Director of Development [Virginia Commonwealth University Institute for Contemporary Art]

Full-time 12-month non tenure eligible position, beginning late winter 2014/early 2015
Posted September 17, 2014.

Scheduled to open in 2016, the new Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA) at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), designed by the renowned Steven Holl Architects, will be an iconic gateway for the city of Richmond. As a non-collecting museum, the ICA will showcase a fresh slate of changing innovative exhibitions, performances, films and special programs that engage the university, students, faculty, the broader Richmond community, and beyond.

The 40,000-square-foot ICA (ica.vcu.edu) will be an incubator for interdisciplinary experimentation for the entire university while simultaneously providing opportunities for collaboration both locally and internationally. It will be in direct dialogue with VCUarts, the #1 public art school in the country; set within a major, urban public research university with national and international rankings in sponsored research; and centrally located on the East Coast in a city with a top-10 museum and a region with few venues for the latest contemporary art. The ICA will become a conduit for global collaboration, bridging the distance to artists working in other regions internationally.

The ICA has a $55 million capital and endowment campaign. To date, VCU has raised $32 million towards the capital campaign.

Description:

The Director of Development is a strategic, energetic, entrepreneurial, and creative leader who will garner local, regional, and national support for the ICA’s mission, identifying and cultivating new donors as well as stewarding existing relationships while maintaining the Museum’s profile nationally and internationally. The Director of Development will work to keep the ICA globally oriented and locally relevant, generating enthusiasm and engendering public pride in the ICA as a highly valued community asset: a magnet for cultural tourism, a venue for exciting exhibitions, and a focal point for significant events and programs.

The Director of Development will report directly to the Director of the ICA and will maintain close working relationships with the University’s Office of Development and Alumni Relations, the VCU School of the Arts’ Director of Development, who has been leading ICA fundraising initiatives for over two years, as well as colleagues throughout VCU, the community, and international partners to generate diverse support.

Major Responsibilities:

• Plans, manages, and implements the overall fundraising strategy for the ICA to achieve operating and strategic objectives;
• Ensures the delivery of the ICA’s vision, mission and brand through its fundraising programs and establishes secure resources for its future;
• Leads staff, Advisory Board members and volunteers, solidifying a strong foundation of exiting contributors and develops new connections with individual donors, corporations, and foundations, to ensure increased contributed income, planned giving and foundation revenue;
• Establishes a presence in the community to increase the organization’s visibility, identifies opportunities and programs to engage new donors, and maintains grant opportunities and relationships with current and past donors;
• Develops and implements a major gifts program for the ICA to engage and cultivate new partners that will increase the number and size of gifts over time;
• Delivers the highest of professional standards while demonstrating the sensitivity necessary to successfully engage and interact with high-level donors; and
• Manages and mentors staff fundraising team, Advisory Board members, committee members and community volunteers.

Requirements:

• Master’s degree in a related field is required, or the equivalent in training and work experience that equates to an advance degree;
• Demonstrated experience working in and fostering a diverse faculty, staff, and student environment or commitment to do so as a faculty member at VCU;
• Minimum of eight (8) years of demonstrated success with increasing responsibility in non-profit fundraising, preferably with an arts organization in a major market;
• Experience building strong working relationships and collaborating with a diverse range of donors, foundations, corporations, and other contributors and stakeholders;
• Successful proven track record in providing creative and innovative leadership in resource development and grant writing and in promoting and administering dynamic and diverse fundraising strategies;
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills;
• Must be self-motivated, strategic, creative, entrepreneurial, energetic and intelligent;
• Ability to problem-solve using sound judgment and professional discretion;
• Proven ability to develop and present complex information to a diverse range of individuals, and at conferences, lectures, and other essential meetings.

Application Process:

For full consideration, candidates should submit a current resume, a letter of interest, and a list of five professional references with email addresses and telephone numbers to the attention of Ryan Ellington, Director of Human Resources at: www.vcujobs.com. Applications will be reviewed beginning November 17, 2014 and will continue until the position is filled. Only electronic applications submitted via eJobs will be accepted.

To read the full position description, application instructions, and apply, visit: https://www.vcujobs.com/

Virginia Commonwealth University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action university providing access to education and employment without regard to age, race, color, national origin, gender, religion, sexual orientation, veteran’s status, political affiliation or disability.