Director of Major & Planned Giving

• Base Pay $ - $ / Year
• Employee Type Exempt FT

The Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) seeks a collaborative and strategic advancement professional to serve as the director of major and planned giving. With a passion for the arts and understanding of fundraising best practices, the director will lead and oversee PEM’s major and planned giving programs, partnering closely with museum leadership, curators, and advancement staff.

Reporting to the chief philanthropy officer, the director will supervise a team of three, set annual goals, and lead strategy to expand and elevate PEM's major, principal, and planned gifts programs.

Develop and implement strategies for PEM’s major ($25,000+), principal, and planned giving efforts.

Partner with the chief philanthropy officer and key constituents to set and achieve annual major gift, operating goals, and campaign or other major fundraising initiatives.

Provide clear direction, priorities, and measurable goals for the major gift team, which includes two major gift officers and one development coordinator.

Motivate and advocate for the major gift team and provide impactful staff development and mentorship.

Oversee the execution of tasks among team members to achieve key targets, while providing regular updates on progress for internal and external reports.

Work in consultation with the Executive Director and CEO, Chief Philanthropy Officer, Board of Trustees, and other leadership volunteers to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward donors.

Maintain clear, consistent, and timely communication with key constituents, cultivating strong, coordinated relationships.

Collaborate with the development operations team to identify major gift prospects and integrate them into the development pipeline.

In partnership with the chief philanthropy officer, devise and execute engagement strategies for donors and prospective donors through strategic events locally, nationally, and globally.

Identify new and creative avenues to strengthen the major gifts donor pipeline.

Develop targeted travel strategies with curators and museum staff to reach national and international donors.

Manage the engagement strategy for PEM’s curatorial Visiting Committees (VC) and work closely with the donor relations and events team to plan and execute VC events and other major fundraising efforts.

Partner with the individual giving and stewardship teams to make timely solicitations to prospective donors for the EIMA patron giving program.

Manage the restricted, memorial, and honorary gift acknowledgment process with the director of institutional giving and stewardship.

Manage the planned giving program strategy and implementation, including marketing collateral, events, estate documentation, and other related duties.

Maintain a strong working knowledge of planned giving options and provide necessary training and advice to the frontline team.

Coordinate welcome mailings of certificates, pins, and an acknowledgement letter from PEM Executive Director for donors when legacy planning has been completed.

Coordinate condolence process, estate plan, and data entry for the PEM database in case of passing of a planned giving constituent.

Manage, coordinate, and execute the Bowditch Annual Luncheon each spring season in partnership with various departments.

Lead by example and advance positive culture in a team-oriented environment.

The successful candidate will possess at least seven years of fundraising experience, preferably in a museum or museum-related field. In addition, the candidate will demonstrate many, if not all, of the following skills and competencies:

• Proven track record of personally cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding major gifts from individual donors; high level of comfort with high-net-worth individuals and organizational leaders.
• Knowledge of best practices in donor qualification, discovery, and strategic planning.
• Strong leadership and decision-making skills; ability to develop recommendations and strategies for fundraising success aligned with PEM’s strategic plan.
• Ability to advise and counsel individuals…