Director of Marketing & Advancement / Employment

Artist Trust; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Humanities Washington is hiring a Director of Marketing & Advancement to shape how the organization communicates its mission and to grow revenue. You will lead brand strategy, storytelling, and all marketing efforts while guiding fundraising and partnerships to support program work across Washington state.

The role reports to the CEO and sits on the leadership team, collaborating across programs, communications, and development to create a unified narrative and revenue plan.

Qualifications

• Experience leading marketing and fundraising campaigns.
• Proven ability to grow revenue and audiences through storytelling.
• Strong brand strategy and external communications skills.

Responsibilities

• Define How Washington Sees Us: lead positioning, branding, and a measurable marketing calendar.
• Reach New Audiences: expand visibility to new audiences; travel to meet partners and trustees.
• Build an Integrated Revenue Strategy: align marketing, fundraising, and earned revenue into one plan.

Skills

Marketing Leadership

Fundraising

Storytelling

Brand Strategy

Job description

Director of Marketing & Advancement / Employment

Deadline
November25,2026

Organization Name: Humanities Washington

Organization Location: Seattle, WA

Type: Employment

Fee: Free

What does it mean to be human? These days, few questions feel more urgent and few organizations are better at helping people explore them together.

For more than 50 years, Humanities Washington has gathered neighbors around big ideas. In small-town libraries and museum galleries, people come to hear scholars and storytellers speak on everything from Washington history to artificial intelligence, and then stay to talk it through. Families read and discuss books together, master artists pass cultural traditions on to apprentices, and our State Poet Laureate brings poetry to communities across the state. Last year, more than 33,000 people joined us in 118 communities from Bellingham to Walla Walla. Now with a new strategic plan beginning in 2027, a larger Seattle office, and a curious, collaborative team that loves this work, we’re reimagining how Washingtonians find and connect with the humanities. We’re looking for a storyteller to help write what comes next.

As the first Director of Marketing & Advancement for Humanities Washington, you’ll shape how Humanities Washington tells its story and who hears it, from brand and storytelling to video, podcasts, and new audiences. You’ll also lead our revenue team. You’ll supervise our Fundraising Manager and hire a new Business Development & Partnerships Manager, so that marketing, fundraising, and earned revenue tell one story worth funding. You don’t need to be a career fundraiser, but you know how great communications grows support. This is a rare chance to help a beloved institution reintroduce itself to the state.

If you love big questions and bold plans, consider this your invitation.

Organizational Overview

Humanities Washington opens minds and bridges divides by creating spaces where people across the state can explore different perspectives. Founded in 1973 as Washington’s affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, Humanities Washington is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit that brings scholars, storytellers, tradition bearers, and communities together to reflect on our shared past, present, and future.

OUR VALUES

• – Critical thinking: We encourage personal reflection, open-mindedness, lifelong learning, and truth-seeking.
• – Stewardship: We uphold public trust through impactful and transparent use of resources.
• – Belonging: We want people of all ages, means, and cultures to feel welcome and valued in our organization and programs.
• – Connection: We promote healthy dialogue between people with differing perspectives to build and strengthen community relationships.
• – Respect: We believe people are equal in dignity and strive to create welcoming spaces that promote the productive exchange of ideas.

OUR WORK ACROSS WASHINGTON

Humanities Washington partners with libraries, museums, schools, tribes, and cultural organizations to bring the humanities to communities of every size.

• – Speakers Bureau: Scholars, cultural experts, and storytellers give public talks on everything from Washington history to philosophy to artificial intelligence.
• – Public Humanities Fellows: The first paid public humanities fellowship of its kind in Washington, supporting early-career humanists as they create public projects that support underserved communities.
• – Family Reading: Through Prime Time Family Reading and Prime Time Preschool, children and their families read, think, discuss, and learn together.
• Washington State Poet Laureate: Presented with ArtsWA, this program builds awareness and appreciation of poetry through readings, events, and projects across the state.
• – Grants and Awards: Funding for projects that bring people together to discuss, debate, and tell stories through the lens of the humanities.
• WACultures: A partnership with ArtsWA that helps cultural traditions thrive across the state, including Heritage Arts Apprenticeships that pair master artists with apprentices in traditions such as Ravenstail weaving and Palestinian embroidery.

BY THE NUMBERS – Humanities Washington in 2025

• – 33,039: Program Attendance at 500+ Programs & Events
• – 118: Cities & Towns across WA State
• – 316: Partners & Host Organizations

Our Team

The Humanities Washington team is small, curious, and collaborative. We care deeply about the communities we serve. Our in-office days are full of conversation and idea sharing, and we bring warmth and good humor to meaningful work. We are:

• – Endlessly curious: Curiosity is our superpower. We’re drawn to big questions about the human experience, and we bring that energy to every program, partnership, and conversation.
• – Collaborative and open to new ideas: We respect one another’s expertise, share ideas freely across roles, and are willing to try new things. Good ideas can come from anyone.
• – Playful at heart: The humanities don’t have to be stodgy or academic, and neither do we. We have fun together and believe joy makes the work better.
• – Committed to all of Washington: We work alongside partners in communities of every size across the state. We want people of all backgrounds to feel welcome in the humanities.
• – Commitment to Equity: All Are Welcome

Humanities Washington works with scholars, tradition bearers, cultural organizations, and communities to open minds and bridge divides by bringing people together around the humanities.

Humanities Washington’s Board of Trustees and Staff will work proactively to ensure open and welcoming engagement in every area of our organization, prioritizing authentic community collaboration and engagement with people and communities whose perspectives have not been traditionally represented in the humanities.

Opportunities and Essential Duties of Position

The Director of Marketing & Advancement is a new senior role. It was created to shape how Humanities Washington tells its story and shares its mission with the world, and to grow the resources that sustain its work. This leader reports to the CEO, joins a four-person leadership team, and will bring marketing, fundraising, and earned revenue together into one integrated strategy. It’s a builder’s role for someone who takes initiative, enjoys autonomy, and is excited to create something new at a pivotal time. Key responsibilities include:

• Define How Washington Sees Us: Lead Humanities Washington’s positioning, brand, and marketing strategy, from brand standards and unified messaging to a marketing calendar and clear measures of what’s working. Establish the organization as a trusted voice on why the humanities matter to civic life and community well-being. Direct contractors and vendors for day-to-day communications so you can focus on strategy.
• Reach New Audiences: Grow Humanities Washington’s visibility beyond those who already love the humanities, including younger Washingtonians, the business community, and a politically diverse cross-section of the state. Turn stories from programs across Washington into video, podcast, and social content, and help design new ways for people to find and engage with our work. Travel the state to meet partners and trustees and see the work firsthand.
• Build an Integrated Revenue Strategy: Bring marketing, fundraising, and earned revenue together into one coordinated plan for a stable