Director, Major Gifts

JOB TITLE: Director, Major Gifts

DEPARTMENT: Development

REPORTS TO: Vice President for Development

New York’s first museum, The New York Historical is a leading cultural institution documenting over 400 years of American history through a peerless collection of art, documents, and artifacts. Our offerings span groundbreaking exhibitions; acclaimed educational programs for teachers and students nationwide; and thought‑provoking conversations among leading scholars, journalists, and thinkers about the past, present, and future of the American experiment.

The New York Historical is a museum of museums and a collection of collections. We are home to the Patricia

D. Klingenstein Library, the Center for Women’s History, the Reiss Family Graduate Institute for Constitutional History, the Dorothy Tapper Goldman Center for Teaching Democracy, the DiMenna Children’s History Museum, and the future American LGBTQ+ Museum. We elevate the perspectives and scholarship that define the United States’ democratic heritage and challenge us all to shape our ongoing history for the better.

The Development Department secures funding to advance The New York Historical’s mission, fostering relationships with individuals, foundations, and corporations to raise philanthropic support, driving membership growth, working with government funders, and securing contributed revenue through event rentals in our landmarked building. The Director of Major Gifts secures significant philanthropic support for the Museum, managing a portfolio of donors capable of contributing six figures and above, cultivating those below that level to higher levels of giving, and securing new donors.

The Director provides leadership and strategic direction for major and planned giving initiatives at The New York Historical, developing and implementing strategies to increase revenue and meet ambitious goals.

• Identify, qualify, cultivate, and solicit donors. Close gifts and steward donors;
• Build a portfolio of donors and prospects capable of making 6‑figure+ gifts;
• Collaborate with research, membership, curators, museum leadership, volunteers, and other colleagues to develop a robust major gifts pipeline;
• Lead fundraising efforts for select exhibition, library, museum, education, or other initiatives. Create strategies and develop giving opportunities to drive progress;
• Work with senior leaders and programmatic staff to understand priorities. Involve colleagues meaningfully in development activities and prepare them to engage and solicit donors;
• Lead the revitalization of the planned giving program. Identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit and steward planned giving prospects. Liaise with third‑party consultant Stelter and internal communications colleagues to develop materials and communications;
• Attend key membership events, public programs, committee meetings, and museum events to build and steward relationships with donors and prospects;
• Maintain consistent and appropriate contact with prospects and donors. Track contact in donor relationship management database (Tessitura);
• Mentor and coach junior staff members.

• Entrepreneurial, goal‑oriented, and collaborative team player;
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent;
• 7‑10 years’ experience in fundraising, including experience in frontline fundraising with demonstrated success in soliciting and closing major gifts;
• Knowledge of the New York City philanthropic and cultural communities;
• Strong interpersonal and listening skills, excellent written and oral communication skills, and the ability to communicate confidently and effectively with high‑net‑worth individuals;
• Diplomacy, tact, and the ability to skillfully handle donor situations;
• Creative thinker with intellectual curiosity;
• Ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines and to problem solve;
• Commitment to and enthusiasm for the mission of The New York Historical;
• Availability to work evening and weekend events and to travel for business purposes.

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee with or without accommodation, to…