Description

POSITION SUMMARY: 

The Director of Development, Museums & Collections, reports to the Executive Director of Advancement – Fine Arts. This professional manages a portfolio of major gift donors ($25,000+) to secure philanthropic support for strategic priorities across the University of Oklahoma’s museums and collections, including the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, the Sam Noble Museum of Natural History, and libraries across the Norman, Tulsa and OU Health campuses.

Working closely with the Executive Director, museum and library leadership, and OU Foundation colleagues, the Director helps develop and execute fundraising strategies that support exhibitions, collections, preservation, research, programming and public engagement.

 The Director of Development is a skilled individual contributor with an expected annual fundraising goal of $3 million ($15 million over a rolling five-year period), requires regular nationwide travel and brings a demonstrated record of advancing complex, impact-based philanthropic initiatives.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES: 

• Manage an active portfolio of major gift prospects and advance them through the full development cycle, including cultivation, solicitation and stewardship, using a disciplined, execution-oriented approach.
• Solicit and secure private gifts from individuals and work with legal documents, including donor agreements.
• Maintain accurate and confidential donor records by documenting interactions and gift activity in the prospect management system.
• Develop and manage an individual business travel schedule within the Foundation guidelines and travel to meet donors in person across various U.S. cities.
• Build strong relationships with academic leadership, faculty and staff across student-facing units to creatively connect institutional needs with opportunities for support from individual donors and achieve team goals.
• Collaborate effectively with colleagues across the OU Foundation, including Planned Giving, Corporate and Foundation Relations, Stewardship, Donor Relations and Communications, to align strategies and ensure thoughtful cultivation and stewardship plans.
• Communicate clearly and effectively with donors, faculty, administrators and advancement colleagues.
• Demonstrate the ability to advance fundraising priorities across multiple museums and collections, partnering with advancement colleagues to support aligned strategies and shared goals.
• Exercise sound judgment and discretion when managing sensitive donor relationships and confidential information.
• Monitor, analyze and report on student support-related fundraising activity and the use of donor funds.
• Contribute positively to a high-performance, donor-first fundraising culture, embracing consistent engagement, follow-through, accountability and continuous improvement.
• Actively pursue professional development opportunities to strengthen fundraising skills and deepen knowledge of the University of Oklahoma.

         Perform related responsibilities as required or assigned.

Requirements

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS: 

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities 

• Ability to develop, maintain and grow interpersonal relationships with alumni, donors (established and prospective) donors, university leadership, faculty, students and staff, and to deliver personalized, relationship-centered outreach across an active donor portfolio.
• Demonstrated ability to solicit gifts through face-to-face meetings, phone outreach, virtual communication and written correspondence.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, including the ability to deliver effective presentations to groups of various sizes and to draft, edit, and proofread donor communications, proposals, and reports that are clear, accurate, and publicationready.
• Strong organizational, prioritization and project management skills, with the ability to handle multiple deadlines independently while staying aligned with team goals.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively both independently and in a team environment.
• Exceptional goal orientation with a commitment to achieving defined metrics and outcomes.
• Ability to work effectively with diverse constituencies and operate comfortably in a matrixed advancement environment while balancing unit and institutional priorities.
• Ability to learn complex funding vehicles, academic priorities, and institutional needs, and to evaluate projects/programs and produce complex reports.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications and ability to learn customized online software applications, including basic data analysis.
• Understanding of ethics as described in the Association of Fundraising Professionals Code of Ethical Standards, and the ability to demonstrate professionalism, integrity, and adaptability in alignment with the ethical expectations of the fundraising profession.
• Ability to travel up to 25% for in-person meetings in various U.S. cities and to travel independently by car to multiple locations.
• Occasional evening or weekend work is required.

Education/Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in related discipline. 
• 4-8 years of progressive fundraising, sales, nonprofit, higher education, or communications experience required.