Spartan Athletic Foundation - multiple positions avaliable

The Spartan Athletic Foundation (SAF), a subsidiary of Spartan Ventures and the primary fundraising organization supporting Michigan State Athletics, is seeking to fill multiple roles in the following positions. The Spartan Athletic Foundation is governed by a Board of Directors and operates in close coordination with Michigan State Athletics under the oversight of the Vice President and Director of Athletics.

To apply, please complete the application here and send your resume to hr@spartanventures.org indicating which position you are interested in.

Administrative Coordinator, Athletics Development

Provide high-level administrative and operational support to the Executive Director of Athletic Development and Senior Gift Officers/Team leads and assists with the day-to-day coordination of leadership operations. Responsibilities include managing schedules and communications, preparing briefing and meeting materials, coordinating travel and logistics, maintaining organized records and operational tools, and supporting internal processes that advance departmental priorities. The role also assists with leadership meeting preparation, campaign and major gift briefing support, and the coordination of materials and follow-up items related to development initiatives.

Assistant or Associate Director of Events

Responsible for planning, coordinating, and executing high-quality events and engagement experiences for SAF donors, prospects, alumni, and friends of Michigan State Athletics at the direction of Senior Director of Donor Engagement. This position supports MSU Athletics and SAF priorities by creating meaningful donor experiences that strengthen relationships, support stewardship and cultivation strategies, and advance philanthropic engagement. Work closely with development officers, stewardship, communications, creative, data, Varsity S, campus partners, and external vendors to ensure events are well-planned, professionally executed, and aligned with donor engagement goals.

Assistant Gift Officer

Supports one of the fundraising teams within the Spartan Athletic Foundation while identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding donors capable of making philanthropic commitments of $25,000 to $99,999 annually. This role strengthens the major gift pipeline through strategic donor engagement, collaboration within the team structure, and advancement of FOR SPARTA priorities.

Assistant Director of Operations & Prospect Development

Supports donor prospect development by partnering with SAF team members responsible for data analysis and gift reporting to identify donors with philanthropic capacity based on giving history and patterns. This role communicates proactively with fundraisers regarding potential discovery candidates, conducts preliminary discovery conversations with donors to gather insights and assess engagement potential, and provides meaningful analysis to fundraising pod members to support strategic outreach and relationship building. This position manages donor pipeline progression by identifying key timelines for donors approaching the end of pledge commitments and recognizing individuals with potential for increased year-over-year giving.

Assistant Director of Membership Services

Coordinate and execute all aspects of annual giving level benefits and is responsible for the administration of donor memberships, gift processing, priority point tracking, and benefit fulfillment for Spartan Fund level donations. Support the day-to-day operations of the donor membership program through data management, benefit fulfillment, and donor communications, ensuring donors and members receive high-quality experience. The role serves as a key operational liaison between Athletic Development, premium seating and ticketing, and donor relations to ensure members receive their benefits and remain actively engaged with the program.

Assistant Director of Donor Operations

Coordinate across multiple areas of SAF including parking logistics, endowed scholarship program, sport liaison programming, Give Green Day and portfolio management. This role will oversee the endowed scholarship program ensuring adherence to timelines and finding ways to enhance acknowledgement of these commitments while incorporating innovative stewardship procedures. In addition, this role serves as the primary liaison between SAF liaisons and coaching and operations of staff across multiple sports, providing guidance and support related to donor engagement and cultivation efforts.

Director of Business Operations

Provides strategic oversight for SAF’s data analytics, gift management, membership services, premium seating strategy, and internal operations. This position supports revenue generation and operational efficiency by ensuring accurate reporting, effective gift processing, data-informed decision-making, and consistent execution of donor-related business functions. The Director also develops and maintains standard operating procedures, improves business processes, and oversees full-time operations staff responsible for membership services, prospect development, and internal support functions.

Engagement Officer

Serves on one of the fundraising teams within the SAF while identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding donors capable of making philanthropic commitments from $50 to $24,999 annually. This role helps build the early stages of the major gift pipeline through high-volume donor engagement, qualification, and relationship management in support of FOR SPARTA priorities.

Gift Officer

Serves on one of the fundraising teams within the SAF while identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding donors capable of making philanthropic commitments of $100,000 to $250,000 annually. This role advances team-based fundraising strategy, strengthens the donor pipeline, and supports FOR SPARTA priorities through coordinated donor engagement and relationship management.

Senior Gift Officer/ Team Lead 

Leads a fundraising pod within SAF while identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding donors capable of making philanthropic commitments of $250,000+. This role drives strategy, accountability, and mentorship within the pod structure while advancing FOR SPARTA priorities. 

Qualifications may vary based on position.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Communications, Data Analytics, Finance, Hospitality, Marketing, Nonprofit Management, Public Relations, Sports Management, or a related field

• Administrative: 2–4 years of administrative or operational support experience.

• Assistant or Associate Director: 1-3 or 3-5 years of experience in event management, development, donor relations, athletics, hospitality, advancement, or a related field.

• Director and Senior: 5 or more years of experience in athletics development, fundraising operations, business operations, ticketing, premium seating, advancement services, donor relations, or a related field.

• Ability to work collaboratively with fundraisers, ticketing staff, athletics administrators, coaches, campus partners, vendors, and donors.

• Experience working with donors, alumni, campus partners, athletics staff, or external stakeholders.

• Strong organizational, project management, and time management skills, with the ability to manage multiple events, timelines, and priorities simultaneously.

• Strong attention to detail and commitment to delivering high-quality guest experiences. Strong oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills.

• Experience using Microsoft Office, including Excel. Experience working with databases, RSVP systems, event records, or reporting tools.

• Ability to work a flexible schedule, including occasional evenings, weekends, holidays, athletics events, and off-site donor engagement activities as needed.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in athletics development, university advancement, or nonprofit fundraising.

• Familiarity with donor databases. Experience with Salesforce Ascend, Paciolan, Power BI, Tableau, Excel, or similar CRM, ticketing, reporting, or visualization platforms.

• Experience in Division I athletics, athletics development, donor relations, advancement events, or premium hospitality.

• Direct experience working with donors, coaches, student-athletes, and/or high-profile guests.

• Demonstrated ability to develop revenue projections, donor dashboards, segmentation strategies, or operational reporting tools.

To apply, please complete the application here and send your resume to hr@spartanventures.org indicating which position you are interested in.