Working Title: Leadership Annual Gift Officer
State Role Title: Administrative & Professional (Non-teaching Faculty)
Position Type: Administrative & Professional (Non-teaching Faculty)
Position Status: Full-Time
FLSA Status: Exempt: Not Eligible for Overtime
College/Division: Constituent Engagement and Sustained Giving
Department: 100246 - Office of Annual Giving+C465
Pay Band:
Pay Rate: Pay Range
Specify Range or Amount: $72,000 - $75,000
Is this a JMU only position? No
Is this a grant-funded position? No
Is this a Conflict of Interest designated position? No
Beginning Review Date: 07/25/2026
About JMU:
Mission
We are a community committed to preparing students to be educated and enlightened citizens who lead productive and meaningful lives.
Vision
To be the national model for the engaged university: engaged with ideas and the world.
Who We Are
Situated in the heart of Virginia’s beautiful Shenandoah Valley, the city of Harrisonburg is a vibrant community with a population of approximately 52,000. Harrisonburg is conveniently located approximately 120 miles from Washington, D.C. and Richmond, VA.
JMU is a selective, public institution with a growing national reputation for offering experiences that lead to an outstanding education and supportive environment for students, faculty and staff. The student body includes approximately 21,000 undergraduate and 1,800 graduate students, with over 1,000 full-time instructional faculty.
JMU offers thriving programs in the liberal arts, science and technology, and professional disciplines at the undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels. JMU has achieved national recognition for the high quality of its academic programs, focus on maintaining strong student/faculty interaction, and innovative faculty research.
General Information:
Working with both Philanthropy & Engagement and Student Affairs in a collaborative, cross-divisional position, this Leadership Annual Gift Officer (LAG Officer) represents JMU with professionalism and warmth, reinforcing a culture of philanthropy and donor-centered engagement.
The LAG Officer plays a critical role in strengthening the university’s philanthropic pipeline by building meaningful, sustained relationships with donors making leadership-level annual gifts (generally but not exclusively $1,000–$10,000). This position focuses on these midlevel philanthropists, particularly those with an interest in supporting student life at JMU, while serving as an important bridge between annual giving strategies and major gift qualification. The LAG Officer works primarily onsite at JMU.
Duties and Responsibilities:
Donor Engagement and Fundraising
- Manage a portfolio of 100–125 prospective LAG donors to cultivate and solicit them.
- Champion key Student Affairs funds and university priorities through both personalized donor conversations and targeted solicitations.
- Connect prospective donors in the portfolio with relevant JMU and Student Affairs leaders, invite them to events that will appeal to them and make direct appeals/asks. (Most contact is digital and virtual with select travel and some on-campus engagement.)
- Secure leadership-level annual gifts and contribute to donor retention and upgrade strategies for thoughtful progression toward larger and more complex gifts; qualify donors for introduction to colleagues in Strategic Gifts.
- Encourage leadership-level annual donors to issue challenges for Giving Day and oversee collaboration between Annual Giving and Strategic Gifts on challenges for Giving Day, including but not limited to those relating to Student Affairs.
- Collaborate on and promote university-wide, affinity-based fundraising efforts that include leadership-level annual gifts (e.g. Women for Madison’s Amethyst Circle, Family Engagement’s Parents and Families Leadership Society).
- Collaborate with Philanthropy & Engagement colleagues, particularly those in Annual Giving, and Student Affairs partners to develop an annual work plan and a multi-year strategy aligned with solicitation and stewardship calendars. Where appropriate, initiate gift agreements and help develop case statements.
- Communicate Student Affairs’ philanthropic priorities and translate the division’s mission and impact into compelling donor engagement strategies.
Public Relations and Donor Stewardship
- Serve Student Affairs as a liaison to Philanthropy & Engagement offices, as well as a strategist in developing SA fundraising efforts led by the Office of Annual Giving and discovering prospects to be managed by the Office of Strategic Gifts. The LAGO will be an essential member of relationship management teams.
- Participate, as appropriate, in Student Affairs board and leadership meetings and related engagement opportunities, including coordination with Student Affairs for on-campus and student-focused philanthropy activities (e.g. Giving Day).
Work with Annual Giving, Donor Relations, and Student Affairs partners to ensure midlevel donors are thanked, recognized, and informed of their impact through coordinated stewardship efforts.
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Qualifications:
Required:
- Bachelor’s degree in related field or equivalent combination of education and experience
- Demonstrated experience in fundraising, donor engagement, sales, relationship management, or a related field with transferrable skills
- Strong interpersonal, communication, and organizational skills
- Ability to manage multiple priorities while maintaining attention to detail and follow-through
- Comfort engaging with donors in one-to-one and small-group settings
- Demonstrated connection or expressed interest in student life and Student Affairs initiatives
Preferred:
- Experience in higher education advancement, annual giving, or midlevel fundraising
- Familiarity with donor databases, CRM systems, and data-informed fundraising strategies
Additional Posting Information:
JMU’s Dual Career and Community Resources Program is available for candidates that will be relocating to the area. For more information, please visit https://bit.ly/2OTF1NG.
Conditions of Employment:
Employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a criminal background check.
E-Verify Notice: After accepting employment, new hires are required to complete an I-9 form and present documentation of their identity and eligibility to work in the United States. James Madison University uses the E-Verify system to confirm identity and work authorization.
EEO Statement:
James Madison University is committed to creating and supporting a diverse and inclusive work and educational community that is free of all forms of discrimination. This institution does not tolerate discrimination or harassment on the basis of age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, genetic information, national origin, parental status, political affiliation, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation or veteran status.
We promote access, inclusion and diversity for all students, faculty, staff, constituents and programs, believing that these qualities are foundational components of an outstanding education in keeping with our mission. The university is interested in candidates whose experience and qualifications support an ongoing commitment to this core quality.
Anyone having questions concerning discrimination should contact the Office for Equal Opportunity: (540) 568-6991.
Reasonable Accommodation:
If you are an individual with a disability and need assistance searching or applying for jobs please contact us at (540) 568-3597 or [email protected]. You may also visit the JMU Human Resource Office, located at 752 Ott Street, Harrisonburg, VA 22807 and we will be happy to assist you.
