Association of Academic Museums and Galleries

The National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) is part of the Smithsonian Institution’s unique complex of 22 museums and galleries, the National Zoological Park, and nine research centers. The NMNH mission is to promote understanding of the natural world and our place in through its unparalleled research, collection, exhibitions, and education and outreach programs. The museum’s collections tell the history of the planet and are a record of human interaction with the environment and one another. Through NMNH, people can both discover the world and learn to become better stewards of it.

The donor community has responded strongly to this mission. The past two fiscal years have seen historic milestones reached with $38 million raised in FY23 and more than $80 million raised in FY24, even with a relatively lean staff. These and other successes have driven the NMNH campaign effort (begun in 2022 and ending in 2026) to more than 80% of its $200 million working goal. This campaign is part of the broader Smithsonian effort targeting $2.5 billion in campaign funding for the Institution. Longer-term, the museum aims to grow the Advancement team to sustainably raise an average of $20 million or more annually.

To help lead the way in building a philanthropic foundation to support its grand vision, the NMNH is recruiting a Chief Advancement Officer (CAO). The CAO has responsibility for the overall planning, management, and execution of the fundraising program at NMNH. Consistent with NMNH’s goals and objectives, the CAO seeks to harness museum resources to communicate its story as broadly and effectively as possible to audiences on site, in the region, across the country, and around the world. The CAO reports directly to and works closely with the NMNH Associate Director for Advancement and Communications and leads a current team of five. One of the primary objectives of this position will be to recruit additional professionals and develop the group into a cohesive, high-performing team raising consistently $20 million or more in philanthropic support each year.

An understanding of how to effectively work within a large and complex institution will be key to the selected candidate’s success. Collaborating with the Smithsonian’s advancement organization, the CAO will draw on its support services and integrate NMNH initiatives with the Institution’s overall fundraising strategy both during the campaign and afterwards. In addition, the ideal candidate will be an energetic leader with strong frontline fundraising skills and the ability to match donor interest with museum priorities as well as manage a team of frontline fundraisers. The successful candidate will also possess strong communications and relationship development skills with a track record of building philanthropic partnerships with individual donors and prospects to achieve aggressive fundraising goals.

Additional qualities of the ideal candidate are the ability to translate scientific and technical work into compelling donor-centric communications, familiarity working with diverse constituents, a drive to succeed, and ability to close major and principal gifts. Experience with a complex higher education or a large cultural organization is preferred.

All applications, nominations, and inquiries are invited. Applications should include, as separate documents, a CV or resume and a letter of interest addressing the themes in the Leadership Profile describing the position, available at https://wittkieffer.com/positions/200647

WittKieffer is assisting the National Museum of Natural History in this search. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Application materials should be submitted using WittKieffer’s candidate portal at https://apptrkr.com/5807272.

The annual salary range that the National Museum of Natural History reasonably projects for this position is $180,000-$190,000.

Nominations and inquiries can be directed to: Senior Partner Greg Duyck and Senior Associate Maya E. Holt-Brockenbrough, Ph.D. at NMNH-CAO@wittkieffer.com.