The Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown, Ohio is at a pivotal moment in its history. The Museum seeks an experienced and entrepreneurial development professional to serve as Director of Development, providing strategic leadership for all fundraising, membership, donor engagement, and advancement operations.

Working in close partnership with the Executive Director and serving as a member of the senior leadership team, the Director of Development will lead the planning, execution, and evaluation of a comprehensive fundraising program designed to grow annual, major, planned, institutional, and campaign giving. This individual will build and strengthen a culture of philanthropy throughout the institution while developing the strategies, systems, and relationships necessary to support the Museum's long-term sustainability and impact.

This is an exciting opportunity for an accomplished fundraising leader to shape the future of one of America's most historic art museums by expanding philanthropic support, growing donor engagement, strengthening development infrastructure, and helping position the Butler for its next chapter of growth.

Work Status:

• Full Time (40 hrs. per week), exempt
• Monday through Friday 8-4 with occasional weekends and evenings.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

The Director of Development serves as the Museum's senior development professional and is responsible for the strategic planning, management, and execution of the Museum's comprehensive development program. Reporting to the Executive Director, the Director provides leadership for all fundraising initiatives, including:

• Major gifts
• Annual fund
• Membership
• Planned giving
• Corporate and foundation relations
• Government support
• Capital and special campaigns
• Donor relations and stewardship
• Advancement operations and database management

The Director of Development works closely with the Executive Director, Board of Trustees, volunteers, and community stakeholders to secure philanthropic support and advance the Museum's mission. The successful candidate will balance strategic leadership with hands-on fundraising, maintaining an active portfolio of major donors and prospects while overseeing departmental operations and staff development.

1. Essential Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership and Fundraising

• • Develop and execute a comprehensive development strategy that aligns fundraising priorities with the Museum's mission, strategic goals, and future growth opportunities.
  • Establish annual and long-range fundraising goals, benchmarks, and performance metrics across all development functions.
  • Partner with the Executive Director and Board of Trustees to identify institutional funding priorities and craft compelling cases for support.
  • Provide regular fundraising analysis, pipeline reporting, and strategic recommendations to Museum leadership and the Board.
  • Assess and strengthen development operations, systems, processes, and staffing structures to support organizational objectives.
  • Lead planning for major fundraising initiatives, endowment growth, special campaigns, and other strategic philanthropic opportunities.

Major Gifts, Campaigns, and Donor Engagement

• • Maintain a portfolio of major gift prospects and donors, directing cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, and relationship management efforts.
  • Develop and implement strategies for identifying, qualifying, and advancing new major gift prospects.
  • Partner with the Executive Director and Board members on high-level donor cultivation and solicitation efforts.
  • Lead major gift and campaign initiatives, including future capital, endowment, and institutional campaigns.
  • Develop compelling proposals, campaign materials, donor presentations, and gift agreements.
  • Expand support among emerging philanthropists, next-generation donors, and community leaders.

Institutional Giving

• • Oversee foundation, corporate, and government fundraising efforts.
  • Direct proposal development, grant writing, budget preparation, reporting, and stewardship activities.
  • Build and maintain relationships with institutional funders.
  • Identify new grant opportunities and strategic funding partnerships that align with Museum priorities.

Membership and Annual Giving

• • Provide strategic oversight for membership, annual fund, and donor acquisition programs.
  • Develop innovative strategies to increase donor participation, retention, upgrades, and recurring support.
  • Strengthen donor communications and annual fundraising appeals.
  • Evaluate membership and annual giving performance through data analysis and donor engagement metrics.

Stewardship and Donor Relations

• • Oversee a comprehensive donor stewardship program that fosters meaningful engagement and long-term support.
  • Ensure timely donor acknowledgment, recognition, and reporting.
  • Direct donor events, cultivation opportunities, patron programs, and special recognition initiatives.
  • Monitor donor retention and loyalty metrics and implement strategies to strengthen donor relationships.

Team Leadership and Development

• • Directly supervise and mentor development staff.
  • Establish clear goals, responsibilities, and performance expectations.
  • Foster a collaborative, high-performing culture focused on accountability, innovation, and professional growth.
  • Recruit, onboard, and retain talented development professionals.
  • Provide coaching, mentoring, and professional development opportunities for team members.

Operational Excellence

• • Develop and implement policies, procedures, and best practices for advancement operations.
  • Ensure effective use of fundraising databases and technology platforms for prospect management, donor tracking, analytics, and reporting.
  • Oversee departmental budgeting and resource allocation.
  • Implement moves-management systems and portfolio management standards.
  • Ensure compliance with ethical fundraising standards, gift acceptance policies, and applicable regulations.
  • Collaborate across departments to support integrated institutional planning and fundraising efforts.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree, CFRE credential, or related professional certification preferred.
• Minimum of 7-10 years of progressive fundraising experience, including leadership responsibilities.
• Demonstrated success securing and managing major gifts of $50,000+ and cultivating long-term philanthropic relationships.
• Experience developing and implementing comprehensive fundraising strategies that produce measurable results.
• Proven success managing development operations, staff, budgets, and fundraising systems.
• Experience working with Boards of Trustees, volunteers, and senior leadership.
• Strong knowledge of annual giving, major gifts, institutional giving, planned giving, and campaign fundraising.
• Excellent written, verbal, presentation, and relationship-management skills.

Preferred

• Museum, arts, cultural, educational, or nonprofit leadership experience.
• Capital campaign or comprehensive campaign experience.
• Experience with donor databases such as Raiser's Edge, Altru, or comparable CRM platforms.
• Demonstrated success securing six- and seven-figure gifts.
• Knowledge of philanthropic trends, donor engagement strategies, and best practices in advancement.

DESIRED QUALITIES

Personal Characteristics

The successful candidate will demonstrate:

• • Professional maturity, integrity, and sound judgment.
  • A collaborative and mission-driven leadership style.
  • Creativity, resourcefulness, and entrepreneurial thinking.
  • A solutions-oriented mindset with strong initiative.
  • Resilience, adaptability, and comfort navigating organizational change.
  • Enthusiasm for building organizational capacity and developing talent.
  • Passion for the visual arts and a commitment to advancing the Butler Institute's mission and impact.

OUR CULTURE

The Butler Institute of American Art is proud to provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, disability or status as a veteran.

Every person at the Butler Institute is treated with respect, supported with resources and training, and exposed to a broad range of experiences. We foster a space for growth with opportunities to share knowledge and passion with both clients and colleagues. We are committed to building a diverse workforce and creating an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive. Our leadership is actively involved in our commitment to diversity and inclusion, and fostering a culture that creates opportunities for everyone.

To apply, please submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae, and three references to employment@butlerart.com with the subject line:

Last Name - Director of Development Application.