The Australian National University will cut 42 jobs from its philanthropy department after several reviews found it was not ready for a major fundraising campaign. ANU Advancement will have its budget cut by $3.11 million in 2024 as the university aims to rebuild the organisation from the ground up to be "flexible and agile". National Tertiary Education Union ACT division secretary Dr Lachlan Clohesy said the news has made staff stressed about possible redundancy in the lead-up to the Christmas period. "Because of the proposal put forward by ANU, staff are plagued with uncertainty about what the future might bring and will now spend their Christmas worrying about where their mortgage or rent payments are going to come from in the future," Dr Clohesy said. "Instead of enjoying time with their families, ANU staff will now be spending the holidays worrying about how they will support their families in a cost of living crisis." Alex Furman was appointed as the vice-president Advancement in February this year and was tasked with analysing the performance and operation of the branch. A study by consultants More Partnership found the ANU would not be ready for a major fundraising campaign for at least two to three years. It found gaps in the university's ability to meet its gift governance obligations and recommended a greater focus on fundraising outcomes and increasing alumni engagement. The university ranked last out of the other Group of Eight universities on benchmarking through the Council of the Advancement and Support of Education. The university's ambition is to sustainably raise $75 million per year from 2026 from donations and bequests. The proposed restructure would aim to create "a smaller, more efficient structure with fewer managers and larger teams." Under the changes, 59 professional roles would be removed (including 17 vacant positions), but 17 new roles would be created. Five roles would be reclassified, 46 would retain their roles and two partially funded roles will no longer be funded. There would be changes to reporting lines and type of work for remaining staff. Alumni House will be closed with staff to be relocated to 28 Balmain Crescent, which is expected to save $40,000. A university spokesman said the proposal was out for consultation and no decision had been made yet. "The university will consider all feedback as part of any process and in line with the ANU enterprise agreement," the spokesman said. "At this stage, it is too early to make further comments on the issue as no final decisions have been made. However, any staff who do not have positions in a new structure will be supported to identify redeployment opportunities in Advancement or elsewhere at ANU. "The university understands any proposed change can be challenging. ANU is providing support for any staff currently affected by this proposal." Dr Clohesy said without dramatic changes to the proposal, redundancies were all but certain. "With a net loss of 42 positions, there are only so many opportunities for staff to be redeployed," he said.