The Contemporary Jewish Museum (The CJM) seeks a highly skilled, experienced, and results-oriented development professional for the role of Major Gifts Officer. Reporting to the Director of Development and working closely with The Museum’s Executive Director, this position is a key member of The CJM’s Development department, which presently raises approximately $5 million annually and is in the quiet phase of a significant capital, endowment, and legacy campaign.

The Major Gifts Officer’s focus will be on providing strategic leadership in cultivating and soliciting individual donors to grow unrestricted support for The Museum, while promoting opportunities for targeted funding of particular exhibitions, programs, and initiatives. The individual in this role will be responsible the identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of donors and prospects capable of making annual gifts of $10,000 or more, as well as re-engaging lapsed donors. The Major Gifts Officer will also work closely with the Development team on major campaign gifts.

The successful individual in this role has talent in identifying and cultivating new donors, strong interpersonal and organizational skills, and the ability to work cross-functionally with various departments to build strategic fundraising plans and solicitations.

Major Gifts

• Develop and manage The CJM’s major gifts strategy, and update or recommend new components to The Museum’s major gifts program 
• Responsible for cultivating new major gifts prospects and building and managing a portfolio of at least seventy-five plus major donors and prospects giving $10,000 or more annually
• Develop appropriate stewardship and solicitation strategies for a target group of donors, including existing donors not yet giving at this capacity
• Continually recommend short- and long-term fundraising plans and develop goals for the growth of major gifts support, along with specific plans and strategies to achieve the goals
• Work closely with the Director of Development to manage prospecting, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of legacy giving prospects and donors
• Prepare and position the Executive Director and Board of Trustees and/or volunteers for successful solicitation meetings and calls with major donors
• Track and document major gifts prospecting, fundraising, and commitment activity with an eye toward continual growth and improvement, including monitoring major gifts program ROI and retention rates and developing tracking reports as needed using the donor database
• Collaborate with Development team members and internal partners to create written proposals and reports, correspondence, and fundraising materials to support major solicitations and funder appeals, including campaign gifts
• Integrate the major gifts program with other fundraising goals and strategic initiatives of the Development Department

Stewardship

• Steward, support, and communicate with major donors to maintain and upgrade their support
• Work closely with the Director of Development to ensure appropriate donor recognition
• Collaborate with the Stewardship Events and Corporate Relations Manager to design and coordinate stewardship and cultivation activities for major donors and prospects

Other Responsibilities

• Represent The CJM by attendance at Museum events, including exhibition openings, donor benefit, cultivation, and fundraising events
• Represent The CJM in the Jewish and arts communities
• Participate in coordination and management of The CJM’s major donor travel program
• Build knowledge of Museum programs and strategic priorities to effectively communicate with Trustees, donors, prospects, partners, and others

• Bachelor of Arts or Science degree
• Minimum five years Development experience; major gifts experience essential and campaign experience strongly preferred
• Experience in the arts or Jewish cultural field a plus
• Exceptional communication skills; articulate with proven ability to write effectively and speak persuasively
• Gifted relationship-builder, with the skills and agility to build strong rapport with philanthropists of diverse backgrounds
• Proven track record of working effectively with volunteer leaders, including boards of directors
• Demonstrated experience with project and budget management preferred
• Commitment to the mission and core values of The Contemporary Jewish Museum

• Strong planning, strategic, and organizational skills to effectively coordinate and prioritize workload
• High proficiency in Microsoft Office
• Familiarity with Blackbaud Raisers Edge and Altru or similar donor databases
• Knowledge of prospect research processes and tools
• Proficiency to manage multiple deadlines and work with diverse groups cross-organizationally in a collaborative manner; experience with project management tools like Asana a plus
• Ability to handle confidential and sensitive information
• Availability to work occasional evenings and weekends