Overview:

Organizational Overview:

The Westchester Children’s Museum (WCM), located in the historic north bathhouse on the boardwalk at Playland Beach, is a vibrant, interactive learning space providing children, families, and school groups the opportunity to nurture curiosity, enhance knowledge and ignite the imagination through creative hands-on exploration. The Museum is committed to broadening knowledge of the arts and sciences, the environment, multiculturalism, and the local and global communities in an educational and recreational atmosphere. WCM was founded over 20 years ago by educators and dedicated volunteers who recognized the need for this learning environment in the Westchester area. Since then, the Museum has grown into 20,000 square feet of interactive space that entertains and educates well over 100,000 guests each year.

Position Summary:

The Westchester Children’s Museum is seeking a highly motivated and experienced professional to lead critical fundraising efforts for a children’s museum in an exciting growth phase. This position will be responsible for building a varied fundraising operation that supports the mission, vision, values and programs of the Museum. Fundraising activities will include government and foundation grants, membership, corporate partnerships, individual giving and major gift campaigns. The Director of Development is a member of the senior management team, reports to the Executive Director and works closely with the Board of Trustees. The Director of Development will be pivotal in driving WCM’s next phase of growth. 

Qualifications:    

The Director of Development for the Westchester Children’s Museum will be a seasoned professional with a proven track record. This individual will thoughtfully oversee the growth of the fund raising program at the Museum, maintaining the connection to WCM’s mission and core values. The successful candidate will have the following attributes and competencies: 

Passion for WCM and its mission;

Development Leadership: Proven experience managing a multi-pronged development operation;

Team Management: Ability to lead and support a team of two direct reports, while fostering a culture of collaboration and growth in regard to philanthropy throughout the organization;

Results-driven approach: Capacity to oversee and execute a variety of development streams, resulting in increased donor support for WCM;

Relationship Builder: Ability to create rapport with people from diverse backgrounds, interests and experiences, with the capacity to represent WCM at meetings and within the community.

The ideal candidate will have most, if not all, of the following professional and personal qualities, skills and characteristics:

Five plus years of solid fundraising experience in the non-profit sector, with a proven track record of success in cultivating and maintaining strong funder relationships in the government and for- profit sectors;

Three plus years of supervisory experience with strong management skills, and a demonstrated ability to build and motivate an effective team;

Experience with fundraising databases for tracking and cultivating donors;

Exceptional interpersonal communication and relationship-building ability to effectively engage with donors, partners, community leaders, board members and internal teams;

Experience leading fundraising efforts that have raised $1million plus in annual revenue;

Proven leadership experience, ideally in a senior leadership role within a non-profit organization;

Experience managing a diverse development operation;

Excellent writing and oral communication skills;

Master’s Degree is a plus;

Familiarity and/or experience with the Westchester philanthropic community is a plus;

Personal transportation to attend networking and community events. 

Job Responsibilities:    

The essential responsibilities of the position include:

Lead, manage and implement a full range of development activities, ensuring the success of grants, corporate partnerships, annual giving and major donor campaigns in alignment with WCM’s mission and strategic goals;

Lead and mentor two development staff members - a Membership Manager and a part-time grant writer (to be hired);

Work closely with the Executive Director to strategize and execute funding initiatives that support the major goals of the organization;

Build, nurture and cultivate relationships with current and potential donors;

Build a strong annual giving program;

Work with the Board on the design and execution of major giving campaigns;

Work closely with the Board Development Committee and Committee Chair - facilitating board fundraising efforts to open doors, implementing board initiated donor follow up and training board members in effective donor solicitation;

Refine a system of donor acknowledgment, tracking and communication with museum staff and board members engaged in development activities;

Successfully communicate to current and potential donors and the Museum’s stakeholders the value of the Museum’s programs, exhibits and services to the community;

Network with Westchester government agencies and officials, non-profit partners, and corporate leaders for the benefit of WCM;

Ensure comprehensive donor tracking, including all communication with donors;

Become familiar with museum programs and initiatives to effectively communicate their value and impact to donors;

Oversee/implement reporting to donors;

Communicate effectively with museum staff members and auditing and financial firms to ensure timely and accurate reporting;

Work closely with marketing team to effectively communicate campaign needs and impact.