POSITION TITLE: Advancement Director

EMPLOYMENT STATUS: Full time, exempt

HOURS: Monday – Friday, 9 AM – 5 PM with some weekend and evening hours; must reside in the greater Pittsburgh area. Limited remote working opportunities are available.

REPORTS TO: Executive Director

DIRECT REPORTS: Development and Membership Manager; Marketing Manager

SALARY AND BENEFITS: Expected starting pay range, based on experience, $70,000 – $85,000. Additional benefits include health, dental, and vision insurance, and paid time off.

Who We Are

Mattress Factory is a contemporary art museum and artist residency located in Pittsburgh's Northside, founded in 1977. For nearly fifty years, we have been a pioneering force in the development of site-specific, experimental, and alternative art forms. Artists live and work on-site, creating new works that are deeply informed by and rooted in the spaces they inhabit.

Supporting artists is not only part of our mission; it is the core of our identity. We were founded by Barbara Luderowski, a sculptor and visionary who imagined a community “for artists, by artists,” a place where creative risk and intellectual exploration are celebrated. We provide artists across disciplines with time, space, resources, and a supportive team to take chances and grow their practice.

Our work doesn't stop at creation. We are equally committed to connecting these works meaningfully with the public. Through exhibitions, tours, community programs, and artist-led engagements, we help audiences forge personal and lasting relationships with contemporary art.

We believe that art creates connections between people, across perspectives, and within our shared environment. Our artist-centered model builds not just exhibitions but a vibrant community. In doing so, Mattress Factory remains not just a site for artistic production, but a catalyst for cultural exchange, discovery, and creative growth.

Advancement at Mattress Factory

Small but mighty, Mattress Factory's Advancement Department is central to the success of our mission. This dedicated team oversees all fundraising, membership, donor cultivation, marketing, advertising, and public relations for the museum. We are a small team, an Advancement Director, a Marketing Manager, and a Development and Membership Manager, but our impact is felt across every corner of the organization.

We are passionate storytellers, art lovers, and ambassadors for the mission of the museum. Our work is driven by a deep belief in the power of contemporary art and the artists who live and work in residence at Mattress Factory. We know that when our audiences understand and connect with this work, our institution thrives. Whether building lasting relationships with supporters or amplifying the voices of artists, we are committed to sharing the incredible story of Mattress Factory and the hundreds of artists who have called it home.

The Role

We're looking for an Advancement Director who thrives on building relationships, telling a great story, and turning belief in our mission into sustained support. As Mattress Factory approaches its 50th anniversary in 2027, this leader will be instrumental in charting our next chapter, growing and diversifying the resources that make our artist-centered work possible.

A key member of the museum's Senior Leadership Team, the Advancement Director works in close partnership with the Executive Director to design and implement comprehensive fundraising, membership, and marketing strategies that align with Mattress Factory's programmatic and strategic objectives. The role directly supervises the Development and Membership Manager and the Marketing Manager, and partners closely with the Senior Events Manager on the annual Garden Party and other museum events.

A natural collaborator, experienced manager, and thoughtful leader, the Advancement Director listens deeply, values a range of perspectives, and fosters a culture of openness, quality, ambition, and experimentation. Comfortable in a highly visible, public-facing role, they serve as a lead spokesperson for the museum and cultivate strong relationships with donors, foundation and corporate funders, board members, civic leaders, media, and cultural institutions.

This is an exciting time to join Mattress Factory. With approximately 20 staff members, 40,000 annual visitors, and an operating budget of $2.2 million, the museum is poised for transformation. We are guided by a strategic plan designed to strengthen our foundation and expand our reach as we approach our 50th anniversary in 2027, a milestone that will bring with it ambitious programming, a renewed campus, and a significant fundraising effort. The Advancement Director will be instrumental in shaping this next chapter, honoring our legacy while helping to chart a bold new path forward.

Responsibilities

Fundraising Strategy and Revenue Development

• Partner with the Executive Director to set, pursue, and achieve annual contributed revenue goals.
• Design and lead a comprehensive fundraising program spanning individual giving, membership, foundation and corporate support, government funding, sponsorship, and special events.
• Expand and diversify revenue by cultivating relationships with local and national foundations, corporations, and public funders.
• Build and steward a personal portfolio of major gift donors and prospects, working alongside the Executive Director and Board of Directors on cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
• Develop and monitor the advancement budget, ensuring effective financial stewardship and a clear return on investment.
• Contribute to fundraising planning for the museum's 50th anniversary and related campus and capital priorities.

Grants and Institutional Funding

• Own the institutional funding calendar and strategy, ensuring proposals and reports are accurate, compelling, and submitted on time.
• Write and submit grant proposals and reports directly, grant writing at Mattress Factory is shared among the Executive Director, the Advancement Director, and the Development and Membership Manager, and this role is expected to carry a meaningful portion of that work.
• Coordinate assignments across that team, gather program content from colleagues across the museum, and maintain compliance with funder guidelines and deadlines.
• Cultivate and maintain direct relationships with program officers and institutional funders.

Donor and Prospect Development

• Build and manage a comprehensive donor and prospect pipeline focused on local and national prospects.
• Generate individual, business, and foundation prospect lists; oversee research; and coordinate meetings and tours in collaboration with the Executive Director and Board of Directors.
• Ensure timely, personal, and meaningful stewardship of donors at every level.

Donor Travel Program

• With the Executive Director and Artistic Director, spearhead Mattress Factory's donor travel program, leading one to two trips per year that take donors and supporters to unique arts destinations across the country such as museums, biennials, artist studios, private collections, and site-specific work that connects back to what we do here.
• Design each itinerary in partnership with the Executive Director and artistic staff, identifying destinations and hosts, securing behind-the-scenes access, and shaping an experience that is both memorable and unmistakably Mattress Factory.

Advocate Dinners and Community Building

• With the Executive Director, spearhead the museum's Advocate Dinners, regular gatherings at the museum that bring together donors, artists, community members, and supporters around a shared table.
• Connect these dinners to the museum's broader cultivation strategy, ensuring meaningful follow-up with attendees and a clear path from a great evening to deeper engagement and support.
• Champion a culture of belonging across the museum's donor and community programs, so that supporters experience Mattress Factory as a community they are part of, not an institution they give to.

Campaigns and Events

• Lead and manage the museum's Annual Fund and other year-round fundraising initiatives.
• Provide fundraising leadership for the annual Garden Party, including sponsorship, ticket sales, and revenue goals, working in close partnership with the Senior Events Manager, who leads event logistics and production.
• Collaborate with the Senior Events Manager on private, special, and rental events to support and grow earned event revenue.
• Ensure fundraising and cultivation goals are built into museum events, openings, and public programs.

Membership

• Provide strategic direction for the museum's membership program, setting goals and growth strategies in partnership with the Development and Membership Manager, who leads day-to-day execution.
• Ensure membership serves as a healthy pipeline into annual and major giving.
• Support the development of premiere membership and patron groups and the engagement opportunities that sustain them.

Marketing and Communications Leadership

• Provide strategic oversight of Mattress Factory's marketing, communications, and public relations, supervising the Marketing Manager who leads day-to-day execution.
• Ensure marketing strategy aligns with the museum's mission, strategic plan, and earned and contributed revenue goals.
• Safeguard and evolve the museum's brand identity, ensuring consistent messaging and aesthetics across all channels.
• Oversee the museum's digital engagement strategy (website, social media, email marketing, and paid and earned media) and use performance data to refine campaigns and maximize impact.
• Serve as a spokesperson for the museum and help cultivate relationships with local, national, and international media.
• Develop and monitor the marketing budget to ensure effective allocation of resources.

Team Leadership

• Supervise, mentor, and develop the Development and Membership Manager and the Marketing Manager, setting clear goals and supporting their professional growth.
• Manage departmental contractors, consultants, and occasional interns.
• Foster a departmental culture that is collaborative, accountable, creative, and generous.
• Maintain a detailed advancement calendar so that campaigns, appeals, deadlines, and events are executed on time and in coordination with one another.

Institutional Leadership

• Collaborate as a member of the museum's Senior Leadership Team, with proactive input into decisions affecting Mattress Factory's annual and long-term operating plans, including the museum's strategic framework, program priorities, human and financial resource allocations, and holistic institutional communications.
• Serve as a senior staff advisor to the Executive Director, providing strategic counsel and insight to support decision-making and the achievement of organizational goals.
• Foster a spirit of collaboration and mutual respect across departments, valuing the knowledge and expertise of colleagues in exhibitions, education, events, visitor services, finance, and beyond.
• Partner with the Executive Director to keep the Board of Directors informed and engaged by helping to plan board and committee meetings, preparing advancement materials and dashboards in advance of each meeting, tracking fundraising progress against goals, and ensuring timely follow-up.
• Attend Board of Directors meetings and staff the Board's Advancement Committee, the Garden Party Host Committee, and other volunteer committees, reporting on fundraising progress, event outcomes, and campaign results.
• In collaboration with the Executive Director, help recruit, orient, and engage board members and volunteers in the work of advancement.
• Represent the museum publicly, building relationships with donors, stakeholders, community leaders, and cultural partners that advance the museum's mission.
• Other duties as assigned by the Executive Director.

Skills

• A collaborative leadership style that values listening, coaching, and shared decision-making.
• Exceptional communication skills, written, verbal, and public speaking, with the ability to engage a range of audiences clearly and persuasively.
• A creative thinker who embraces experimentation and takes thoughtful risks.
• Strong skills in research, budgeting, CRM/donor database management, and digital communication tools.
• Organized, detail-oriented, and excellent at time management.
• The ability to juggle multiple priorities effectively.
• Reliable and proactive, with a strong sense of personal accountability and follow-through.
• Able to work independently and drive projects forward with minimal oversight.
• A team player who thrives in a collaborative environment.
• Flexible and resilient, with the ability to adapt to changing circumstances.

What We're Looking For

• A minimum of 5 years of progressive experience in fundraising, development, or advancement, with demonstrated success securing major gifts, grants, and sponsorships.
• A bachelor's degree in nonprofit management, marketing, communications, or a related field — or equivalent experience.
• Demonstrated experience writing successful grant proposals and managing institutional funder relationships.
• Supervisory experience, with a proven ability to mentor and inspire staff while fostering a collaborative and inclusive workplace culture.
• Experience planning and executing high-profile fundraising events and campaigns; experience with donor travel, curated dinners, or other intimate cultivation experiences is a strong plus.
• Working knowledge of marketing, communications, and public relations sufficient to guide and support a marketing team.
• Experience working with and supporting boards and volunteer committees.
• A strategic thinker with outstanding interpersonal and communication skills.
• A collaborative and generous team member who values cross-departmental work.
• Passion for contemporary art and an understanding of the role of art in civic life and community engagement.
• A strong commitment to equity, diversity, accessibility, and inclusion.
• Experience in a museum, arts, or cultural organization is a plus.

Physical Requirements

Work is primarily sedentary in nature. Candidates must be available on weekends and evenings as necessary, and must be able to travel domestically to lead the museum's donor trips, typically one to two times per year.

To Apply

Interested applicants should submit a cover letter and resume on the Mattress Factory Career Plus page.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Mattress Factory is dedicated to building a culturally diverse staff and creating an inclusive environment. We do not discriminate based on race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, veteran status, ancestry, or national or ethnic origin in our employment practices.