Description

ABOUT THE WITTE MUSEUM

Founded in 1926, the Witte Museum is San Antonio’s premier museum promoting lifelong learning through innovative exhibition, programs and collections in natural history, science and South Texas heritage. The Witte Museum is in the second phase, the New Witte, of a three phase $100 million capital expansion. The successful first phase or South Texas Heritage Phase of the campaign included the recent openings of the Robert J. and Helen C. Kleberg South Texas Heritage Center, B. Naylor Morton Research and Collections Center and H-E-B Body Adventure. Soon, the Mays Family Center for exhibitions and special events will open May 2016 while the main building with expanded and enhanced exhibitions on dinosaurs, Texas Wild and the People the Pecos will open in spring 2017. The Witte currently hosts an average of 350,000 visitors each year, of which over 150,000 are school-aged children and 80,000 are free of general admission during weekly Free Tuesdays hours. With newly expanded spectacular exhibitions and programs, the Witte anticipates that it will welcome 600,000 visitors each year.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Witte Museum seeks an experienced Grants Officer to join the Development team in creating a top-tier museum. The Grants Officer is a key fundraiser responsible for implementing the museum’s efforts to identify and develop exhibit, program, and operating sponsorships. Based on a thorough knowledge of museum needs and programs, the Grants Officer develops proposals for corporate, foundation, private and government sources, and helps manage the cultivation and solicitation of supporters, working with various museum departments to implement the grant-seeking process. The Grants Officer is responsible for raising at least $1 million in support in a fast paced environment. The Grants Officer also serves as the staff liaison for the Exhibits and Education Committee as part of the overall Development Committee of the Board of Trustees. This position reports to the Vice President of Development and works closely with the President and CEO.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Responsible for conducting the full range of activities required to prepare, submit, and manage grant and sponsorship proposals and collaterals to corporate, foundation, private and government sources
• Perform prospect research on corporate, foundation, private and government sources to evaluate prospects for corporate and foundation grants
• Work with finance to gather information necessary to report to corporate/foundation funders on current grant programs
• Comply with all grant reporting as required by foundation/corporate/private/government donors
• Provide stewardship to current donors, including work with Vice President of Development, to provide regular written updates to corporate, foundation, private, and government donors
• Become articulate about institutional history, exhibits and programs
• Work with Museum teams to create and implement sponsorships of exhibits and programs
• Works with volunteers of the Exhibits and Education Committee as part of the Development Committee to solicit and steward prospects and donors
• Maintain current records in database and paper files, including grant tracking and reporting
• Track statistics relevant to development and provide department with written materials necessary for donor stewardship (visitor number and diversity, educational program attendance, etc.)

Requirements

EDUCATION

·         Required: Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Arts, Humanities, Museum Studies or a related discipline

·         Preferred: Master’s Degree in Liberal Arts, Humanities, Museum Studies or a related discipline

EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

• Minimum of two years grant writing experience
• Previous experience with non-profit fundraising
• Strong written communication skills; ability to write clear, structured, articulate, and persuasive proposals
• Solid background in marketing and/or corporate sponsorship initiatives
• Strong editing skills
• Attention to detail
• Knowledge of the museum field
• Ability to network effectively at the local, state and national level
• Demonstrated track record of setting and achieving goals
• Knowledge of fundraising information sources
• Experience with proposal writing and institutional donors
• Knowledge of basic fundraising techniques and strategies
• Knowledge and familiarity with research techniques for fundraising prospect research
• Strong contributor in team environments
• Proficient in Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge or Tessitura software is a plus
• Experience working in deadline-driven environments
• Able to work well in a team environment, handle multiple assignments and meet deadlines
• Able to monitor and meet income goals