University-Wide Philanthropy Officer - Arts

Wayne State University; Detroit (MI); Hybrid; USD 60,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

Wayne State University in Detroit seeks an experienced University-Wide Philanthropy Officer - Arts to drive external fundraising for arts, humanities and social sciences. You will cultivate and solicit donors, collaborate across the university, and manage a foundation prospect portfolio to meet annual targets.

The role requires strong analytical, communication and planning skills, with willingness to travel and a hybrid work schedule in a major urban research university setting.

Qualifications

• Ability to evaluate, interpret, and present complex information in professional documents or presentations.
• Demonstrated attention to detail and ability to meet fundraising goals.
• Ability to research funders, identify opportunities, and develop proposals.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills for university-wide collaboration.
• Willingness to work in a hybrid environment and travel for events as needed.

Responsibilities

• Implement external fundraising strategies to support arts, humanities and social sciences.
• Cultivate, solicit, and steward donors to meet fundraising goals.
• Collaborate with directors, faculty, and staff to identify funding priorities and draft proposals.
• Achieve annual fundraising targets and manage a portfolio of foundation prospects.
• Schedule program officer visits and maintain strong funder relationships.

Skills

Analytical skills

Presentation skills

Collaboration

Communication skills

Learning agility

Planning & organization

Teamwork

Technical proficiency

Tools

Microsoft Office

Word

Excel

Teams

Job description

University-Wide Philanthropy Officer - Arts

Wayne State University is searching for an experienced University-Wide Philanthropy Officer - Arts 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):

Job Purpose
Responsible for implementing externalfundraising strategies and initiatives that encourage philanthropic support topromote the mission, priorities and values of Wayne State University with aspecific focus on arts, humanities and social sciences. Cultivate, solicit and steward donors to strengthen relationships,increase philanthropy and meet established fundraising goals. This positionreports to the Director, University-Wide Philanthropy - Arts.

EssentialFunctions
(Essentialfunctions are the primary duties/major job responsibilities that an employeemust be able to perform, with or without reasonable accommodation. Theessential functions are listed in order of importance.)

Collaboratewith director, faculty, staff and fellow development professionals toidentify fundraising needs and priorities; assist in the development offundraising action plans and strategies; create opportunities that willgenerate foundation grants; establish and meet realistic and achievabletimelines. Provide expertise to advance interests by researching andidentifying sources of support, seeking opportunities to generate newproposals based on funder guidelines and interests, and maintaining strongcommunication ties with potential funders.

Responsible for achieving annual fundraising goal and assisting inmeeting unit and division goals: allocating and prioritizing time andresources to achieve the greatest return on investment. Performance andproductivity will be measured on the following metrics as determinedannually:
Dollars raised toward unit fundraising goal
Number of proposals submitted
Number of proposals secured
Number of visits with external funders

Collaboratewith director and development professionals to strategically identify foundationfunding opportunities. Develop andsubmit related proposals and assist in cultivating and soliciting support tosecure and increase foundation philanthropy. Increase the number and qualityof funder prospects in collaboration with Prospect Development team.

Managea portfolio of foundation prospects; schedule and host program officer visitson and off-campus. Conduct one-on-one solicitations; secure personal visitsto build and enhance funder relationships. Maintain knowledge of trends infoundation giving and philanthropy in general.

Performother related duties as assigned.

Unique duties:

Qualifications:

Knowledge,Skills and Abilities

ANALYTICAL AND PRESENTATION SKILLS: Ability to evaluate, interpret, and present complexinformation effectively inprofessionally prepared documents or presentations. Must possess a demonstratedattention to detail in order to achieve a high degree of accuracy. Proposesand evaluates alternative solutions to achieve organizational goals.

COLLABORATION: Exhibita willingness to partner with units across the university with integrity andhigh character to reach unified goals. Possess the ability to navigatedifficult situations with grace and understanding.

COMMUNICATIONS SKILLS: Ability to communicate clearly, concisely and professionally both orallyand in writing. Strong interpersonal skills are a must. Demonstrates theability to plan and deliver oral and written communications that are impactfuland persuasive including presentations to university management and committees.

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

PLANNING AND ORGANIZATION: Ability to manage several projects simultaneously, prioritize and planwork activities while meeting respective deadlines. Strong organizational andtime-management skills required. Maturity, sound judgment and ability to handlemultiple tasks simultaneously in a deadline-oriented environment.

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

TECHNICAL SKILLS: Proficient in the use of complex administrative systems software,preferrably in the higher education environment. Proficient with MicrosoftOffice suite, especially Word, Excel and Teams. Ability to understand andtranslate complex concepts into lay terms.

Preferred qualifications:

School/College/Division:

H86 - Development & Alumni Affairs

Primary department:

H86 - Development

Employment type:

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

Funding/salary information:

• Compensation type: Annual Salary
• Hourly rate:
• Salary minimum: $60,000
• Salary hire maximum: $70,000

Working conditions:

Normal office environment. Hybrid schedule.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., candidate must be willing to work extended hours as needed.

Job openings:

• Number of openings: 1
• Reposted position: No
• Reposted reason: None (New Requisition)
• Prior posting/requisition number:

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.