Senior Manager, Advancement Communications

Senior Manager, Advancement Communications

Full-time Regular Professional Honolulu, HI, US 1 Attachments

3 days ago Requisition

Salary Range: $95,000.00 To $ Annually

Job Summary:

The Senior Manager, Advancement Communications serves as the museum’s lead architect and steward of donor-centered messaging, ensuring that philanthropy is clearly, consistently, and compellingly embedded across advancement communications and aligned institutional storytelling.

Reporting directly to the Chief Advancement Officer, this role functions as both a strategic partner and a hands‑on leader. The Senior Manager is responsible for developing philanthropic narrative frameworks; writing, editing, and elevating a high volume of advancement communications and managing complex, cross‑functional workflows that support donor engagement, stewardship, and campaign success.

This role ensures that all advancement communications clearly reflect and advance the museum’s mission, vision, and strategic priorities, translating institutional goals into donor‑centered narratives that inspire philanthropic partnership and deepen engagement.

The Honolulu Museum of Art:

Opened in 1927, the Honolulu Museum of Art is a home for art and education created for the benefit of the entire community. Founder Anna Rice Cooke envisioned a museum that would bring people together through the power of art and “the deep intuitions that are common to all.” The museum was conceived of as a place of meaningful exchange and dialogue, celebrating the diverse artistic and cultural traditions of Hawai‘i’s multi‑ethnic population.

From this founding intention grew the museum of today, with a world‑class encyclopedic collection of more than 55,000 works of art, representing a stunning breadth of places and eras, from all corners of the globe and from the ancient past to the present day.

• A bachelor’s degree in business, communications, non‑profit management, or related field.
• Seven years of progressively responsible experience in advancement communications, development writing, or donor engagement.
• Direct experience supporting major gifts and/or campaign fundraising.
• Exceptional writing, editing, and storytelling skills.
• Demonstrated strength in project management and cross‑functional coordination.
• CFRE or demonstrated fluency with ethical, donor‑centered fundraising practices.
• Able to handle confidential financial information with tact and discretion.
• A strong sense of professionalism; must be comfortable acting as a point of contact for the Advancement team and museum.
• Comfort leveraging emerging tools and technologies to improve efficiency while maintaining confidentiality and quality standards.
• Honesty, integrity, and a strong work ethic supported by commitment, enthusiasm, and follow‑through.
• Ability to work within and support a diverse community of visitors, artists, and employees.

Desired Qualifications

• Experience in a museum, cultural institution, higher education, or similarly complex nonprofit environment.
• Experience developing messaging frameworks or narrative toolkits.
• Understanding of and dedication to advancing the Honolulu Museum of Art’s identity, vision, and values.
• Strategic Advancement Messaging & Narrative Leadership
  • Develops and stewards donor‑centered messaging frameworks that articulate the museum’s philanthropic priorities, campaign goals, and impact narratives.
  • Serves as the primary author and editor of advancement communications, ensuring clarity, consistency, and strategic alignment across donor touchpoints.
  • Partners closely with frontline fundraisers to align messaging with cultivation strategy, donor motivations, and solicitation goals.
  • Establishes and upholds department and museum editorial standards, ensuring consistency in voice, tone, accessibility, and inclusive language.
  • Partners closely with the Chief Advancement Officer to shape advancement‑forward institutional messaging during campaign planning, execution, and stewardship.
• Writing, Editing, & Content Development
  • Writes, edits, and oversees a high volume of advancement communications, including major and principal gift proposals, stewardship reports, donor updates, campaign materials, cases for…