Deputy Chief Advancement Officer (Full-Time, Onsite)

Description

With a history defined by tenaciousness, vision, risk-taking, artistic excellence, and a commitment to the revitalization and economic growth of the region, MASS MoCA is primed for its next quarter century of innovation and leadership. Kristy Edmunds – a world-renowned arts director, curator, and creative producer – was appointed in October 2021 to move the organization forward and to build a durable, sustainable future. Seizing the opportunity, Kristy, working with MASS MoCA's dedicated Board of Trustees, authored a new, multi-year Strategic Plan reflecting and articulating a new vision for cultural institutions at a time when museums and all arts organizations must reevaluate their role and relevance in society. Specific initiatives in the Strategic Plan include the significant greening of MASS MoCA's campus; creating new housing for artists; launching a curatorial exchange program to bring in perspectives of under-represented curators to the museum; and deepening MASS MoCA’s partnership with the City of North Adams on interconnected civic development projects. To support these ambitious goals, MASS MoCA aims to grow the annual budget to add staff capacity and significantly expand the current $28 million endowment through the development and execution of a comprehensive capital campaign.

In this exciting time of evolution, MASS MoCA seeks an experienced and forward-thinking fundraiser to join the Advancement team as our Deputy Chief Advancement Officer (DCAO). This is an incredible opportunity for an experienced, self-motivated, high-impact fundraising professional with a proven track record to help develop and manage a growing Advancement team as we build on the success of MASS MoCA's first 25 years and forge a new culture of philanthropy to reach our ambitious goals. Reporting to the Chief Advancement Officer (CAO) and working closely with Director, Kristy Edmunds, the Board of Trustees, and fellow leadership staff, the DCAO will help the CAO lead the Advancement team and colleagues across the institution – to develop, nurture, and manage joyful and mutually beneficial philanthropic relationships across sectors, grow MASS MoCA’s contributed revenue in key areas – particularly membership, annual and major gifts, and special event support from individuals and strengthen the museum’s engagement with stakeholders, patrons, and supporters. This position will also play a key role in helping to plot and execute the next comprehensive capital campaign.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Program Building:

• Responsible for the co-creation of a structured major and planned giving and programs, pipeline development and the effective deployment of relationship-based fundraising, 
• Qualify, develop, and maintain year-round relationships with a portfolio of 100+ individual gift donors or prospects to grow immediate and long-term funding and planned gifts, all in support of the Museum’s annual contributed revenue goal of $10.M, which is slated to grow. 

Donor Portfolio & Relationship Management:

• Develop strategies to solicit and secure five-, six-, and seven-figure gifts, including preparing monthly status reports on each prospect.
• Provide support to the Executive Director, Deputy Director, Chief Advancement Officer, and curators / programmers in coordinating cultivation and solicitation efforts.
• In collaboration with senior leadership, help establish a planned giving program and lay groundwork for future capital campaigns through early-stage prospecting and case development.

Solicitation & Stewardship:

• Serve as a primary fundraiser, engaging donors through face-to-face cultivation and stewardship activities.
• Create individualized engagement and stewardship plans, setting giving goals for each donor based on history, relationship strength, and giving potential.
• Help maintain and refine acknowledgment systems to ensure timely recognition of all major gifts.

Coordination & Documentation:

• Document all prospects, solicitation strategies, next steps, and follow-ups to ensure coordinated tasks across the institution.
• Regularly share updates with the Chief Advancement Officer, Director, and the Advancement team, ensuring everyone is aligned on key priorities and solicitations.
• Prepare letters, proposals, and reports for internal staff, trustees, advisors, donors, and volunteers.
• Provide day-to-day management and direction to the  Advancement Coordinator, including guidance on event coordination, prospect research support, and donor database management.

Personnel Management:

• Manages and supervises the Advancement Coordinator, Senior Manager of Membership and Annual Giving and Senior Manager of Individual Giving and Patron Programs.
• Supervises day-to-day duties and manages employment, including hiring, terminations, performance management, evaluations, scheduling, coaching and mentoring
• Responsible for making critical decisions in personnel management including hiring and terminations, performance management, scheduling, mentoring, discipline and implementing institutional policies and procedures. 

Storytelling & Donor Engagement:

• Maintain continuous awareness of programmatic undertakings across all departments (including those associated with Director Initiatives). Collaborate with curatorial teams to stay knowledgeable about artists’ backgrounds, new work interests, and future projects.
• Excel at conveying MASS MoCA’s mission, history, and impact to inspire and cultivate prospective and existing donors.
• Help lead the development and execution of a travel program that provides opportunities for major donors to engage with and deepen their connection to MASS MoCA.
• Assist in leading major fundraising events, such as the annual benefit and auction.
• Develop a deep understanding of MASS MoCA’s mission and the core tenets of the 2024–2030 Strategic Plan to effectively convey the Museum’s future direction and impact to donors.

Requirements

Requirements and Qualifications:

• Six or more years of frontline fundraising experience in a fast-paced nonprofit environment.
• Proven history of soliciting five-, six-, and seven-figure gifts, meeting or exceeding revenue targets.
• Experience working in a major gift environment, preferably in the arts and culture space.
• Exceptional communication skills—writing, research, and interpersonal.
• Demonstrated ability to build and sustain donor relationships, representing the museum effectively to multiple constituents.
• Capable of functioning both independently and on a collaborative team.
• Willingness and ability to travel (regionally, nationally, and internationally).
• Comfort with numbers, budgets, and data for forecasting and strategy.
• Strategic mindset, balancing near- and long-term goals.
• Passionate commitment to the arts, with an appreciation for MASS MoCA’s mission.
• Track record of thriving in a complex, fast-paced environment.
• Current knowledge of fundraising best practices, tax deductibility, and reporting requirements.
  Familiarity with prospect research and philanthropic analytical tools.
• Experience using donor management software/CRM (Tessitura preferred).
• Prior supervisory or team leadership experience (managing or mentoring direct reports)
• This position may require extended hours, including occasional nights and weekends. The schedule will be determined by the manager. 
• This position is based on site at MASS MoCA’s North Adams campus; regular in-person attendance is required.
• This job description is intended to describe the general nature of the role and the work being performed. It is not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities. The Senior Advancement Officer may be required to perform duties outside of their normal responsibilities, as needed.

Additional Qualities required for success:

• Exceptional interpersonal communication skills and a high level of emotional intelligence.
• Deep commitment to contemporary art and the ability to engage artists, collectors, and donors.
• Superb verbal and written communication—persuasive, confident, and outgoing.
• Strategic thinking with the ability to anticipate the needs of donors and museum leadership.
• Excellent follow-through and reliability.
• Flexibility in managing competing priorities and multiple tasks.
• Strong analytical skills, with the capacity to present data effectively and align efforts with institutional priorities.
• High standards of personal and professional integrity.
• Tact, discretion, and confidentiality in all donor interactions and internal communications.
• Demonstrated leadership or supervisory experience, including managing staff or volunteers, preferred.

This is an exempt position with a starting salary range: $110,000 - $130,000 depending on depth and breadth of experience.  

Application Process: Interested candidates should submit a cover letter and resume through this portal.  

About MASS MoCA:

MASS MoCA is a vibrant non-collecting art museum with approximately 300,000 square feet of exhibition space dedicated to visual art and projects by contemporary artists. Formerly a 19th century factory, these exhibition spaces are unconventional, vast, soaring galleries spanning multiple buildings. Half of that space is dedicated to rotating 10 - 16 month exhibitions of which we present 4 to 6 large-scale exhibitions per year, along with smaller projects and commissions. The additional space is dedicated to long-term exhibitions in conjunction with artists, estates, and collections that run from 10 months to 25 years. MASS MoCA frequently works directly with artists on the fabrication of new commissions and large-scale site-specific installations. 

MASS MoCA was founded in 1999, not only as a contemporary art museum and performing arts venue, but also as a creative campus with a regional, national and global impact. MASS MoCA is one of the world's liveliest centers for making and enjoying today's most evocative art. With vast galleries and a stunning collection of indoor and outdoor performing arts venues, MASS MoCA is able to embrace all forms of art: music, sculpture, dance, film, painting, photography, theater, and new, boundary-crossing works of art that defy easy classification. From its beginnings as the major textile mill Arnold Print Works in the mid-19th century, to its days as the Sprague Electric Company in the mid-20th century, to its current iteration as a globally renowned contemporary art museum and fabrication center, the 16-acre MASS MoCA campus has a rich history of serving as the economic engine of the city of North Adams and the surrounding region.