Director of Development – Major Gifts South and Central Regions

The National WWII Museum is seeking a dynamic and results-driven individual to join our on-campus team as the Director of Development – Major Gifts for the South and Central Regions. The Director of Development - Major Gifts South and Central Regions reports to the Associate Vice President of Development and is responsible for securing financial resources for the Museum's capital campaign, programmatic and planned giving program objectives. The Director will be responsible for building relationships with individual, corporate, and foundation donors and prospects in the South and Central regions.

The Museum's fundraising program is national in scale and major gift officers are assigned regional responsibilities. The Director will join a major gift development team that includes Directors of Development for the following regions: North/Mid-Atlantic, West/Midwest, Louisiana/Texas as well as a Director of Planned Giving.

Major Responsibilities:

• Identify, cultivate, and solicit leadership and major gift prospects; recommend and implement cultivation, solicitation, stewardship and engagement strategies for prospects, work with executive and Museum leadership and board members as appropriate; meet with prospects both in-person and virtually, with regular travel throughout the assigned region.

• Participate in the development of capital, programmatic and endowment fundraising strategies for increased giving, with emphasis on the expansion of an individual major gift effort.

• Manage a portfolio of approximately 150 prospects through all fundraising cycles – identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship – meeting monthly donor contact and proposal submission goals and tracking contacts; maintain updates in the Museum’s CRM, Raiser’s Edge.

• Develop and implement solicitation plans for each prospect; create compelling proposals showing how their support contributes to the Museum's mission.

• Coordinate stewardship and acknowledgment activities, ensuring regular and systematic contact with prospects through various communication channels.

• Serve as the principal liaison for major gift prospects with the Museum, developing and maintaining a collaborative work environment with Museum departments to create a seamless donor journey.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree and CFRE certification are a plus.

• 5+ years of direct fundraising experience -- with a clear understanding of annual, major, capital, and deferred gifts -- and a demonstrable track record in securing 6 and 7 figure gifts;

• Experience in the fields of higher education, healthcare, or large arts/cultural organizations; demonstrable interest in life-long learning.

• Mastery of the skills, principles, practices, and techniques associated with implementing and successfully executing major gift work with a national scope;

• Highly developed interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills;

• Proactive strategic thinker with strong organizational skills and an ability to work independently and as a team member.

• Flexible, adaptable, and proactive team player, comfortable with ambiguity, with an ability to navigate sophisticated donor relationships.

• Ability to navigate work responsibilities in building donor relationships that require regular travel, evening and weekend commitments.