Director of Development Operations

Isabella-Stewart-Gardner-Museum; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 105,000 - 115,000; Full time

Job summary

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is seeking a Director of Development Operations to lead prospect management, CRM strategy, and donor reporting. You will supervise the Prospect Research Manager and Development Database Analyst, and partner with Finance, IT, Marketing and Leadership on ambitious fundraising goals.

With oversight of a $9M annual development operating and earned revenue target, you will design stewardship plans, manage budget administration, and drive data-informed decisions

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• At least five years in development or fundraising settings.
• Experience with prospect management and donor data systems.

Responsibilities

• Oversee prospect management and stewardship plans.
• Lead development systems including CRM, data reporting, and gifts processing.
• Supervise staff and coordinate with Finance, IT, Marketing and Leadership.
• Develop budgets, governance reporting, and donor briefings.
• Lead cross-department projects and museum-wide initiatives.

Skills

Prospect management

Systems thinking

Staff management

Budget management

Cross-department collaboration

Strong communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

Tessitura CRM

Wordfly

Excel

Job description

Description

Department: Development

Reports to: Chief Development Officer

Classification: Full-time, salaried (exempt) with benefits eligibility

Salary range: $105,000 - $115,000 depending on experience

This is an onsite, Boston-based position. Local candidates strongly preferred. No agencies, please.

Position Summary

This Director of Development Operations provides leadership, strategy and oversight for key aspects of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum’s development department – including designing and maintaining a prospect management system to support the ambitious fundraising goals and activities of the department, developing and maintaining a robust pipeline of individual and institutional prospects (including prospects for the Board of Trustees and the Board of Advisors), and tracking progress and strategy for all of the Museum’s fundraising activities. In addition, the Director manages all development systems (CRM, etc.) and all research and briefing functions, assists with adherence to gift policies and handles operational stewardship activities (credit lines, donor lists and plaques, etc.). This position supervises the Prospect Research Manager and the Development Database Analyst who, together with the Director, form the Development Operations team. The Director of Development Operations plays a key role across the Museum in cross-departmental projects, special initiatives and institution-wide efforts.

This position is a key member of a 16 person development team supporting a $25 M operating budget and an annual development operating and earned revenue goal of $9M plus. The Director will devise and implement stewardship plans for donors, be responsible for reporting and in-depth analysis of each revenue line and initiative within the department.

The Director will help to oversee the departmental budget and operations and provide oversight of systems that support and leverage the development front-line staff. The Director will work closely with Finance, IT, Marketing, Executive Leadership, and many other departments.

Essential Functions and Primary Responsibilities

Prospect Management

• Ensure robust prospect pools by working with the Chief Development Officer, the Associate Director of Development, and the Assistant Manager of the Friends of Fenway Court patron program, to design and deliver a prospect management system and strategies for individual giving. The Director oversees projects, data-mining tools and development department staff planning that proactively identifies new prospects and ensures that prospects are moving through the ladder of engagement.
• Manage stewardship plans through the prospect management system
• Actively enable the achievement of institutional goals by working with the institutional team to identify high-potential corporate and foundation prospects
• Help drive successful management of top prospects, working closely with the Chief Development Officer and Executive Office and collaborates with the Manager of Board Relations to build a strong pipeline of governance prospects.

Systems

• Oversee and manage the Database Analyst, Development functions of the Tessitura CRM and Wordfly, gifts processing, list requests for all development events and outreaches and report requests, and the production of reports. The Director of Development Operations will oversee strategies and guidance for keeping the database current, accurate, and used to its fullest capabilities for research and reporting; ensure the integrity of our gift processing system and oversee the department’s electronic and hard files. Working with the Chief Development Officer and the Database Analyst, the Director of Development Operations will help design and provide analytical reports to ensure the timely tracking and oversight of departmental goals and objectives, as well as reconcile records with the Museum’s finance department. The Director of Development Operations will also work closely with the Museum’s IT department.
• Manage pledge tracking and payment reminders in connection to the recently concluded campaign, annual gifts, and gala pledges.

Research

• Manage all development research functions to support individual and institutional fundraising. As part of this work, this position will supervise the Prospect Research Manager responsible for preparing donor profiles, solicitation briefings, talking points and event briefings. The Director of Operations, in conjunction with the Prospect Research Manager, will also embark on research projects to identify new and more diverse audiences that we wish to attract to the Gardner community and find ways to reach them.

Other Responsibilities

• Manage, with the Chief Development Officer, the departmental budget. The Director of Operations will participate in museum-wide technology task forces and projects.
• Work closely with the the Associate Director of Development and the Manager of the Friends of Fenway Court patron program on fundraising strategies for the Patron Program
• Partner with Membership and Marketing Departments to ensure creative and proactive strategies of building and retaining membership
• Execute staff recognition events for the Development Department
• Support the Events Team with Gala logistics

Project Management

• The Director will serve as Project Manager for various Museum-wide initiatives as assigned.

Requirements

Required

• Bachelor’s degree
• Experience with prospect management and a deep affinity for systems is a must
• Logical and strategic thinking and excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Experience managing staff; An open and collaborative management style, conducive to effective team building, fostering team spirit, and motivating staff
• Experience managing a budget
• Ability to interface productively with staff across the department and museum
• Experience collaborating with the Finance department, the Board Relations area and/or Executive Leadership
• Good judgment and ability to be discreet and handle confidential information
• At least five years of experience working in development
• Must be available to work events as necessary on nights and occasionally on weekends
• Ability to multi-task is a must

Preferred

• Al least three years of experience in Tessitura development software/systems
• Intermediate experience with Microsoft Excel