Category : Nonprofit

Location : Wilmington, Delaware

Position : Permanent / Full Time

Delaware Art Museum
Director of Advancement and External Affairs

About Delaware Art Museum
For over 100 years, the Delaware Art Museum has served as a primary arts and cultural institution in Delaware. It is alive with experiences, discoveries, and activities to connect people with art and with each other. 
Created in 1912 to honor the renowned illustrator and Wilmington native, Howard Pyle, the Museum’s collection has grown to over 13,000 works of art in our building and sculpture garden. Also recognized for British Pre-Raphaelite art, the Museum is home to the most comprehensive Pre-Raphaelite collection on display outside the United Kingdom, and a growing collection of significant contemporary art.
Drawing on its national leadership among mid-sized regional art museums and leadership position in the statewide arts community, the Delaware Art Museum will dramatically expand its impact to serve more people through a dual lens of art and experience over the next 3 - 5 years. ​
As the Museum works to continually strengthen its organizational capacity and sustainability for the long term, its strategic activity will be built around a commitment to learning, engagement, and its visitors’ experience with art.

Position Summary
The Director of Advancement and External Affairs provides vision and strategic leadership for Museum advancement, communications, and brand management with the goal of achieving DelArt’s mission. Working closely with the Executive Director, Board, and staff, the Advancement team executes strategies to increase support from individuals, corporations, foundations, and government entities, and plays a key role in identifying, cultivating, and soliciting major donors for annual and planned gifts. The communications and marketing team works to expand, diversify, and deepen audience engagement and to convert audiences to members and donors.

Working closely with the museum’s trustees and a critical member of the Leadership team, the Director will report to the Executive Director and be a strategic advisor on key institutional decisions across the museum.

Key Responsibilities

Development

• Develop and manage the Fund Development Plan, setting high-level strategy and metrics for museum development and fund acquisition across the institution, through close collaboration with Executive Director and Trustees. The Plan, now in year two, has already exceeded year one goals.
  
  
• Work with Executive Director to define and support portfolios of top supporters. Oversee Advancement Officer, who manages portfolio of additional 150 donors and prospects. Working closely with Advancement Officer, continue to grow Annual Fund to reach five-year Fund Development target.
   
• Collaborate with Museum staff and board members to assess and address fundraising needs, including unrestricted annual gifts, project-specific gifts, legacy gifts, and strategies to move donors into higher giving categories. 
• Work with the leadership team on a variety of Museum-wide projects. Work with Executive Director to determine the right board and volunteer leadership committees to support Fund Development Plan. Support corporate sponsorship acquisition in conjunction with Grants Manager.
  
  
• Supervise the Museum’s Grants Manager, assisting with grant strategy, prioritization, guidance for meetings with donors, and feedback on grant narratives. Assess opportunity and needs for further growth in grant income.
   
• Supervise membership coordinator and oversee membership acquisition and retention strategies, including an annual membership campaign, with the goal of growing membership annually.
    
• Manage development events with support from Advancement Officer, including three fundraisers per year, Director’s Circle events, donor appreciation dinners, and ad hoc gatherings.
   
• Lead planning for a comprehensive campaign with a 2025 launch.

Communications & Marketing
Lead the creation and execution of communication strategies, materials, and programs to expand, diversify, and deepen audience engagement and to convert audiences to members and donors. Supervise the Marketing Manager and oversee:

• Institutional messaging across all communications using marketing plans and strategies.
  
  
• Craft development communications to cultivate prospective and current supporters.
  
  
• With Marketing Manager, ensure that advertising strategy reflects institutional messaging and cross-departmental engagement is achieved in implementing the brand strategy, visual identity, and editorial voice that embodies DelArt’s mission and vision.
   
• Ensure marketing strategy supports growth of visitor, member, and supporter audiences, and growth in earned revenue streams.
  
  
• Strategies to raise the visibility of the Museum and its community-centered transformation. In partnership with the Marketing Manager, cultivate relationships with media representatives locally and nationally. 

Special Skills and Qualifications

• 6 years or more of relevant experience.
• Bachelor's degree in business, advancement, marketing, or other relevant education preferred.
• Proven track record of success in reaching and exceeding fundraising goals.
• Demonstrated excellence in project management, organization, delegation, and prioritization skills.
• Experience hiring, mentoring, and retaining staff.
• Excellent written and verbal skills.
• Personal authenticity and the ability to develop relationships of trust and respect with staff, colleagues, and donors.
• An interest in the visual and creative arts.
• Embraces Delaware Art Museum’s mission and programs.
• A collegial attitude and sense of humor. 

Compensation

Compensation for the Director of Advancement & External Affairs includes a competitive base salary commensurate with experience and an excellent package of employee benefits.

To Apply

The Delaware Art Museum has retained the services of ThinkingAhead Executive Search. Interested applicants should send a resume and statement of interest to Jonathan McIntosh at [email protected].

Contact Information:
Jonathan McIntosh
Partner, ThinkingAhead Executive Search 
T: 615-391-2650
E: [email protected]