Director of Development at Long Island Children’s Museum

Job Title: Director of Development

Job Status: Full-time

Location: Garden City, NY

Salary: $110,000 – $130,000

Description

The Long Island Children’s Museum (LICM) is seeking a highly motivated and experienced professional to fill the crucial role of Director of Development. Reporting directly to the President, this position will be responsible for overseeing a dynamic development operation that encompasses grants, events, membership, major giving campaigns, and corporate partnerships. The Director of Development will lead and oversee the day-to-day management and operations of the development team, develop, and manage all aspects of our development strategy and help build our membership, major donor, and fundraising capacity.  Contributed revenue makes up nearly 50% of LICM’s budget. The Director of Development also serves as a member of the senior management team and will work closely with the Board of Directors.

The Director of Development will hold a pivotal role in shaping the organization’s future and contributing to its mission of connecting all communities’ children to a life of wonder, imagination, and exploration. In this influential position, you will be at the forefront of positive change and instrumental in driving LICM’s next growth phase.

The Director of Development’s responsibilities include:

  • Lead and manage a dynamic development operation, ensuring the success of grants, events, membership, major donor campaigns, and corporate partnerships in alignment with strategic long-range plan;
  • Oversee and mentor a team of three development professionals, in addition to managing external consultants dedicated to large-scale government grants, fostering excellence within each member’s role and their effective contribution to LICM’s mission;
  • Collaborate with the President to strategize and execute initiatives and ensure alignment with LICM’s goals;
  • Utilize data analytics to assess the effectiveness of development initiatives, making data-driven decisions to optimize development efforts, with a focus on annual giving;
  • Take the lead in major giving program design and execution, in alignment with Board priorities;
  • Build and nurture relationships with current and potential donors, with a focus on cultivating major donors and corporate partnerships;
  • Contribute to the creation of a well-rounded development strategy, including corporate, foundation, individual, and government grants;
  • Position LICM for a capital campaign in partnership with the President, setting the stage for future growth in contributed revenue;
  • Bring creativity and innovation to LICM’s fundraising strategies, exploring new, dynamic methods of donor engagement.

 

Requirements

The Director of Development for the Long Island Children’s Museum (LICM) will be a seasoned strategic thinker with a proven track record of thoughtful and empathetic leadership. This individual will bring a careful, deliberate approach to scaling development efforts while maintaining a strong connection to LICM’s mission and core values. The successful candidate should exhibit the following attributes and competencies:

  • Passion for the Mission: A genuine commitment to LICM’s mission of connecting all communities’ children to a life of wonder, imagination, and exploration.
  • Development Leadership: Proven experience managing a multi-pronged development operation, with a strong focus on events, grants, membership, corporate and major giving.
  • Team Management: Ability to lead and support a team of three direct reports and supervise external consultants, while fostering a culture of collaboration, mentorship, inclusion, and growth around philanthropy throughout the organization.
  • Results-Driven Approach: A force-multiplier with proactive and driven mindset, capable of overseeing and executing various development streams.
  • Relationship Builder: Joy at creating rapport with people across all manners of backgrounds, interests, and experiences with the capacity to represent LICM at meetings and within the community.

The ideal candidate will have most, if not all, of the following professional and personal qualities, skills, and characteristics:

  • 6+ years of solid fundraising experience in the not-for-profit development field, with a proven record of success in strategizing, developing frameworks, and cultivating, and maintaining funder relations, and leading small to large fundraising events;
  • 3+ years of supervisory experience with strong management skills, both strategic and operational, and a demonstrated ability to build, manage, mentor, and motivate an effective team;
  • Experience leading fundraising efforts that can raise $2-5 million in annual revenue;
  • Extensive experience in managing a diverse and multi-pronged development operation;
  • Creative thinking and flexibility in adapting to changing circumstances;
  • Exceptional relationship-building skills and a genuine interest in engaging with people;
  • Strong leadership and management skills, including the ability to lead and inspire internal teams, fostering a culture of collaboration and accountability;
  • Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Access and Inclusion principles and the ability to foster an inclusive environment within the organization’s operations and initiatives;
  • Experience with fundraising databases and the capability to harness their full potential for tracking and cultivating donors;
  • Exceptional interpersonal, communication, and relationship-building abilities to effectively engage with donors, partners, community leaders, and internal teams;
  • Proven leadership experience, ideally in a senior leadership role within a nonprofit or philanthropic organization;
  • Familiarity and/or experience with Long Island Philanthropic community, a plus;
  • Personal transportation to attend networking and community events.

Apply via AAM