Vice President of Development

Sep 10

African American Museum in Philadelphia
Philadelphia, PA

Anticipated Start Date: Early 2025 - date to be mutually determined

Description

Reporting directly to the President & CEO, the Vice President of Development will provide strategic and operational leadership for the Museum’s comprehensive development program to build annual support and ensure the success of its campaign, as well as cultivate, solicit, and steward transformational gifts to further secure the Museum’s future.

The Vice President will lead the Museum’s efforts to secure annual, capital, and endowment funding and in-kind support from key donors and prospects at the local, regional, and national levels. They will also personally manage a portfolio of major individual, corporate, and foundation donors. The Vice President will have management oversight for major gifts, institutional giving, membership, and marketing. They will assess the current capacity of the team – currently the Director of Marketing and a Development Consultant – and develop and implement a plan for its sustainable growth.

As the lead development staff, the Vice President will be jointly responsible, along with the President & CEO, for ensuring the success of AAMP’s transformational capital campaign in support of the new museum. The ideal candidate must be an enthusiastic and strategic self-starter who is motivated by building and growing robust development programs, preferably with prior experience in a museum or other cultural institution.

Responsibilities

The Vice President of Development will have the following responsibilities:

Assess the Museum’s development program and craft a strategic plan to sustainably grow the donor base, contributed revenue, and the development team.
Identify and communicate funding priorities in collaboration with the President & CEO, Board of Directors, Executive Team, and campaign leadership.
Cultivate and manage a portfolio of major individual, corporate, and foundation donors and prospects.
Support the CEO and Board members in their fundraising activity, engaging them in key cultivation and solicitation activity as needed.
Manage, recruit, retain, and mentor a high performing development team.
Assess the database and implement processes and policies to ensure the integrity of data and that the system is used to its full capacity to support AAMP’s growth.
Oversee special events and cultivation activities to raise funds, engage donors and partners, and enhance the Museum’s presence and reputation in the community.
Oversee the creation of a comprehensive portfolio of communication materials to support donor cultivation, engagement, and stewardship.
Partner with Membership staff to establish consistent program benefits and identify prospective donors.
Partner with campaign consultants to ensure the successful achievement of an ambitious capital campaign.

Requirements

The ideal candidate will possess most of the following qualifications:

A minimum of eight years of comprehensive fundraising experience including major gifts, institutional giving, membership, and campaigns.
Prior staff management experience, including experience assessing team needs, recruiting, mentoring, and developing team members; the ability to advocate for the needs of the team.
Skilled at building and sustaining excellent relationships from volunteers to Board level; personable and engaging with constituents at all levels.
Strong collaborative leadership skills; a desire to engage, learn, and problem solve with colleagues.
Exceptional communication and listening skills; confident and persuasive in writing, interpersonally, and presenting to or facilitating groups.
Strong understanding of leading practices and a high level of comfort in managing CRM and donor databases; prior experience with Altru is an advantage.
Existing knowledge of the Philadelphia philanthropic landscape or a proven track record of integrating quickly into a new community and building relationships that further an organization’s fundraising goals.
Comfort building and growing a development program within an evolving institution; creative, strategic, proactive, and adaptable; willing and able to teach and bring others along.
Prior experience with a membership organization is preferable, as is an understanding of how to integrate membership into a comprehensive fundraising program.
A high level of emotional intelligence and cultural competency.
Highly effective decision making and prioritization skills; comfort using and communicating data to support planning and decision making.
A bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience is required.

Salary Range and Employee Benefits

The salary range for this position is $200,000 to $225,000. Benefits include medical, dental, and vision insurance; life, AD&D, short- and long-term disability insurance; 401k retirement plan with employer match; legal and identity theft benefit; free parking; and generous paid time off including 10 holidays and up to 20 vacation, 10 sick, and 4 personal days.

Relocation assistance is available for this position.

How to Apply for this Job

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About the Organization

The African American Museum in Philadelphia (AAMP) is the nation’s first institution funded and built by a major municipality to preserve, interpret, and exhibit the heritage of African Americans. Founded by the City of Philadelphia during the Bicentennial celebrations in 1976, AAMP has served as the region’s foremost African American cultural institution, offering a unique perspective on the art, history, and culture of African Americans and the African Diaspora.

Throughout its evolution, the museum has objectively interpreted and presented the achievements and aspirations of African Americans from pre-colonial times to the current day. Exhibitions at AAMP are anchored by one of three dominant themes: the African Diaspora, the Philadelphia Story, and the Contemporary Narrative. In 2022, AAMP announced plans to relocate to a new space along the historic Ben Franklin Parkway, joining the city’s other iconic cultural institutions including the Philadelphia Art Museum (home of the Rocky steps) and the Franklin Institute. The new museum will triple the space AAMP has now, while putting it on par with similar museums in other big cities.

The new location and additional space are expected to raise the profile of AAMP, making it more of a destination, allowing for greater attendance and expanded exhibitions and programs. In support of this move, the City of Philadelphia has committed $50 million over five years. In addition to the City’s investment, AAMP will embark on a transformational capital campaign to provide additional support for construction of the new museum, new exhibitions and programs, and the creation of an endowment to ensure the museum’s long-term health and sustainability.

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