Job Description

RESEARCH ANALYST / ADVANCEMENT

Position Number: S-3739

Position Summary:

This position supports the fundraising efforts of the university by carrying out proactive and reactive prospect research, database management, prospect and portfolio management and gifts management.

Required Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree or a combination of education and experience that equates to four years.
One year of professional experience, preferably in higher education or a related field.
Computer experience, including MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
Excellent analytical and organizational skills.
Effective verbal and strong written communication skills.
Ability to handle and prioritize multiple tasks.
Accuracy and attention to detail.
Ability to handle sensitive and confidential information.
Ability to project a collegial team-building style with a proven ability to work effectively with people who possess different work styles and methods.
Ability to perform the essential functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodation.

Preferred Qualifications:

General understanding of the structure of higher education and familiarity with a college environment.
Knowledge of online and internet resources/search engines.
Experience with the use of the Raiser’s Edge database.
Knowledge of donor types and an understanding of fundraising processes, or cycles of engagement: identification, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship; or a desire to learn this process.
Awareness of fundraising strategies in higher education.

Duties & Responsibilities:

Assists in analyzing information from publicly available biographical, organizational, and financial resources to prepare written confidential profiles for corporate/foundation and individual prospects; updates profiles as needed.
Provides sensitive and confidential informational reports.
Provides proactive research and identification of major gift prospects for cultivation and solicitation through review/analysis of publications and online resources.
Stays current on journals and newspapers; this includes scanning publications for new information on prospects/potential prospects and distributing research accordingly.
Provides support for the ongoing monitoring of contact reports and inputs pertinent information into the main database system.
Works with a specific set of fundraisers to review/monitor contact reports, make appropriate changes to portfolios, and update information in main database as needed.
Updates the main database system with relevant researched information and assists in monitoring the prospect tracking/management module of the database.
Works collaboratively with the prospect research strategist to generate and update regular reports for the development fundraising staff.
Assists in determining agendas and preparation materials for prospect strategy meetings.
Participates in professional development to keep up-to-date with effective prospect research and prospect management techniques as well as trends in the prospect research profession and the advancement/fundraising field.
Performs other duties as assigned.

Supervision Exercised:

None.

Employee Group: Professional & Administrative -Hourly
Staff Pay Level:
Pay Range: $19.00 - $24.00 per hour
Division: University Advancement
Department: Advancement Services
Position Status: Provisional
Position End Date: 12/30/2028
Employment Status: Full-Time
FTE: 1.00
Position Type: 12 month
Weekly Work Schedule: Mon-Fri, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. / weekends and evenings as needed
Location: Mount Pleasant, MI
Posting Ends:
Open Until Filled: Yes

About the Department:

About CMU:

Central Michigan University has a more than 125-year legacy of preparing students to become leaders and changemakers in their communities and in their personal and professional lives.

We serve nearly 15,500 students on our Mount Pleasant campus, in satellite locations around the state and throughout the country, and through flexible online programs. Many of our approximately 300 undergraduate, master’s, specialist and doctoral programs in the arts, media, business, education, human services, health professions, liberal arts, social sciences, medicine, science and engineering are nationally ranked for excellence.

CMU leads the nation in leadership development programming through our Sarah R. Opperman Leadership Institute, and we are proud to be among only 5% of U.S. universities in the top two Carnegie research classifications. Our faculty work with graduate and undergraduate students in areas such as Great Lakes research, medical innovation, engineering technology and more.

Central is home to 17 men’s and women’s Division 1 sports including football, basketball, gymnastics, baseball, wrestling and more. Our student-athletes achieve great success in competition and in the classroom, capturing Mid-American Conference championships and maintaining an average cumulative GPA of 3.17.

CMU is located in Mount Pleasant, a community that blends the best of small-town living with big-city amenities. It’s part of the culturally varied and vibrant Great Lakes Bay Region that also includes Saginaw, Bay City, Midland and the state’s largest Native American community, centered on the Saginaw Chippewa Isabella Reservation in Mount Pleasant.

Area residents enjoy the mix of outdoor activities, cultural events, shopping and dining options, and family attractions. Other major Michigan destinations and attractions — Lansing, Grand Rapids, Detroit, Traverse City, wineries, beaches, golf and ski resorts, and many more — are within easy reach of the city’s central location in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula.

CMU employees enjoy access to a nationally recognized wellness program along with health care and benefits that exceed regional, state and national norms.
CMU Leadership Standards:

Central Michigan University is a place where we value students and work for their success, where we act as family, and where employees are engaged, appreciated and have extraordinary opportunities to make a difference.

We intentionally maintain and strengthen the hallmark CMU culture that sets us apart from our peers by expecting CMU leaders and employees to model the following Leadership Standards and develop them within their teams.

Please review the Leadership Standards before applying for this position.
Message to Applicants:

Central Michigan University is dedicated to fostering an environment that is reflective of the communities we serve. We are especially interested in highly qualified candidates who will advance and promote CMU’s mission, vision, and leadership standards.

You must submit an on-line application in order to be considered as an applicant for this position.

Cover letters may be addressed to the Hiring Committee.
To apply, visit

CMU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and institution. CMU does not discriminate against persons based on age, color, disability, ethnicity, familial status, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, height, marital status, national origin, political persuasion, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, race, religion, sex, sex-based stereotypes, sexual orientation, transgender status, veteran status, or weight.

If you wish to see “Know Your Rights ” posters, please click here .

CMU does not discriminate on the basis of sex in the education program or activity that it operates, including admission and employment, and is required by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 not to discriminate in such a matter.

Inquiries about the application of Title IX can be made to CMU’s Title IX Coordinator, the US Department of Education’s Assistant Secretary, or both.

CMU’s Title IX Coordinator can be reached at:

Phone: 989-774-3253
Office: 103 E. Preston St.
Bovee University Center, suite 306
Mount Pleasant, MI 48858
Email: titleix@cmich.edu

Job Tags

Hourly pay, Full time, Work at office, Flexible hours, Weekend work, Afternoon shift,

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