Campaign Director

Aspen Leadership Group is proud to partner with Michigan State University in the search for a Campaign Director.

Reporting to the Associate Vice President for University Advancement, the Campaign Director will lead comprehensive campaign efforts in alignment with the mission and vision of Michigan State University and University Advancement. The Campaign Director will be responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of the campaign, including the development and oversight of a strategic campaign plan encompassing goals, timeline, volunteer structure, budget, staffing, communications planning, campaign outreach and events, and donor recognition strategies. Collaborating closely with the Senior Advancement Leadership Team and constituency development teams, the Campaign Director will ensure alignment of college and unit strategies with overall campaign goals. Additionally, this role involves working with the Senior Director of Marketing and Communication to align case statements across all 28 colleges and units with fundraising priorities, managing the development of unit campaign priorities, and serving as the main liaison with the university’s campaign counsel. The Campaign Director will conduct detailed data analysis, provide regular progress reports, utilize performance data to refine strategies, and maintain accurate financial records. Moreover, the role includes building and executing a robust volunteer structure, developing engagement strategies with development councils, providing updates to stakeholders, and assisting in deploying campaign branding. This is a unique opportunity to drive transformative change and support the university’s mission through strategic and impactful campaign leadership. Michigan State University currently operates in a hybrid work environment, spending two to three days in the office per week, depending on travel schedules. The Campaign Director will be expected to integrate into the culture of the university and spend time in person developing relationships with faculty and staff, as well as with colleagues across campus in order to effectively represent and convey the university's mission to stakeholders.

Michigan State University was established in 1855, and by 1862 it stood as the nation’s premier land-grant university. Over the decades, the university has continued to be a model of what a land-grant university can and should do. As a university of, for, and by the people, Michigan State University began a long tradition of empowering people through educational opportunity. Every day, Spartans work to solve the most pressing global challenges while providing life-changing opportunities to a diverse and inclusive academic community. Located in East Lansing, three miles east of Michigan’s capitol in Lansing, MSU’s campus is one of the biggest and greenest in the nation. The 5,000-acre campus is home to more than 51,000 students. Top-ranked programs, high-quality opportunities, and a diverse, inclusive, and collaborative community enable those students to create personalized paths that prepare them to succeed and lead. MSU offers more than 400 academic programs and over 300 education abroad programs. It has an outstanding record of students earning Rhodes, Goldwater, and other prestigious national and international scholarships. Wherever one goes, there are Spartans working to make a better world. The MSU community includes more than 12,000 faculty and academic support staff and an alumni network nearly half a million strong.

Michigan State University has been advancing the common good with uncommon will for more than 165 years. A top global university, MSU pushes the boundaries of discovery to make a better world while providing students with life-changing opportunities. The university is ranked in the top 10 nationally by U.S. News & World Report for learning communities, study abroad, and service-learning offerings. MSU also has 35 undergraduate and graduate programs and concentrations ranked in the top 25 nationally by the publication, including six top ranked programs—undergraduate and graduate programs in supply chain management and logistics, graduate programs in elementary and secondary education, as well as both online and on campus graduate programs in curriculum and instruction. The university also has been named a gold-status veteran-friendly school by the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency eight years in a row and received a gold rating for sustainability achievements in 2022 through the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education.

Michigan State University is recognized as a national leader in the advancement of knowledge by the most diverse and exemplary cadre of students, trainees, faculty, staff, and alumni who transform lives through equitable teaching, research, scholarship, and practice. Michigan State University believes differences are assets. It fosters a community that respects and values a broad range of backgrounds, viewpoints, and experiences and encourages and creates opportunities so all Spartans can reach their full potential educationally and professionally.

A bachelor's degree or knowledge equivalent to that which normally would be acquired by completing a bachelor's degree program in English, journalism, public relations, marketing, telecommunications, or communications, or a related field is preferred for this position as is at least five years of related and progressively more responsible or expansive experience in nonprofit fundraising or higher education advancement. Michigan State University will consider candidates with a broad range of backgrounds. If you are excited about this role and feel that you can contribute to MSU, but your experience does not exactly align with every qualification listed above, we encourage you to apply. All applications must be accompanied by a cover letter and résumé. Cover letters should be responsive to the mission of Michigan State University as well as the responsibilities and qualifications presented in the position prospectus.

The salary range for this position is $158,000 to $180,000 annually.

Michigan State University is committed to the inclusion of all qualified candidates. If you require reasonable accommodation in completing this application, interviewing, or participating in the selection process, please contact Michael Carver at michaelcarver@aspenleadershipgroup.com.

To apply for this position, visit: https://opportunities.aspenleadershipgroup.com/opportunities/1479.