Vice President of Development

Chicago Children's Museum; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 165,000 - 185,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision benefits

401(k) with employer match

Paid time off

Job summary

Chicago Children's Museum seeks a visionary Vice President of Development to lead all fundraising activities, campaigns, and donor engagement. You will supervise a talented team, build major gifts pipelines, and partner with the CEO and Board to drive growth and impact across programs and capital initiatives.

The role requires a decade of nonprofit leadership, expertise in grants and gifts, and a strong Chicago philanthropic network.

Qualifications

• Ten years leading development teams and volunteer boards in nonprofits.
• Capital campaigns, major gifts, annual giving, corporate and foundation relations.
• Experience building major gifts programs and growing pipelines.
• Strong network in Chicago philanthropy and comfort with public-facing roles.
• Senior leadership experience and budgeting/forecasting skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead and motivate the development team and volunteers to meet revenue goals.
• Develop strategic giving plans across major gifts, sponsorships, and grants.
• Oversee fundraising programs from diverse sources with clear revenue goals.
• Collaborate with management to align donor communications with museum priorities.
• Manage Board activities, governance, and fundraising support.
• Represent the museum in external partnerships and donor engagements.

Skills

Fundraising leadership

Major gifts program

Donor relations

Team leadership

Strategic planning

Communication skills

Budget analysis

Data analysis

Marketing & digital fundraising

Public speaking

Education

Bachelor’s degree or higher

Tools

Raiser’s Edge/RE NXT

Microsoft Excel

PowerPoint

Outlook

Word

Job description

Description

About Chicago Children’s Museum

Since 1982 Chicago Children’s Museum (CCM) has been committed to improving children’s lives by creating a community where play and learning connect. CCM’s staff is a dedicated group of curious individuals who embrace a commitment to lifelong learning and the incorporation of a playful approach to our work. Every employee is empowered to reach their potential and be recognized for the impact they have on our organization, visitors, and the community we serve.

CCM engages children and adults across 60,000 square feet of permanent and changing exhibits, art installations, working studios, and spaces for programming, performances, and public gatherings. Beyond our walls, CCM is embedded in Chicago Public Schools in the form of 32 Curiosity Classrooms and maintains six Playful Learning Landscapes across the city. These projects, along with countless other programs and initiatives, deepen the museum’s impact and cement its commitment to thoughtful partnership with Chicago’s many communities. Through its access initiatives, CCM welcomes anywhere between 15-30% of visitors for free or at a steep discount annually.

Chicago Children’s Museum’s Core Values:

Children are People: We value their experiences, center their perspectives, and honor their needs.

Collaboration: We work together in the pursuit of excellence.

Belonging: All lived experiences are welcomed, respected, and appreciated.

Curiosity: We learn from process, not perfection.

Delight: Joyful experiences are for everyone.

Enthusiasm: Enthusiasm is a craft and everyday practice.

About the Job

Chicago Children’s Museum is seeking a Vice President of Development who is responsible for the strategic leadership and management of all aspects of CCM’s fundraising programs, including operating, capital, legacy, and endowment. The VP of Development will report to the President & CEO and work closely with the Board of Directors, Associates Board members, key volunteers, and museum staff to meet and grow CCM’s current contributed revenue, along with leading any future campaigns. The VP of Development will manage a talented team to advance the mission of CCM through philanthropy, and will create challenging, yet achievable, performance goals and metrics that ensure the activities of the department are aligned with museum priorities, as well as the team’s ability to achieve annual and long-range fundraising goals. The VP of Development will lead by example, always exhibiting the highest standards of professional conduct, deep knowledge of industry, best practices, superior time management, communication skills, proven ability to motivate and inspire a team to achieve and surpass goals, and a commitment to treating all colleagues and internal and external customers with respect, collegiality, and fairness.

Principal Job Duties and Responsibilities:

Fundraising Leadership and Strategy

• Lead, manage, train, and motivate the development team, the Board of Directors, Associates Board members, and key volunteers, to meet and exceed all operations, endowment, and capital campaign contributed revenue goals;
• Work closely with the President & CEO, as well as members of the senior management team, to develop a strategic giving plan to strengthen and expand existing support in all areas, including major gifts, sponsorships, and grants;
• Work closely with respective direct reports to build, implement, steward, grow, and oversee a robust mix of successful and innovative fundraising programs from diverse sources, each with clearly defined revenue goals, including:
• Foundation grants
• Individual giving, including major gifts, annual fund support, direct mail campaigns, e-philanthropy, etc.
• Corporate giving, including capital and general operating sponsorships and Corporate Membership
• Government grants
• Fundraising events including our annual gala
• Keep abreast of current best practices in the development profession and evaluate new and emerging ideas for potential implementation;
• Work closely with the senior management team to maintain a full understanding of the Museum’s programs and exhibits to communicate effectively to donors their impact and significance;
• Work closely with marketing department to optimize and promote the contributed revenue stream and align communication, across all channels (written, print, digital, social, and in-museum) for consistent voice and strategy;
• Cultivate and solicit a portfolio of leadership-giving donors alone, with Board members, and/or the President & CEO;
• Develop and manage the activities of the Board of Directors, including stewarding them as donors and serving as staff liaison related to nominating, governance, and fundraising, with the support of the Board Liaison;

Department Operations

• Provide leadership, mentoring and coaching to the development team and set a standard for the team to emulate in terms of thoughtful time management, establishing effective processes and procedures, cross-departmental collaboration and implementation, leading to consistent achievement of annual goals;
• Manage the development department revenue and expenses to optimize Chicago Children’s Museum’s fundraising opportunities;
• Work closely with CFO to ensure that fundraising policies, processes, and reporting align with Chicago Children’s Museum’s overall financial policies;

Museum Leadership

• As a member of the museum’s senior leadership team, fully participate in the strategic oversight and decision-making of the museum’s overall functions to ensure fiscal responsibility, a positive culture, collaborative relationships, and effective delivery of our mission;
• Participate in cross-departmental teams including Management Committee, Experience Oversight Team, and any other relevant project teams;
• Support the museum’s work in belonging, inclusion, and accessibility for all and ensure that these principles are upheld in all work with our Board members, fellow staff, visitors, community, and other external partners;
• Demonstrated enthusiasm for learning and mastering new skills on an ongoing basis; willing to be informed/certified/trained through institution-offered courses;

Requirements

Position Qualifications & Abilities:

• A minimum of ten years of professional experience leading and managing comprehensive development teams and volunteer boards for nonprofit organizations; proven success in leading and motivating high-performing, collaborative teams of fundraising staff and volunteers;
• Proven achievement and ability in the areas of capital campaigns, major gifts programs, annual giving, corporate and foundation relations, sponsorship, planned gifts, special events, and in-kind contributions;
• Experience building a major gifts program and growing a major gift pipeline. Successful solicitation of six- and seven-figure gifts;
• A strong professional network and knowledge of the Chicago philanthropic community is required. Comfortable with having a public role of the Museum’s externally facing team;
• Proven experience as an essential member of a nonprofit organization’s senior leadership team, including regular interactions with high-level board members;
• Excellent fiscal management skills with experience in fundraising and budget analysis, forecasting and planning, and demonstrated ability to measure fundraising effectiveness;
• Effective communication skills including strong interpersonal, motivational skills, and ease and skill in presenting and conveying the mission of the organization to a wide variety of constituencies;
• An understanding of marketing, communications, and social media. Knowledge of digital media/communications strategies and digital fundraising platforms. Comfortable with data analysis and utilization of data to inform decisions and strategy;
• Creativity and entrepreneurial spirit with willingness to develop innovative ideas. Experience working with and contributing to creative teams;
• Comfortable in building and strengthening relationships with people of diverse backgrounds, ages, and circumstances;
• A passionate commitment to Chicago Children’s Museum’s mission, vision, philosophy, and values;
• Ability to work in a multifaceted, fun, fast-paced, team environment; high energy, strong work ethic, sense of humor. Ability to handle multiple projects at one time, and flexibility with work assignments and schedules;
• High level of knowledge and comfort with the technology necessary for fundraising. Demonstrated experience with the prospect and donor management capabilities of current applications such as Raiser’s Edge/RE NXT. Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Outlook are essential; and
• Bachelor’s degree or higher, or equivalent in experience.

Compensation and Benefits

Salary: The range for this position is $165,000-$185,000 and is based on skills, qualifications, and experience.

Benefits: This position is eligible for medical, dental, vision, life, long-term disability, and short-term disability insurances; 401k after six months of service, as well as PTO and Sick time.

Schedule: This is a full-time, exempt-level position working Monday through Friday, including some early mornings, occasional weekday evenings, and weekend hours related to meetings or events.

Physical Requirements of the Position: This position must be able to work at a computer for extended periods of time, attend in-person cultivation meetings and events on a regular basis. (This can vary depending on the season from 2-3 meetings or events per month to 2-3 per week.)

Chicago Children’s Museum is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.