Associate Director, Museum Development & Major Gifts

Colby College; Colby (KS); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Colby College Museum of Art seeks an Associate Director of Museum Development to broaden philanthropic engagement and lead leadership annual giving, Friends of Art, and related events and communications.

Reporting to the executive director, you will cultivate donors, manage a large portfolio, and collaborate across advancement teams during a growth phase of the museum and Colby’s Dare Northward campaign.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or the equivalent in education and experience.
• Minimum of 3-5 years of fundraising or related experience in a college, university, museum, cultural, or complex institution with success in making direct solicitations.
• Demonstrated capacity to organize and manage programs.
• Superb organizational skills, ability to consistently meet deadlines and follow through on assignments, and great attention to detail.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Proficiency with fundraising/alumni relations or equivalent relationship management databases and technology.
• Proven collaboration and teamwork skills in a diverse community to leverage activities, initiatives, and programs for multiple purposes.
• Strong, self-motivated work ethic; flexibility; and demonstrated capability to work both independently and constructively as a member of a diverse community.
• Appreciation of Colby’s and Colby College Museum of Art’s missions and the ability to effectively communicate them.
• Unwavering commitment to fostering an anti-racist, equitable work environment supportive of people from different cultures, backgrounds, and life paths.
• Willingness and ability to work outside normal working hours (i.e. nights and weekends).
• Must be willing to travel; valid driver’s license required and must meet the College’s Fleet Safety Policy requirements

Responsibilities

• Manage a portfolio of 100+ households to build meaningful relationships and solicit leadership annual level gifts to the Colby Museum ($2,500 to $99,000).
• Review gifts to the museum regularly and conduct research on donor histories, capacity, and inclination to identify opportunities for further engagement, cultivation, and personalized stewardship.
• Manage annual solicitation plan to renew and build participation in Friends of Art in close collaboration with the Colby Museum of Art, Colby Fund, and Advancement Communications and Engagement teams.
• Serve as content expert on Friends of Art print and digital appeals, working closely with Colby Fund team on voice, content, and recipient lists.
• Contribute to ideation and execution for museum events, including traveling exhibitions, Friends of Art cultivation events, and the annual Summer Luncheon.
• In partnership with the annual giving team and museum communication team, develop and execute communications strategy that features and distributes museum content for donor-focused communications.
• Track and assess progress to fundraising and participation goals for all annual giving to the Colby Museum.
• Oversee the weekly gift acknowledgement process in coordination with the Administrative Operations team, providing timely, standardized thank you letters from the Colby Museum of Art’s Carolyn Muzzy Director for gifts in support of the museum and drafting tailored communications as necessary.
• Perform additional duties as assigned; duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice
• Reporting to the executive director of museum development, the associate director of museum development will work closely with the Colby College Museum of Art’s Carolyn Muzzy director and advancement partners.

Skills

Fundraising experience

Donor relations

Event coordination

Communications

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

CRM databases

Job description

Colby College Museum of Art seeks an Associate Director of Museum Development to broaden philanthropic engagement and lead leadership annual giving, Friends of Art, and related events and communications.

Reporting to the executive director, you will cultivate donors, manage a large portfolio, and collaborate across advancement teams during a growth phase of the museum and Colby’s Dare Northward campaign.