Donor Relations and Stewardship Manager (Full-Time, Onsite)

Mass-Moca-1; North Adams (MA); On-site; USD 65,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Life insurance

401(k) retirement plan

Paid Time Off

Job summary

MASS MoCA is seeking a Donor Relations and Stewardship Manager to advance our stewardship program for individual donors and lead patron groups. Reporting to the Chief Advancement Officer, you will oversee day-to-day donor stewardship, coordinate cultivation events, and collaborate across departments to tell compelling donor-impact stories.

The role requires 2–3 years in development and strong written skills, with experience in CRM systems and event management.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience; coursework in art history, museum studies, nonprofit management, or business is a plus.
• 2–3 years in development, fundraising, donor stewardship, or related front-facing role, ideally in a museum or nonprofit.
• Excellent written communication; ability to craft donor correspondence, stewardship reports, and impact reporting.
• Comfortable initiating and conducting donor conversations, including direct solicitation.
• Strong project management and organizational skills; manage many donor touchpoints and deadlines.
• Experience with a CRM or donor database (e.g., Tessitura, Raiser's Edge) preferred; proficiency with Google Workspace.
• Experience planning or coordinating events and managing member/patron groups preferred.
• Collaborative, donor-centered approach and discretion with confidential information.

Responsibilities

• Manage a portfolio of mid-level donors and prospects, guiding moves through identification to stewardship.
• Organize donor meetings, museum tours, and cultivation visits; make direct asks for annual and mid-level gifts.
• Draft gift proposals, solicitation letters, and pledge agreements tailored to donor history.
• Track donor interactions and gift activity in CRM.
• Support the Chief Advancement Officer with data analysis, portfolio reviews, and pipeline reporting.
• Represent the museum at donor cultivation events, openings, and community outreach.
• Design and manage a comprehensive stewardship program covering acknowledgment and reporting.
• Oversee gift processing by the Advancement Coordinator and ensure timely donor thank-you communications.
• Support major gift agreements, endowment gifts, and multi-year pledges, tracking payments.
• Develop individualized stewardship plans and donor impact reports with cross-department content.
• Coordinate donor recognition across the museum (walls, credits, annual reports, signage).
• Draft donor communications across stewardship cycle (proposals, letters, reports).
• Plan and manage logistics for cultivation and stewardship events, including invitations and follow-ups.
• Maintain the stewardship calendar and ensure consistent donor communications.

Skills

Donor stewardship

Communications

Projects management

CRM experience

Event planning

Google Workspace

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

Tessitura

Raiser's Edge

Google Workspace

Job description

Description

The Donor Relations and Stewardship Manager plays a key role in advancing MASS MoCA’s stewardship strategy through supporting mid and major donor growth. Reporting to the Chief Advancement Officer, this position leads the museum's day-to-day donor stewardship program for individual donors. The role also serves as staff lead for the museum's patron groups and the calendar of cultivation and appreciation events that keep those groups engaged. This role suits an organized professional with attention to detail and excellent prioritization skills who wants deep, hands-on experience in stewardship and relationship management, paired with broader exposure to cultivation and event work, and who enjoys the cross-departmental collaboration that fundraising in a museum requires.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Gift Cultivation and Solicitation

• Manage a portfolio of mid-level ($5,000–$15,000) donors and prospects, moving each through identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship ("moves management").
• Organize and assist with donor and prospect meetings, museum tours, and cultivation visits; make direct asks for annual and mid-level gifts under the guidance of the Chief Advancement Officer.
• Draft gift proposals, solicitation letters, and pledge agreements tailored to donor interests and giving history.
• Track all donor interactions and gift activity accurately and promptly in CRM.
• Support the Chief Advancement Officer with data analysis, portfolio reviews, and pipeline reporting.
• Represent the museum at member and donor cultivation events, opening nights, and community outreach as assigned.

Donor Stewardship and Relations

• Design, develop, and manage a comprehensive stewardship program covering acknowledgment, recognition, reporting, and ongoing engagement for individual donors.
• Oversee Advancement Coordinator in gift processing, ensuring every donor receives an accurate, personalized, and timely thank-you (within 48 hours for major gifts).
• Support the development and fulfillment of major gift agreements, endowment gifts, and multi-year pledges, tracking commitments and payment schedules through to completion.
• Design and execute individualized stewardship plans for assigned donors as well as major gifts donors, including touchpoints, recognition, and impact updates aligned to each donor's interests and giving level.
• Develop impactful stewardship and gift-use reports that clearly demonstrate the outcomes of donor investments, working with other departments to gather accurate, compelling content.
• Coordinate donor recognition across the museum, including donor walls, exhibit and gallery credit lines, annual report listings, and named-fund signage, and maintain accurate donor and sponsor recognition content on the museum's website.
• Draft donor communications across the stewardship cycle, including proposals, appeal letters, acknowledgments, and stewardship reports, in the museum's voice.
• Plan and manage full logistics for cultivation and stewardship events (recognition receptions, behind-the-scenes tours, donor appreciation gatherings), including invitations, briefings, seating charts, and post-event follow-up.
• Maintain the department's stewardship calendar and ensure consistent, on-brand donor communications throughout the year.

Patron Group and Event Management

• Manage the museum's patron groups (Ambassadors and Director’s Council), serving as the primary staff liaison for each group's members.
• With oversight from the Chief Advancement Officer, plan, budget, and execute the calendar of patron group events, including exhibition previews, artist studio visits, curator talks, and collection visits from concept through post-event follow-up.
• Track patron group membership, renewals, and upgrades in the CRM, and work to convert engaged patrons into higher-level donors.
• Manage patron group event budgets, reconcile expenses, and ensure spending stays within approved limits.
• Coordinate on site event logistics with Visual Arts, Facilities, Events, and Security, including invitations, RSVP tracking, seating/guest lists, run-of-show, and on-site staffing.
• Develop event collateral and communications (invitations, programs, remarks, follow-up notes) in the museum's voice and brand.
• Evaluate each event and patron group's engagement and giving impact, and recommend adjustments to programming, cadence, or benefits.
• Assist with the annual donor travel program.
• In conjunction with Senior Manager of Membership and Annual Giving, work on all elements of the Art Futures Benefit.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience; coursework or a background in art history, museum studies, nonprofit management, or business is a plus.
• 2-3 years of experience in development, fundraising, donor stewardship, or a related front-facing role, ideally within a museum, cultural institution, or other nonprofit.
• Excellent written communication skills, with the ability to write warm, precise donor correspondence, stewardship reports, and clear impact reporting.
• Comfortable initiating and conducting donor conversations, including direct solicitation, with coaching and support.
• Strong project management and organizational skills and close attention to detail; able to manage a large volume of donor touchpoints and deadlines without dropping details.
• Experience with a CRM or donor database (e.g., Tessitura, Raiser's Edge or similar) preferred; proficiency with Google Workspace required.
• Experience planning or coordinating events and managing member/patron groups strongly preferred.
• Familiarity with donor research tools such as iWave or Target Analytics is a plus, but not required.
• A collaborative, donor-centered approach and genuine enthusiasm for the museum's mission.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and manage sensitive donor and financial information with discretion.
• Availability for regular evening and weekend hours and limited travel to support patron group and donor engagement events.
• This job description is intended to describe the general nature of the role and the work being performed. It is not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities. The Donor Relations and Stewardship Manager may be required to perform duties outside of their normal responsibilities, as needed.
• This position may require extended hours, including occasional nights and weekends, holidays and work for festivals and events. The schedule will be determined by the manager.

Physical Requirements:

• This position is based on site at MASS MoCA’s North Adams campus; regular in-person attendance is required.
• Some duties of this position require being able to work outside.
• Must be able to wear PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) as needed.
• May require occasional lifting of supplies or materials related to departmental needs.
• Dexterity and coordination, sufficient to perform essential functions.
• Ability to perform administrative and computer-based tasks for up to 4.5 hours at a time.
• The ability to be mobile (including, but not limited to walking, standing, bending, squatting, crouching, twisting, kneeling, reaching, etc.).
• Ability to lift/carry/push/pull objects that weigh up to 25 pounds, as needed.

As defined by the National Labor Relations Act, this position is part of the bargaining unit for UAW Local 2110.

Compensation and Benefits:

• In accordance with Massachusetts Wage Transparency Act, we are disclosing a good-faith salary range for this position: $65,000–$70,000 per year. This reflects our reasonable expectation at the time of posting. Final compensation will be influenced by factors such as experience, education, licensure, and qualifications, and this range is not a guarantee for any individual employee.
• This position may offer relocation assistance
• Medical insurance
• Dental insurance
• Life insurance
• Long term disability insurance
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
• Dependent Care Account (DCA)
• Medical deductible reimbursement
• 401(k) retirement plan
• Roth 401(k) option
• Paid Time Off (PTO)
• Sick Time
• Emergency Assistance Fund (LemonAid)
• Retirement planning support
• Professional development reimbursement
• Educational leave
• Reciprocal Organization of Associated Museums (ROAM)
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Student loan repayment assistance
• Discounts at Gift Shop and R&D Store
• Staff appreciation social events year-round

About MASS MoCA:

MASS MoCA is a vibrant non-collecting art museum with approximately 300,000 square feet of exhibition space dedicated to visual art and projects by contemporary artists. Formerly a 19th century factory, these exhibition spaces are unconventional, vast, soaring galleries spanning multiple buildings. Half of that space is dedicated to rotating 10–16 month exhibitions of which we present 4 to 6 large-scale exhibitions per year, along with smaller projects and commissions. The additional space is dedicated to long-term exhibitions in conjunction with artists, estates, and collections that run from 10 months to 25 years. MASS MoCA frequently works directly with artists on the fabrication of new commissions and large-scale site-specific installations.

MASS MoCA was founded in 1999, not only as a contemporary art museum and performing arts venue, but also as a creative campus with a regional, national and global impact. MASS MoCA is one of the world's liveliest centers for making and enjoying today's most evocative art. With vast galleries and a stunning collection of indoor and outdoor performing arts venues, MASS MoCA is able to embrace all forms of art: music, sculpture, dance, film, painting, photography, theater, and new, boundary-crossing works of art that defy easy classification. From its beginnings as the major textile mill Arnold Print Works in the mid‑19th century, to its days as the Sprague Electric Company in the mid‑20th century, to its current iteration as a globally renowned contemporary art museum and fabrication center, the 24‑acre MASS MoCA campus has a rich history of serving as the economic engine of the city of North Adams and the surrounding region.