Director of Institutional Giving (Full-Time, Onsite) - MASS MoCA - North Adams

MASS MoCA, one of the world’s liveliest and largest contemporary art organizations in the US, is seeking a dynamic and creative Director of Institutional Giving to lead a robust institutional fundraising program, which supports an overall annual goal of $8-10M (approximately $4 million of which is institutional funding), as well as capital projects. This role is an exciting opportunity to expand support from institutional partners at a pivotal time at MASS MoCA, advancing the goals articulated in a new 7-year Strategic Plan and new directions in the visual arts, performing arts, and public programs. The director reports to the Chief Advancement Officer, and currently supervises a Grant Writer. This role will join a growing Advancement team that is in the process of building significant organizational capacity ahead of a major campaign, and will build on the successes of the past three years of significant institutional funding growth, largely from national and family foundations, and the person hired will bring creativity, energy, and experience to resourcing the exciting next chapter ahead. 

We’re seeking a seasoned leader of institutional fundraising programs, a crisp and persuasive writer and communicator, and a fundraiser who has experience leading a team in a fast-paced, collaborative work environment. The director of institutional giving will plan, manage, and execute a comprehensive fundraising strategy to build support from all institutional partners – national, private, family foundations; corporations; and government agencies. The director will be primary relationship manager for foundation, corporate, and government funders, initiating new contacts and stewarding existing ones. The ideal candidate will have experience developing strategies for funder cultivation and will lead funder engagement, outreach, proposal development and submission, and stewardship (including acknowledgements and reporting) for all institutional partners. They will be an empathetic and creative relationship manager of institutional funders in order to build long-term partnerships and strengthen our existing relationships with the corporate, foundation, and government sectors. The director should be curious and creative in identifying possible new funders and avenues of support; having experience with prospect research tools is essential.    

The Director of Institutional Giving will collaborate with other members of the Advancement team, museum leadership, creative program leads, and other senior staff to identify possible sources of funding and create fundraising project summaries, letters of interest, funding proposals, and other development communications for institutional funders. Candidates must have ability to liaise with and between departments and create effective interdepartmental communications processes to ensure the effective and timely submission of proposals and management of grants. The director will oversee funder acknowledgements and play a key role in expressing the creative program and priorities of MASS MoCA in a range of written materials, including pitch decks, fundraising one-pagers, executive communications with major funders, and more.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Leads the full life cycle of institutional fundraising from foundation, corporate, and government sources - including strategy development, writing, and submission - and brings a proven record of securing, managing, and reporting on federal, state, and local government grants (e.g., NEA, IMLS, Mass Cultural Council).
• Partners with curatorial, performing arts, public programs, and facilities colleagues to craft persuasive proposals and stewardship reports that advance visual art exhibitions, public programs, performing arts programming, commissions of new artistic work, artist residencies, creative-placemaking initiatives, and capital and sustainability projects.
• Manages and supervises the Grant Writer and any future grants staff or fundraising consultants. 
• Oversees the full employment life cycle: hiring and onboarding, scheduling, goal setting, performance evaluations, coaching and mentoring, and (when necessary) disciplinary, corrective actions or terminations, while providing day-to-day direction on prospect research, proposal development, grants-calendar maintenance, and stewardship reporting.
• Conduct prospect research and maintain a dynamic pipeline of prospective funders.
• Act as key liaison with curators, Director of Public Programs (includes education department), performing arts staff (as editor, writer, and grant guide), the Director’s office, and Advancement colleagues to advance institutional funder cultivation, develop fundraising text for the full breadth of our programs, and collaborate on institutional fundraising strategies.
• Identifies and creates strategies to pursue new institutional sources of funding.
• Performs other duties as assigned or requested ie; accompany MASS MoCA leadership for in-person visits to and from foundations and granting organizations.
• 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 Director of Institutional Giving may be required to perform duties outside of their normal responsibilities, as needed.

Qualifications and Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.
• Minimum 5+ years of experience in institutional fundraising in a fast-paced nonprofit environment, preferably within the arts and culture sector.
• Prior supervisory or team-leadership experience (managing or mentoring direct reports) preferred.
• Exceptional writing and verbal skills, with experience in grant proposal writing; strong editing and proofreading skills.
• Experience and interest in front-facing funder cultivation, including proactive outreach and stewardship, written correspondence, zoom, and in-person meetings and site visits.
• Demonstrated ability to meet ambitious fundraising targets and develop creative strategies for current use, new project, and capital support needs. 
• Ability to adapt writing styles to fit the audience and voice of the piece; Ability to quickly and effectively gather information through interviews, research, etc.
• Ability to nurture ongoing funder relationships to ensure retention year to year.
• Ability to successfully communicate with a wide range of internal constituents including Board members, senior management, program staff, finance staff, and volunteers.
• Effective time management and organizational skills to meet deadlines, with experience managing a robust and active grants calendar. 
• Ability to function in a fast-paced, high-volume, results-oriented environment.
• Ability to work both collaboratively and independently.
• Must be able to wear PPE when necessary.
• This position is based on site at MASS MoCA’s North Adams campus; regular in-person attendance is required.

Compensation and Benefits: 

• Salary range for this position: $90,000–$100,000 per year (Exempt/Full-Time). This reflects our reasonable expectation at the time of posting. Final compensation will be influenced by factors such as experience, education, licensure, and qualifications, and this range is not a guarantee for any individual employee.
• Medical insurance
• Dental insurance
• Life insurance
• Long term disability insurance
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
• Dependent Care Account (DCA)
• Medical deductible reimbursement
• 401(k) retirement plan
• Roth 401(k) option
• Generous Paid Time Off (PTO) benefits
• Emergency Assistance Fund (LemonAid)
• Retirement planning support
• Professional development reimbursement
• Educational leave
• Reciprocal Organization of Associated Museums (ROAM)
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Student loan repayment assistance
• Discounts at Gift Shop and R&D Store
• Staff appreciation social events year-round

Application Process: Interested candidates should apply online with a resume and cover letter. The application also includes a few brief questions to help us better understand your experience and interest in the role. Incomplete applications—including those missing the requested documents—may not be fully considered. 

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.