Organization: Contemporary Arts Center

About the position:

Reports to: Chief of Development

FLSA Status: Full-Time, exempt

New position: August 2023

Location: Cincinnati, OH

Compensation: $55,000-$65,000 annual salary, plus competitive package of health benefits and PTO.

ABOUT THE CONTEMPORARY ARTS CENTER:

MISSION STATEMENT: The Contemporary Arts Center (CAC) brings art and the creative process to all people through exhibitions, performances, and experiences that open minds.

CAC BACKGROUND: The CAC was founded in 1939 by three women with their eyes on the future. Today, our purpose is to champion open minds and foster an inclusive culture by using contemporary art and mutual learning as vehicles for connecting people, cultivating creativity, and catalyzing curiosity.

The CAC now operates on a $4.7M annual operating budget and offers 4 - 5 significant exhibitions per year, including group and solo exhibitions originated by CAC curator(s), guest curators, and touring exhibition partners. It is the oldest non-collecting contemporary art center in the country and one of the largest, occupying an 80,000 sq. ft. building, with approximately 22,000 sq. ft. devoted to exhibition and performance space. With new executive leadership in place and a completed $5M+ renovation of its educational facility, the CAC is poised to continue its 85-year legacy of presenting new commissions by emerging and established artists, as well as thematic group exhibitions that foster local, national, and international resonances.

A strong emphasis on curatorial research and institutional partnerships has led to the CAC generating a number of major touring exhibitions and co-commissions with entities such as Kunstraum Kreuzberg (Berlin), MIT List Visual Arts Center (Cambridge), the New Museum (New York), and FotoFocus Biennial (Cincinnati). Recent solo projects have featured the work of Tania Candiani, Ugo Rondinone, Steffani Jemison, Vhils, and Do Ho Suh, through which each artist developed significant interventions that attended to a range of timely concepts.

LOCATION: The CAC is located in an architectural gem in the heart of downtown Cincinnati, designed by Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid. The Lois and Richard Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art was heralded by The New York Times as “the most important American building to be completed since the end of the cold war” and was lauded for its community-centric approach to the design process.

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Assistant Director of Development will strengthen the CAC’s efforts in deepening and broadening its resources of support, as well as develop and implement strategies to generate funding for exhibitions, general operations, and extraordinary initiatives. The Assistant Director of Development is comfortable facilitating, communicating, and working with a wide range of individuals. This position will strengthen fundraising efforts to support organizational initiatives and needs through the management of a portfolio of donors. This will include being a proactive member of the Development team and understanding the importance of a team working together to achieve institutional fundraising goals.

PAY, BENEFITS, LONG-TERM GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES: This full-time position takes place on-site at the CAC. FT staff generally work on-site Monday – Wednesday and off-site Thursday and Friday as responsibilities allow. The annual salary range is $55,000-$65,000 and benefits include medical, vision, dental, and paid parental leave; access to retirement savings; generous vacation time, sick/personal days, and paid holidays; and access to professional development opportunities, employee assistance program, CAC membership, and CAC Museum Shop and Cafe employee discounts.

TO APPLY: Please send cover letter and resume to Aly Laughlin, Human Resources Director at alaughlin@cincycac.org by August 28th, 2023, along with two writing/work samples, examples include direct mail appeals, digital appeals, major gift proposals, donor stewardship plans, etc. Include “Application: Assistant Director of Development” in the subject line.

RECRUITMENT & HIRING: The Contemporary Arts Center is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE) where all applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, Veteran, or disability status.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

Manage portfolio of donors and prospects to secure and steward annual operating support and exhibition support; manage outreach to these donors and prospects, preparing presentation decks and reports for managed donors as needed.

Develop and launch Artist Talk sponsorship initiative; partner with Development team and cross-departmental colleagues to ensure collaborative approach that serves institutional mission.

Support Development team in the outreach, stewardship, and retention of donors; partner with Director of Donor Experience to assist in the redesign and execution of donor memberships / giving circles.

Partner with Chief of Development and Director of Donor Experience to develop and implement a robust planned giving program.

Conduct research and recommend strategies to build and qualify viable prospect lists for all projects, including increasing engagement through volunteer leadership and giving; partner with Development team to create cultivation and stewardship paths.

In partnership with the Director of Donor experience, support the execution of Development-focused special events (includes Season Preview, Exhibition/Performance Openings, Annual Gala) and define benefits associated with special event sponsorship; engage and work with corresponding volunteers and volunteer committees for these events.

Collaborate with the Director of Donor Experience and the Development Manager to ensure appropriate stewardship of gifts and is responsible for completing the entire acknowledgement process for donors, including in-kind forms, thank you letters, gala art auction receipts, letters to buyers and artists, etc.; in the absence of the Development Manager serve as back-up in pulling and mailing acknowledgment letters.

Partner with Development Manager to execute timely delivery of and closure of invoices.

Ensure donor recognition is communicated with Development team and other internal colleagues to provide appropriate acknowledgment in verbal recognitions, collateral materials, physical spaces, and digital platforms.

Meet regularly with other departments to establish fundraising opportunities.

Assist with the planning and execution of Board of Trustees and Committee meetings, as well as any rentals/private events connected to donors; assist in preparation of related materials for meetings.

Record all donor interactions and donor information gathered on behalf of the CAC in prospect management software to guarantee institutional knowledge is housed in central database, per Development best practices.

With Development Manager, work with donor database to assess and utilize features to benefit the CAC including further customization as new features become available.

Serve as proactive and reliable resource for frontline museum staff in building culture of philanthropy in visitor interactions.

Provide lists for mailings and publications, as requested.

Collaborate with Development team for the on-boarding of interns, with potential for managing department interns by scheduling, assessing their performance and assigning duties, and training.

Other duties as assigned.

ALL OF THESE DUTIES ARE TO BE DONE WITH OVERALL CAC BUSINESS IN MIND. THE PERSON IN THIS POSITION WILL BE CONSCIOUS OF OTHER CAC PROGRAMS, EXHIBITION NEEDS AND CAC POLICY AND PROCEDURES.

COMPETENCIES:

Project Management—Develops project plans; coordinates projects; communicates changes and progress; completes projects on time and budget.

Oral & Written Communication—Speaks clearly and persuasively in positive or negative situations; presents numerical data effectively; listens and gets clarification; responds well to questions; demonstrates presentation skills; participates in meetings; able to read and interpret written information.

Diversity—Demonstrates knowledge of EEO policy; shows respect and sensitivity for cultural differences; educates others on the value of diversity; promotes a harassment-free environment.

Organizational Support—Follows policies and procedures; completes administrative tasks correctly and on time; supports organization's goals and values; benefits organization through outside activities.

Strategic Thinking—Develops strategies to achieve organizational goals; understands organization's strengths & challenges; analyzes field and competition; identifies external opportunities; adapts strategy to changing conditions.

Innovation—Displays original thinking and creativity; meets challenges with resourcefulness; generates suggestions for improving work; develops innovative approaches and ideas.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Bachelor’s degree preferred.

A minimum of 3+ years of experience in fundraising.

Ability to proactively self-manage projects.

Acts with integrity, has high standards of professional conduct and respect for confidentiality.

Ability to work under deadlines and successfully handle several projects at once.

Ability to think creatively and strategically.

Ability to work occasional evenings and weekend events as necessary.

Engages with the public authentically, professionally and by being thoughtfully informed.

Ability to relate to and engage those of diverse age and demographic backgrounds.

Experience with prospect management tool preferred.

Values diversity and inclusion.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT:

The person in this position needs to occasionally move about outside and inside the office to attend meetings with others, access files, office machinery, etc.

Must be able to remain in a stationary position at least 50% of the time.

Operate a computer and other office productivity machinery, such as a calculator, copy machine, and computer printer.

Able to communicate information and ideas so others will understand. Must be able to exchange accurate information in these situations.

Able to observe details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

Occasionally exposed to outside weather conditions.

More information can be found here.