Association of Academic Museums and Galleries

Organization

The North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA), located in the capital city of Raleigh, is one of the premier art museums in the South with a collection that spans more than 5,000 years from ancient Egypt to the present. NCMA houses the art collections of the State of North Carolina and provides educational, aesthetic, intellectual, cultural, and entertaining experiences for the citizens of North Carolina and beyond, welcoming more than 1,000,000 visitors to the Museum and Museum Park annually. NCMA offers an annual calendar of special exhibitions, classes, lectures, family activities, films, and concerts. Admission to the Museum’s collection and the Park is free.

Conceived in the early 1920s and initially located in downtown Raleigh in 1956, NCMA moved to its current location in 1983, opening a new 181,000 square foot building designed by renowned architect Edward Durrell Stone. The 164-acre Ann and Jim Goodnight Museum Park surrounding the Museum opened in 1997 and showcases the connection between art and nature through temporary and permanent site-specific works of art. In 2004, NCMA opened the West Building, a 127,000 square foot building designed by the award-winning Thomas Phifer & Partners, dedicating the new galleries to the permanent collection.  In 2016, NCMA completed a yearlong project to add more community gathering spaces and unify its campus, among the largest of its kind in the world. The Museum Park’s three-mile trail system invites visitors to explore the landscape and works of art on foot or bike and features an outdoor amphitheater for performing arts programming. The Park also connects to the city’s expansive greenway. Currently, the Museum is reinstalling its entire collection in order to broaden the narrative to include diverse voices, stories, and artistic media in the works on display and to increase accessibility.

The Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA) in Winston-Salem is an affiliate of NCMA and presents contemporary art with a focus on local and regional working artists. SECCA serves as a dynamic center for exchange and partnership in the community, presenting exhibitions, talks, films, performances, and transformative educational experiences.

NCMA creates and organizes educational programs and offers outreach programs across North Carolina, supporting more than 25,000 K-12 students in dynamic educational programs for prekindergarten to college students as well as a robust educator professional development program. Each year, more than 30,000 visitors learn about cultures spanning 5,000 years through docent-led and self-guided tours. NCMA has over 20,000 members with many offerings ranging from individual to Patron level options. A yearly Art in Bloom fundraiser transforms galleries into a fragrant garden, featuring floral works of art by florists from around the state and beyond created in response to works in the Museum’s collection.

In 2019, NCMA created a strategic plan spanning five years 2020-2025, pledging to serve the state of North Carolina as a vital cultural resource that reflects the changing world we live in and amplifies the voices in the diverse communities the Museum serves. Goals in four areas were identified:

• Goal 1: Forge a distinctive artistic path that honors diverse narratives, innovation, and excellence. Each of the four goals reflects a commitment to diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion, identified as priorities by staff and board members.

• Goal 2: Create authentic, inclusive, and welcoming experiences that engage a broader audience with art, nature, and people.

• Goal 3: Advance an ambitious campus plan to create a cohesive, accessible, and interconnected experience.

• Goal 4: Create inclusive systems, processes, and capacity for operational excellence.

In alignment with the strategic plan, NCMA has outlined goals to support new works and commissions, expand community outreach throughout the state, and provide critical capital improvements in the Museum and surrounding the Ann and Jim Goodnight Museum Park. Throughout each of the goals are initiatives to broaden the narrative of the Museum, feature artists whose work has been traditionally underrepresented, and create a greater sense of welcome and belonging for the community.

NCMA is a division within the state of North Carolina’s Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR). The Museum’s director serves as a division director of the DNCR. The NCMA’s statutory mission is “to acquire, preserve, and exhibit works of art for the education and enjoyment of the people of the State, and to conduct programs of education, research, and publication designed to encourage an interest in and an appreciation of art on the part of the people of the State.” The Museum is governed by a 25-member Board of Trustees, with approximately 150 employees, 2021-2022 $19.3 million of which 51 percent was appropriated by the State of North Carolina.

Valerie Hillings, Ph.D., serves as NCMA Director as well as CEO of the North Carolina Museum of Art Foundation Inc. (NCMA Foundation), a separate 501c3 nonprofit organization whose purpose is to support the mission and goals of the NCMA. With a 24-member Board of Directors, an approximately $12 million-dollar annual operating budget, and assets of approximately $66 million, the Foundation serves as a close, collaborative partner with the NCMA’s Board of Trustees and DNCR in carrying out its strategic vision and plans. The Foundation employees (currently approximately 35 in total) include staff in the following areas: finance, advancement, earned income, Foundation H.R., and information systems.

Community

Raleigh is the capital of North Carolina and the second-largest city in the state with nearly 500,000 residents. Raleigh is known as the “City of Oaks,” due to its beautiful oak trees that line the streets in the heart of the city. Located in close proximity to Durham and Chapel Hill, the region is widely known as the Triangle, and it is a center of economic vitality for the state of North Carolina. In a recent survey by U.S. News and World Report, Raleigh was among the top 10 best places to live in the country. The survey ranked the country’s 150 most populous metropolitan areas based on affordability, desirability, and quality of life. Raleigh attracts many young professionals due to a combination of factors, including the proximity to the Research Triangle Park (RTP). The RTP houses more than 300 companies in a 7,000-acre campus, including science and technology firms, academic institutions, and a growing number of startups. The Triangle is home to more than 20 institutions of higher education, including the nationally ranked North Carolina State University, the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, Duke University, and North Carolina Central University.

Raleigh is called the “Smithsonian of the South” as the city offers plentiful historic attractions, free museums, and educational institutions. In addition to NCMA, the North Carolina Museum of Natural History and the North Carolina Museum of History are among the region’s cultural gems. In addition to the museums, there is a thriving contemporary art and performing arts scene with active symphony, opera, and ballet companies. Raleigh is known for its parks, including Dorothea Dix Park, a park of nearly 2,500 acres in the heart of the city; Pullen Park, a unique public park housing one of the oldest amusement parks in the world; and Umstead State Park, which attracts hikers, trail runners, bicyclists, and equestrians looking to explore multiple trails. The JC Raulston Arboretum at North Carolina State University is nationally acclaimed for its diverse collection of landscape plants.

Sources: ncartmuseum.org; Lifestorage.com; Apartmentlist.com; U.S. News and World Report

Position Summary

Reporting to the Chief Advancement Officer (CAO) and an employee of the NCMA Foundation, the Director of Development (DoD) will have primary responsibility for the Museum’s annual fundraising, membership, and stewardship programs. The DoD will be a highly skilled and effective manager and fundraiser who has a proven track-record of securing six-figure gifts and will carry a portfolio of major donors and prospects along with the responsibility for growing and managing a top-tier development operation and building relationships with the community. Responsible for achieving approximately $8 million in contributed revenue annually, as well as increasing contributed revenue over the next five years based on the Museum’s financial needs as outlined in its strategic plan, the DoD will lead a nine-member team including six direct reports: Director of Constituent and Database Operations, Membership Manager, Annual Fund and Corporate Sponsorships Manager, Gift Officer, Director of Stewardship and Special Initiatives, and Special Projects and Events Manager. The DoD will have a history of improving systems and processes to create deeper engagement with members and donors and inspire greater levels of commitment to the Museum. The DoD will also embrace contemporary fundraising strategies to cultivate a more diverse and younger community, envisioning ways to move transactional supporters into long-term growth relationships with NCMA.

Role and Responsibilities

Strategic Annual Fund Leadership

• Aligned with the Museum’s strategic plan, envision, design, and implement strategies to increase annual contributed revenue, including restricted and unrestricted support from individual, government, foundation, and corporate donors.

• Guide, cultivate, and increase the membership base, creating compelling opportunities for members while actively developing a pipeline for community engagement and support.

• Invigorate and implement annual fundraising events and annual campaigns to grow donor participation and work closely with Museum volunteers to welcome new communities to NCMA.

• Be a passionate, visible, and informed advocate for NCMA, actively seeking opportunities to engage with the broader community and to participate in events that position the Museum for improved fundraising and visibility.

• Work in collaboration with the Chief Advancement Officer to be an effective partner with NCMA’s Board and Foundation Board.

• Develop and lead collaborative efforts with the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA) that result in increased engagement and support for both NCMA and SECCA.

Fundraising and Stewardship

• Identify, cultivate, and successfully solicit major gifts from a diverse group of individuals, corporations, and foundations, ensuring appropriate stewardship of donors at all levels.

• Increase membership at all levels and develop effective strategies for inspiring new members, retaining existing members, and creating stimulating benefits and programs.

• Cultivate and inspire legacy gifts and oversee the stewardship and benefit of planned gifts to the Museum.

• Collaborate deeply and frequently with curators and program teams to secure necessary funding for exhibitions and acquisitions or in-kind gifts of art.

• Oversee development communications and correspondence including community facing donor news, institutional briefings and reports, and donor-facing proposals, and stewardship materials. Provide oversight and support to grant writing activities and final submissions.

• Ensure that all departmental resources are properly and efficiently allocated, and that prospect research, outreach, solicitation, and stewardship are expertly executed to ensure all fundraising goals and benchmarks are being met.

• Ensure the strategic use of the Tessitura database and other development communication tools, coordinating communications with existing and potential donors to ensure the highest level of donor engagement, satisfaction, and expressions of appreciation.

Planning and Team Leadership

• Align development department activities by creating an ambitious, comprehensive, written annual development plan and calendar with clearly defined goals, objectives, timelines, and assigned responsibilities.

• Collaborate with the CAO and staff team to ensure that internal culture, organizational structure, human and financial resources, technology, and operational plans are aligned to support a culture of philanthropy.

• Train, mentor, and support Museum colleagues and NCMA volunteers in donor and prospect engagement activities, seeking ways to maximize donor participation in NCMA’s philanthropic programs.

• Create, manage, and monitor an annual development program budget and track progress through monthly and annual reports.

• Collaborate with the CFO and finance team to ensure tracking and documentation of gifts meets organizational and external reporting needs.

• Collaborate with the director of marketing and communications and the director of visitor and retail experience to ensure that development materials are unified and consistent with the Museum brand.

• Create a supportive, collaborative, productive and healthy work environment based on respect, teamwork and the equity, diversity, and inclusion values of the NCMA. Set performance standards and provide timely, constructive feedback. Support opportunities for professional development.

• Manage the day-to-day operations of the development function to ensure that all administrative and operational aspects of development are executed at a high level of quality and efficiency, including the proper oversight of constituent data and donor records.

• Adhere to the codes of conduct and ethical principles set forth for all NCMA employees through direct and honest communication with colleagues and clients, follow through on commitments, and ability to build confidence and respect.

Traits and Characteristics

The Director of Development will be an experienced development professional with demonstrated capacity to achieve contributed revenue goals. A confident fundraiser and self-starter with sound judgment and strong organizational skills, they will be knowledgeable of strategies and best practices and willing to work as part of a team to achieve organizational goals. Energized by working in the community, the DoD will be a passionate, visible, and informed advocate for the Museum who can effectively engage existing and potential supporters in NCMA’s mission and programs. Comfortable balancing both relationship-oriented and task-focused responsibilities, the DoD will structure compelling opportunities for support to positively impact the Museum’s long-term success. The DoD will have the ability and cultural competence to build authentic relationships with people from diverse backgrounds.

Other key competencies of this role include:

• Time and Priority Management – The tenacity to prioritize and complete tasks to deliver desired outcomes within allotted time frames.

• Leadership – The ability to organize and influence people to believe in a vision while creating a sense of purpose and direction.

• Team Management – The ability to provide clear direction and mentorship to direct reports: Membership, Constituent and Database Operations, Annual Giving, Major Gifts, Stewardship and Special Initiatives, and Special Projects and Events.

• Fiscal Responsibility – The ability to ensure departmental fiscal responsibility, to identify areas of cost efficiency while meeting the demands and expectations of members and donors, and to assess and report to executive management on return on investment.

• Understanding and Appreciating Others – The capability to understand the uniqueness and contributions of others, to identify with and care about others, and to facilitate, support, and contribute to the professional growth of others.

• Problem Solving – The aptitude to define, analyze, and diagnose the key components of a problem to formulate a solution.

• Personal Accountability – The strength to be answerable for personal actions.

Qualifications

A bachelor’s degree is required with a minimum of eight years of nonprofit fundraising experience leading an integrated multimillion dollar development program. Experience in a nonprofit organization, cultural or educational institution, or equivalent preferred with a strong preference for experience working with a museum development team, with a working knowledge of all areas within development, including major gifts, annual giving, membership, corporate and foundation giving, planned giving, campaigns, and research. Experience raising funds throughout a large geographic region and/or specific knowledge of North Carolina’s philanthropic landscape a plus. Excellent written and verbal communication skills are necessary, as are strong computer skills and knowledge of advanced donor research and customer relationship management systems.

Compensation and Benefits

NCMA Foundation provides a competitive compensation, with a salary range between $140,000 and $150,000 commensurate with experience, coupled with a robust package of benefits up to 18%, generous paid vacation, and an employer match retirement savings plan.

Applications and Inquiries

To submit a cover letter and resume with a summary of demonstrable accomplishments (electronic submissions preferred), please click here or visit artsconsulting.com/employment. For questions or general inquiries about this job opportunity, please contact:

Nan Keeton, Senior Vice President

503 East Jackson Street, Suite 337

Tampa, FL 33602-4904

Tel       (888) 234.4236

Email    NCMA@ArtsConsulting.com

The North Carolina Museum of Art Foundation, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. We strive to create a working environment that includes and respects cultural, racial, ethnic, sexual orientation, and gender identity diversity. Women, racial and ethnic minorities, persons with disabilities, persons over 40 years of age, disabled and Vietnam-era veterans, and people of all sexual orientations and gender identities are encouraged to apply.