Director of Development - Major Gifts

The National WWII Museum seeks a skilled major gift officer to join our team in achieving capital campaign, major and planned giving program objectives.  Reporting to the Vice President of Institutional Advancement, the Director will be responsible for building relationships with individual major and planned giving donors and prospects.

The National WWII Museum is in the final stages of a $400M capital campaign, which will conclude its multi-phased expansion project and complete its formal campus.  In addition to the capital campaign, the Director will be responsible for securing major and planned gifts for the Museum’s exhibitions, educational programs and endowment.  The Museum’s fundraising program is national in scale and major gift officers are assigned regional responsibilities.  The successful candidate will join a team of four major and planned giving officers, and will have regional portfolio responsibility for Louisiana and Texas.

Major Duties and Responsibilities

• Identify, cultivate and solicit leadership and major gift prospects; recommend and implement cultivation and solicitation strategies for individual prospects, working with executive and Museum leadership and board members as appropriate; meet with prospects virtually and travel as permitted.
• 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.
• Develop and implement solicitation plans for each prospect; create compelling proposals for prospects to support.
• Coordinate stewardship and acknowledgment activities, ensuring regular and systematic contact with prospects through all means of communication.
• Assist Museum administrators in the recognition of institutional funding needs, keeping up to date on institutional priorities, programs, people and events.
• 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 experience for prospects with engagements and interests across the Museum.

Qualifications and Attributes

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• 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.
• 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.

The National WWII Museum offers a competitive wage and benefits package which includes medical, dental, vision and life insurance, long-term disability insurance, 401k and paid vacation and sick leave.

The National WWII Museum is an Equal Opportunity Employer and seeks diversity in its workforce.  We are dedicated to a policy of non-discrimination in employment on any basis including age, sex, race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, or disability.  Consistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act, applicants may request accommodations needed to participate in the application process.

Interested candidates should apply online at www.nationalww2museum.org/employment or mail resumes to 945 Magazine St., New Orleans, LA 70130.