Senior Manager, Development and Donor Relations Communications

About the role

The Brooklyn Museum is a world-renowned cultural institution dedicated to preserving and showcasing art, history, and heritage. Our mission is to bring people together through art and experiences that inspire celebration, compassion, courage, and the will to act. Our vision is to serve as an institution where art is a powerful force for personal transformation and social change. Celebrating our differences and learning about our diverse communities through our collections, exhibitions, and programming is the core of who we are and what we do. We are committed to creating and cultivating a community of talented, passionate people who are inspired to make the Museum an important hub of community activity and a great global destination. Our staff have the opportunity to grow their professional skills and work collaboratively with colleagues they admire and respect.

Responsibilities

• Generate Fundraising Copy & Coordinate Communications
  • Develop and write compelling fundraising copy, including proposals, case statements, impact reports, appeals, and stewardship communications, aligned with organization-wide priorities set by senior leadership and tailored to distinct donor audiences: individual donors, corporate partners, institutional funders, members, and patrons.
  • Depending on the project, this may involve serving as primary author or as editor and quality-assurance reviewer, and/or coordinating with other editors across the Museum.
• Manage Communications Calendar & Workflow
  • Collaborate with Development team leadership to ensure alignment of fundraising communications with departmental and organizational goals.
  • Build and maintain a centralized Development communications and content calendar, tracking all outgoing communications by audience, owner, and deadline.
  • Monitor and coordinate all communications flowing from the Development team to ensure consistency, strategic alignment, timeliness, and no duplication or gaps across donor audiences (individual, corporate, institutional, members, and patrons).
• Team Supervision & Project Management
  • Provide direct supervision to a Donor Relations Manager and a Graphic Designer, Development, with full accountability for both roles' performance, priorities, workflows, and professional growth.
  • Deliver structured performance management, regular feedback, and coaching to support both direct reports in meeting expectations and developing professionally.
  • Manage project prioritization with the Graphic Designer, Development, ensuring that project assignments and workload are appropriately optimized/managed to meet departmental needs.
• Cross-Divisional Collaboration
  • Collaborate with non-Development Editorial staff to align on tone, voice, messaging, and cadence for Development content and communications.
  • Foster collaboration with internal teams, including Communications, Marketing, Curatorial, and Learning and Social Impact, to ensure coordination on messaging and outreach for key Museum initiatives.
  • Engage with senior institutional stakeholders, including the Museum Director, curators, Deputy Director for Art, Director of Public Relations, and Chief Marketing Officer, to gather context that ensures fundraising copy accurately reflects institutional priorities and programmatic work.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of direct experience in fundraising communications, development, grant writing, or donor relations, preferably within a cultural institution or nonprofit organization.
• 3+ years of direct supervisory experience, including managing staff performance, providing structured coaching, and overseeing team workflows in a fast-paced environment.
• Significant experience in donor stewardship and donor relations, with a clear understanding of best practices in building and maintaining donor relationships.
• Excellent writing, editing, and copy generation skills, with demonstrated ability to produce compelling content for a range of donor audiences.
• Strong project and/or editorial management expertise, with the ability to manage multiple concurrent workflows, set priorities, and meet deadlines.
• Demonstrated ability to build and manage systems, calendars, and tracking tools that improve team efficiency and communications coordination.
• Proven ability to operate with a high degree of autonomy, managing up effectively while independently driving their own workload and team priorities.
• Knowledge of and commitment to the Brooklyn Museum’s mission, history, and programs, and a strong affinity with Brooklyn.
• Familiarity with project management tools and software to track workflows, assignments, and deadlines across a team.
• Familiarity with digital marketing and email marketing platforms such as WordFly to design, send, automate, and track email campaigns.
• Comfortable navigating ambiguity and shifting priorities, with a track record of staying focused and delivering quality work in a fast-paced environment.

Nice to Have

• Experience managing or closely partnering with graphic design workflows, including understanding of production timelines and design review processes.
• Experience with direct mail or large-scale print fundraising appeals, including project management of multi-step productions.
• Experience with customer relationship management (CRM) software such as Tessitura or similar tools.
• Familiarity with annual fund strategies.

Application Requirements

• Resume
• Cover letter
• Writing Sample