Job Openings >> Director of Development
Director of Development
Summary
Title:Director of Development
ID:1100
Organization:Tacoma Art Museum
Location:Tacoma, WA
Description
Tacoma Art Museum

Tacoma Art Museum
Director of Development


Opportunity Guide


Tacoma Art Museum (TAM’s) vision is to be a national model for regional museums by creating a dynamic museum that engages, inspires, and builds community through art.

TAM serves the diverse communities of the Northwest through its collection, exhibitions, and learning programs, emphasizing art and artists of the Northwest and broader western region.
Celebrating 80 years of connecting people through art, TAM is proud of its impressive history and excited about its future. The Museum is an anchor in the city’s downtown area, and its recent and future expansions are a testament to TAM’s strong roots in the community, forward-thinking leadership, and passionate staff.
The museum’s collection of more than 4,500 works emphasizes the art and artists of the Northwest and broader western region. In addition, TAM has, and continues to, acquire works by national and international artists.

The Opportunity: Director of Development

Reporting to the Executive Director, the Director of Development is responsible for creating momentum and driving success in planning, managing, and implementing the development strategy, thereby galvanizing all contributed income for Tacoma Art Museum. This position will ensure fulfillment of the Museum’s vision, mission and brand through its fundraising programs. The Director will develop and implement strategies to build upon current relationships with multi-channel donor engagement and forge new connections with donors from all venues and through all media that will increase contributed income. The Director also leads a team of five.

The Director of Development will possess a proven track record in providing creative and innovative leadership in resource development and promoting and administering dynamic fundraising strategies. S/he will bring an intellectual curiosity and ability to continually push, advance, and grow the Museum.

The successful candidate will have demonstrated experience in the full spectrum of development activities, with a particular focus on management, building infrastructure, and soliciting major gifts. S/he will be self-motivated, results-oriented, creative, entrepreneurial, highly energetic and intelligent, with exceptional interpersonal and organizational skills. 

Performance Objectives

Leadership and Staff Management
  • Develop and implement measurable objectives, strategies, and timelines for the Development Department which align and provide momentum to the other facets of Museum operations. 
  • Develop annual fundraising budget, benchmarks, and metrics to ensure budgetary goals are met or exceeded.
  • Track all philanthropic revenue progress towards goals, as well as any variances, and make recommendations to enhance progress.
  • Track key metrics and progress against strategic and tactical goals in an annual progress plan, i.e. number of solicitations, number of cultivation events, etc.
  • Lead, develop, motivate, supervise and maintain a highly effective, productive and cohesive development staff (team of 5 FTEs, with 1 position currently vacant).
  • Provide mentorship and guidance to actively promote the growth and development of the Development team, including opportunities for staff to learn new skills and advance both personally and professionally.
  • Create and sustain strong working relationships with the Executive Director, Board of Trustees, and the Senior Management Team, and participate as an active contributor to the Senior Management Team.
  • Ensure that the Executive Director and Board of Trustees are well-versed and prepared in regard to fulfilling their fundraising role(s). Provide consistent support to ensure that museum leadership are continually working to advance fundraising goals.
Fund Development Management & Implementation
  • Oversee all aspects of fund development, including annual giving, major planned gifts, corporate and foundation relations, online fundraising and special events.
  • Lead efforts to design, implement and evaluate strategies for the stewardship of all aspects of fundraising, including individuals, corporations and foundations. 
  • Build and diversify funding base and strategically match grant opportunities with programmatic priorities.
  • Ensure ethical and appropriate financial administration of contributed income, including overseeing the donor, prospect, and suspect records, gift processing, gift acknowledgement, and donor stewardship functions. 
  • Oversee maintenance of organizational systems to support all development projects and operations. 
  • Establish a pace for development activities and workflow that ensures excellence and vibrancy in all outcomes/outputs, while still allowing flexibility for new and immediate projects on short-notice. 
Major Gifts
  • Develop and implement a major gifts program to expand the cultivation and engagement of new partners that will increase the number and size of gifts over time.
  • Prepare TAM’s Executive Director, Board Members and Development team for donor meetings and cultivation activities.
  • Manage a personal portfolio of individual, corporate and/or foundation donors and prospects.
  • Leverage Board Members and champion relationships. Coach the Executive Director and Board Members in managing and staffing their donor portfolios to increase support for TAM.
  • Deliver the highest of professional standards while demonstrating the sensitivity necessary to successfully engage and interact with sophisticated donors.
External & Community Relations
  • Serve as an articulate, passionate and visible spokesperson for TAM, and as a prominent face of fundraising throughout the organization and in the community.
  • Maintain active membership and a strong presence in professional organizations, community groups, and other spaces relevant to the work of TAM and its mission.
  • Create and implement a plan to identify and build strong relationships with key donors, community leaders and volunteers, and engage organizations with which TAM should partner.
  • Stays abreast of current trends related to philanthropy and anticipate future trends likely to have an impact on TAM. Inform and keep leadership updated with ongoing education on changing trends and tactics to stay at the forefront of the industry. 
The Qualified Candidate

Tacoma Art Museum seeks a passionate, dynamic and innovative professional with a minimum of seven years of fundraising experience, including a recent concentration on managing a diversified portfolio of major gift donors and prospects (individuals, foundations and/or corporations) and experience managing a team of fundraising professionals. S/he will have strong knowledge of fundraising best practices, as well as demonstrated experience with driving organization(s) forward using the latest development trends. Unequivocally, s/he must be passionate for and committed to TAM’s mission. S/he will bring a strong sense of accountability, take initiative, and be adaptable, highly organized and detail-oriented, with the ability to build collaborative relationships and foster trust both internally and externally. 

Specific Requirements Include:
  • Keen interest in TAM’s mission, with the demonstrated ability to understand its diverse program offerings and to communicate narratives that enhance fundraising.
  • Embodiment of TAM’s strategic values—passionate, civic-minded, innovative, approachable, gracious, smart, and dynamic. 
  • A minimum of seven years of fundraising experience, with a focus on large gifts and at least three years of managing the work of other development professionals.
  • Successful and progressive background in donor solicitation and stewardship processes, with superb skills in motivating, engaging and interacting with Board and other key stakeholders.
  • Knowledge and experience in strategy development, systems and best practices, and in the cultivation, solicitation and successful closing of gifts from donors.
  • Savvy approach to relationship building that demonstrates intellect and a high emotional quotient.
  • Proven ability to effectively build, motivate, manage and mentor a highly effective development team and collaborative partnerships in a fast-paced, complex and deadline-driven environment.
  • Exceptional leadership, critical thinking, planning, and organizational skills with the ability to translate strategy into operational plans. Strong ability to maintain attention to day-to-day details and translate them into achievement of organizational and team strategies/goals.
  • Excellent verbal, written and presentation skills.
  • Hands-on experience with Raiser’s Edge and proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite.
  • Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree and/or CFRE credential preferred.
This position offers a competitive salary with strong benefits. Relocation assistance is offered. All inquiries will be held in strict confidence. Tacoma Art Museum is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other occupationally irrelevant criteria. TAM strongly encourages applicants from members of groups under-represented in careers related to museums and the visual arts.

To Apply 

Candidates may apply by clicking the APPLY NOW button below. To assure confidential tracking, no resumes will be accepted via email. This search is being managed by Heather Eddy, President and CEO of Alford Executive Search. Questions may be addressed to Kelly Monahan at KMonahan@AlfordExecutiveSearch.com.

Alford Executive Search, a division of Kistner Eddy Executive Services (KEES), is a retained search firm that builds transformative teams and leaders in the nonprofit and public sectors. For more information, please visit www.AlfordExecutiveSearch.com.

More About TAM

The Museum is led by an exceptional, committed, and well-connected Board of Trustees and Executive Director Stephanie Stebich. Ms. Stebich has led the Museum for over a decade as a dynamic and passionate leader who is also a natural fundraiser. She has developed an impressive culture of philanthropy, supported by a curatorial, education, marketing and communications, and development staff that meet regularly to design innovative programming and exhibitions. Ms. Stebich believes in the transformative power of art, for people and communities, and has positioned TAM to be a catalyst in improving the region. TAM’s operating budget is 5.2M and its 30M endowment has tripled over the past three years (with additional expectancies anticipated).

In November 2014, as a result of a tremendous gift donated by the Haub Family, a $15.5 million building project designed by Olson Kundig Architects added approximately 16,000 square feet to the Museum. The new wing doubled TAM’s gallery space and showcases the Haub Family Collection of Western American Art, one of the nation’s premier western American art collections, with approximately 300 works spanning 200 years. 

On the heels of that exciting expansion, TAM announced on January 14, 2016, that Becky Benaroya donated the collection of 225 works that she and her late husband Jack Benaroya carefully assembled during their 70 years of marriage. The collection includes Northwestern and international studio glass art, along with important paintings and sculptures by renowned regional artists. The gift includes a $14M contribution for the construction of a new 7,390 square foot gallery addition in which to present the collection, an endowment fund for its care, and funds for a dedicated curator. TAM’s expanding collection further establishes the Pacific Northwest as the nation’s glass art epicenter.

Other highlights of the Museum include the largest retrospective museum collection of glass art by Tacoma native Dale Chihuly on continued view, the largest collection of studio art jewelry by Northwest artists, key holdings in 19th century European and 20th century American art, and one of the finest collections of Japanese woodblock prints on the West Coast.


The City of Destiny

Tacoma is a lively city, beautifully set in a dramatic backdrop of water, forests, and mountains. Just thirty miles southwest of Seattle, it is the second largest city in Washington. Known for its world-renowned glass art, Tacoma’s vibrant urban core is alive with culture. Find yourself surrounded by creativity and city sophistication when you eat, shop, and stroll Tacoma’s downtown. The friendly city inspires many to celebrate the melding of old and new. 
Ranked as one of the “most walkable cities in the country,” by Prevention Magazine, Tacoma is located on the beautiful Puget Sound and is known as a haven for hikers, runners, and cyclists. You don’t need to pack hiking boots to enjoy the mesmerizing outdoors. You will find many parks, gardens, and wildlife that make Tacoma a nature wonderland and will be within close proximity to Mt. Rainier.

Tacoma Art Museum is located in Tacoma’s vibrant downtown area, which houses five other museums and the University of Washington–Tacoma. The investment in Tacoma’s infrastructure has led to the development of an energetic, creative community of writers, artists, musicians, photographers, filmmakers, passionate entrepreneurs, and small business owners.

Drawing families to its charming neighborhoods with big city amenities, true urbanites are drawn to downtown Tacoma for its competitively priced living spaces with sweeping mountain, city, and water views. With no state income tax and two highly-ranked hospital systems, it is often cited as a top-ten place to retire.
Part of one of the fastest-growing areas of the country, Tacoma is truly a great place to call home.
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