Curatorial Assistant

Scope of Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership for the Missouri Historical Society's philanthropy program, fostering a culture of philanthropy throughout the organization and advancing MHS's mission through sustainable fundraising strategies.
• Lead, mentor, and inspire a high-performing philanthropy team, creating a collaborative, accountable, and supportive environment that encourages professional growth and exceptional results. The team currently includes a major gift officers, a senior charitable giving officer, a membership coordinator, philanthropy operations support, and an open special events manager position.
• In partnership with the President and Board of Trustees, develop and execute comprehensive fundraising strategies, including capital campaigns, principal and major gifts, annual giving, membership, planned giving, foundation and corporate relations, and special initiatives.
• Personally manage a focused portfolio of the organization's highest-capacity (Tier 1) donors and prospects, partnering closely with the President to cultivate, solicit, and steward transformational philanthropic investments.
• Provide strategic guidance, coaching, and oversight to gift officers in the identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, and long-term engagement of individual, corporate, and foundation donors.
• Establish measurable fundraising goals and performance metrics, regularly evaluating departmental effectiveness, monitoring progress, and identifying opportunities for growth and continuous improvement.
• Lead the department's annual planning, budgeting, forecasting, and goal-setting processes while ensuring accurate reporting and effective stewardship of philanthropic resources.
• Oversee and strengthen annual giving, membership, donor engagement, and stewardship strategies that deepen relationships and inspire continued investment in MHS.
• Serve as a visible ambassador for MHS throughout the community, cultivating relationships with donors, civic leaders, foundations, corporations, and community partners while representing the organization at key events and public engagements.
• Partner closely with the Communications and Marketing teams to develop compelling philanthropic messaging and donor communications that effectively communicate the impact of giving and elevate MHS's visibility.
• Serve as staff liaison to the Development Committee and assist the Governance & Nominating Committee of the Board of Trustees, supporting board engagement, strengthening board philanthropy, and providing leadership in trustee recruitment, orientation, and fundraising participation.

  Requirements

  • Education: A Bachelor’s degree is required; a Master’s degree in a related field is preferred. CFRE or CAP designation is preferred.
  • Experience: A minimum of 7 years of progressive experience in fundraising, including major gifts, special events, and team leadership. Experience planning and executing multi-million-dollar fundraising campaigns with verifiable results. Knowledge of museum or nonprofit best practices in philanthropy. Proven track record of successfully closing 7 and 8-figure gifts. Extensive experience serving as an institutional spokesperson and ambassador; comfortable with media appearances and formal presentations.
  • Skills and Abilities: Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain key relationships and raise funds through annual giving, membership, major gifts, capital campaigns, planned giving, special events, and grants. Demonstrated proficiency with all planned giving vehicles (e.g. bequests, charitable trusts, endowments) and a broad and thorough knowledge of the principles of tax-encouraged philanthropy. Excellent interpersonal and communication skills. Outstanding analytical and problem-solving abilities. Must be organized, results oriented, creative and able to motivate others toward team goals. Demonstrated success leading in a team environment – fostering a productive, collaborative, and respectful culture within the department. Track record as an effective communicator with excellent writing and public speaking skills. Participate in relevant museum and philanthropy professional development organizations as appropriate including identifying opportunities for team members. Experience with donor management software, particularly Altru and its interface with Financial Edge.

  Note: This job posting does not contain a Pay or Schedule section as the posting does not specify these details. Similarly, benefits are not mentioned as they are not provided in the given information.