history, mission, faculty, programs, and culture.
• Willingness to travel for donor cultivation and stewardship events. Occasional weekend and evening hours are required.

Desired Qualifications

We'd especially like to hear from you if you have:

• Prior experience working with the University of Michigan or a similar institution of higher education.
• Familiarity or prior experience with university fundraising software and reporting tools, specifically DART, Business Objects, or Tableau.

Modes of Work

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.

• Relocation will not be offered for this position.

Work Locations

This position is in Ann Arbor, Michigan at the University of Michigan, Institute for Social Research. It is eligible for a percentage of remote or flexible work at the discretion of the Director of Development.

• Relocation will not be offered for this position.

Additional Information

The Institute for Social Research (ISR) at the University of Michigan seeks to create a community of respect and authentic collaboration by recruiting and retaining individuals that represent a variety of voices as a reflection of our commitment to serve the people of Michigan, to maintain the excellence of the university, and to ground our research in varied disciplines, perspectives, and ways of knowing and learning.

• Salary may vary depending on qualifications, experience, and education of the selected candidate.

Benefits At The University Of Michigan

In addition to a career filled with purpose and opportunity, U-M 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; retirement plan with two-for-one matching contributions after the first year; many choices for comprehensive health insurance; life insurance; long-term disability coverage; and flexible spending accounts for healthcare and dependent care expenses. Learn more about U-M benefits.

Background Screening

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.

Application Deadline

Institute for Social Research job openings are posted for a minimum of fourteen (14) calendar days. This opening may be removed from posting boards and filled any time after the minimum posting period has ended.

U-M EEO Statement

The University of Michigan is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.

$60,000.00 - $70,000.00