Director of Fundraising

The National Liberty Museum (NLM) seeks an extraordinary leader to oversee its development department and diverse philanthropic initiatives. Reporting to the Museum’s Chief Executive Officer, the successful candidate will bring a unique blend of energy, creativity, and strategy to the task of expanding the Museum’s support base through fundraising. An enthusiastic collaborator and thought partner, the Director of Fundraising will build and lead a team of up to three development professionals with expertise in major gifts, institutional giving, special events, and development operations.

The successful candidate will thrive in dynamic settings with dedicated stakeholders and trustees and serve as an impassioned ambassador for the Museum and its growth.  A desire and ability to cultivate new relationships while also sustaining and enhancing the Museum’s existing donors will be critical to the success of the role. The Director of Fundraising will embrace the creative culture of the institution and enjoy collaborating with curators and programmers to advance support for the exhibitions and educational programs that are at its core. They will have a proven track record of closing significant gifts of six figures, working in close coordination with the CEO and leadership team. Professionalism, trustworthiness, honesty, and belief in the institution’s mission will be hallmarks of the Director of Fundraising’s success as an essential member of the Museum’s staff and key contributor to its financial future.

• Develop and execute a strategic, comprehensive fundraising plan that ensures effective results and meets both annual and long-term financial goals.
• Build, manage, and mentor a department of up to three full-time staff, along with overseeing external fundraising partners.
• Successfully lead the development team in securing $3+ million in annual support, in addition to endowed and capital gifts.
• Strong understanding of fundraising strategies, development operations, and finance with capacity to advise and support on major giving initiatives, including identifying, cultivating, and stewarding donors.
• Serve as the staff liaison to the Board’s Advancement Committee.
• Represent the Museum at key donor and foundation meetings and events.
• Establish revenue plans and implement performance goals, objectives, and action plans; generate buy-in around a data-driven approach to goal setting and benchmarking.
• Produce detailed reports on the Museum’s fundraising for the CEO, leadership team, and Board.
• Oversee multiple annual fundraising initiatives including: the Gala, the Year-End Appeal, and our sponsored awards programs.

• A minimum of 7 years of proven fundraising experience, preferably in the non-profit, Museum, or cultural sectors, with five or more years demonstrated success at a senior management level of a similarly sized organization.
• Experience in the planning, implementing, and managing comprehensive fundraising campaigns, including experience with capital campaigns.
• Demonstrated experience with multiple categories of giving such as major gifts, foundation, government, and corporate support, planned giving, and special events.
• A demonstrated capacity to build, lead, manage, and motivate a team.
• Goal-oriented campaign strategist who can create and execute new giving opportunities and programs expanding the NLM’s financial resources.
• Self-starter who can work independently and collaborate with colleagues and volunteer leadership.
• Confident and effective relationship builder who enjoys meeting with new and existing supporters.
• Familiarity with the Philadelphia community and philanthropic relationships preferred.
• Outstanding written and oral communication skills.
• Strong ability to work in cross-functional, cross-department teams.
• Knowledge of donor CRMs, Altru database experience a plus.
• Bachelor’s degree required, master’s degree in relevant field preferred, or relevant experience.
• Must be willing and able to travel and work nights, weekends, and holidays when necessary.
• This is an onsite position in Philadelphia with some flexibility as needed.

 Work Environment / Office Culture
Every day, we strive to cultivate an environment where open communication thrives and everyone can share their ideas, energy, and enthusiasm for the vital role we play in fostering informed and engaged citizens of all ages. We prioritize teamwork, creating a cooperative and supportive atmosphere where each member actively engages and contributes beyond their defined role. 

The National Liberty Museum (NLM) envisions a society that values freedom of thought, civil discourse, respect for all people, and the essential pursuit of liberty. NLM connects, educates, and inspires people to explore and advance the complex practices of liberty through thought-provoking multidisciplinary and multimedia exhibition experiences, public programs and events, and educational programs for all ages. NLM makes space for generative and inclusive public conversations about shared values and for civic skill-building, inviting visitors to investigate liberty’s many facets together.

As a concept museum, NLM is not beholden to a particular historical period, event, or collection, which frees the museum to bring a multidisciplinary lens to the ongoing process of interpreting liberty in meaningful ways with and for contemporary audiences. NLM’s primary collection, then, is best understood as the content that gets created, explored, debated, and reflected upon across all NLM’s activities – from gallery shows and exhibition interactives, to speaker series, panel events, and off-site field work, such as artist interviews, workshops, community dialogues, and pop-up storytelling.

For additional information about NLM, visit https://www.libertymuseum.org/.