Jim Miller fills new university role in athletics fundraising

In his new position, former athletic director Jim Miller deals with athletics fundraising and is working to create long-term, comfortable relationships with potential donors, he said.

Miller's new role is acting as the special assistant to the president for athletic advancement. This position came about through Miller's desire to remain at the University of Richmond, he said.

A few years ago, Miller had been interested in fulfilling the position of athletic director at Old Dominion University, his alma mater, but decided against it. When he left the role of athletic director for the University of Richmond, he was not interested in a high position, such as a vice president, but was comfortable filling the role of a special assistant, he said.

His main responsibilities are narrowly defined and include working with designated, or important, donors and acting as a liaison between them and the university, he said. "Friendraising" and fundraising are terms he considers interchangeable in his work because a large part of his role is about building relationships with potential donors and promoting the university in a positive way, he said.

Other responsibilities include trying to help student athletes obtain university fellowship funds and developing relations with former student athletes, he said. Miller also attends alumni events and other fundraising events that do not always focus specifically on fundraising for athletics, he said.

Miller said that as a general rule, most donors prefer to give money to a specific entity on campus. This allows the donor to generally know how his or her funds are being used for the betterment of the university, whether the funds are being given to a specific academic department or a particular sports team, Miller said. When a donor does not designate where he or she would like the money to go, the funds are allocated by the university, he said.

Although Miller deals with fundraising and is not an adviser on general athletic matters, he has met a few times with current athletic director Keith Gill as a colleague at Gill's request, Miller said.

Contact staff reporter Rebecca Wilson at rebecca.wilson@richmond.edu