The Air Force Museum Foundation seeks a Major Gifts Officer.

The Air Force Museum Foundation seeks a dynamic and strategic Major Gifts Officer (MGO) to support its fundraising efforts. This is an exciting opportunity to be part of a growing, dynamic, and entrepreneurial team that will work with senior leadership to chart the philanthropic future of the Museum and Foundation.

Reporting to the Chief Development Officer (CDO) and serving as a critical member of the Development team, the MGO will play a pivotal role in developing and executing donor discovery, qualification, engagement, solicitation, and stewardship strategies. The MGO will consistently drive and manage strategic, personalized engagement with individual, corporate, and foundation donors, matching donors' interests and philanthropic priorities with the mission and goals of the Museum and the Foundation. Responsibilities include:

Donor Management:

• Qualify and manage a portfolio of 125-150 donors.
• Work with donor relations and marketing colleagues to communicate the impact of Foundation donors on the Museum.
• Utilize Museum, Foundation and/or donor events and exhibit openings to cultivate and deepen individual and organizational relationships.

Fundraising Planning:

• Create and maintain an annual fundraising plan in conjunction with the CDO.
• Set objectives for individual and organizational fundraising.
• Attaining and exceeding success metrics such as visits/meetings, meaningful engagements, number of proposals, dollars asked, and dollars raised.

Solicitation and Proposal Writing:

• Solicit individuals, corporations, and other funders directly.
• Write proposals and create supplementary materials for major gift solicitations.
• Deliver donor stewardship content via impactful and contemporary methods.

Prospect Development:

• Use technology and other resources to develop and manage a prospect pool.
• Identify and cultivate new prospect leads.
• Deepen relationships and upgrade annual donors to major giving or planned giving donors.
• Assist in the cultivation of corporate donors and sponsors.

Data Management:

• Maintain database records, hard files, and e-files for all gift officer and donor engagement activities (Blackbaud NXT).
• Partner with Donor Relations, Data/Gift Processing, and AFMF Finance to ensure required gift paperwork and donor recognition/corporate acknowledgments are captured internally and recognized in relevant publications/social media and other collateral.

Communication and Materials Development:

• Provide input on the creation of print/electronic materials conveying Museum and Foundation priorities to current or prospective donors.
• Ensure that materials are segmented and distributed in a targeted, timely, and consistent manner.

The successful candidate will have the strong organizational, relationship, collaboration, and oral and written communication skills necessary to relay the Air Force Museum Foundation's mission effectively. The successful candidate will be mission-driven, possess a high level of autonomy, and have an entrepreneurial mindset.

The candidate will also have:

• 10+ years of nonprofit fundraising experience, including major giving, planned giving, corporate sponsorships, special projects/program support, or capital fundraising.
• A proven track record of successful fundraising and demonstrated experience in securing major gifts.
• A thorough understanding of the Museum and Foundation’s history, culture, collection, programs, constituencies, facilities, financial support, and short-, medium-, and long-term funding objectives.
• Knowledge of key stakeholders in the USAF and civilian aviation communities, the national defense sector, STEM education and workforce development communities, and veterans’ communities is a plus.
• Experience in the museum sector and museum philanthropy, preferred.

Location: The Museum and Foundation are located in Dayton, Ohio. This position is eligible for hybrid work. Remote candidates will be considered.

Required travel: Local, regional, and national travel is required (25-50%). This position may work during the evenings and on weekends for on- and off-site Foundation activities.

Equal-opportunity Employer: The Air Force Museum Foundation provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and professional development.

DRi Waterstone has been exclusively retained for this engagement. All first-round interviews for this position will take place via video conference with DRi Waterstone.

Salary range: $100,000 - $120,000

Job classification: Full-time

To apply: For best results, please complete this application using the Google Chrome web browser. https://driwaterstonehc.com/position/major-gifts-officer-air-force-museum-foundation-2/.

Please verify all required fields as noted by an asterisk are completed. Once completed you will be redirected to a thank you page. A cover letter, resume, and professional biography are required documents.

Posted: January 9, 2024