Director of Advancement

About the role

Position Overview: The Director of Advancement is a senior member of the Columbia Museum of Art’s leadership team and serves as the museum’s principal strategist and leader for contributed revenue and philanthropic engagement. Reporting to the Executive Director, the Director of Advancement develops and executes a comprehensive strategy that strengthens relationships with individuals, corporations, foundations, members, and community partners while building sustainable philanthropic support for the museum’s mission and long-term ambitions.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership for all advancement activities and develop annual and long-term plans aligned with CMA’s institutional priorities.
• Establish ambitious, achievable contributed-revenue goals and the pipelines, forecasts, metrics, and accountability systems necessary to meet them.
• Build a diversified philanthropic program encompassing individual and major gifts, corporate and foundation support, membership, grants, sponsorships, special events, planned giving, endowment support, and other contributed revenue.
• Expand CMA’s prospect pipeline in Columbia, across South Carolina, and beyond the region where appropriate.
• Strengthen the museum’s readiness for future major initiatives and campaigns through donor development, case development, systems, and fundraising capacity.
• Foster a strong culture of philanthropy across the institution.
• Identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward major donors and prospects, maintaining an active portfolio focused on significant philanthropic support.
• Partner closely with the Executive Director on donor strategy, portfolio management, solicitations, stewardship, and follow-up.
• Develop cultivation and stewardship strategies that deepen donor relationships and encourage sustained and increased investment in CMA.
• Translate institutional priorities into compelling philanthropic opportunities and cases for support.
• Ensure appropriate donor recognition, stewardship, and reporting while maintaining the highest standards of discretion and professionalism.
• Provide strategic oversight of museum rentals and related earned-income activities within the Advancement department.
• Manage the team that coordinates rentals, events, sponsorships, corporate engagement, membership, and donor cultivation to maximize institutional benefit while protecting the museum’s mission, reputation, and visitor experience.
• Evaluate opportunities to strengthen earned revenue in ways that complement philanthropic priorities.
• Cultivate relationships with businesses, foundations, community organizations, and other partners that expand financial support and engagement with CMA.
• Lead, mentor, and support the Advancement department, currently comprising four team members.
• Assess and strategically develop the department’s structure and capacity to support CMA’s current priorities and long-term philanthropic ambitions.