Corporate Giving Manager

The National Building Museum inspires curiosity about the world we design and build.

We are a private non-profit institution that transforms understanding of the history and impact of architecture, engineering, landscape architecture, and design. The National Building Museum educates, entertains, and engages people about the built environment and challenges them to advocate for a sustainable and equitable future.

Position Summary

The corporate giving manager leads the Capital Society, the Museum’s corporate and association giving program, to secure unrestricted and restricted medium and major gifts for general operating support, as well as fundraises for the Honor Award, education programs (including the Big Build and the Big Draw), exhibitions, and other initiatives. The Manager will craft effective strategies to engage existing donors and cultivate new partnerships—including prospect identification, direct solicitation (verbal and written), cultivation, and stewardship—ensuring that relationships are nurtured and maintained for the benefit of the Museum. This position reports to the Director of Corporate Giving & Strategic Partnerships and works closely with other members of the Development team.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Fundraising

• Manage a portfolio of 100+ medium to high-capacity corporate and association prospects and donors (starting at $1,000 and up to $10,000)—including identification, cultivation, solicitation (verbal and written), and stewardship.
• Serve as lead on education sponsorship including setting strategy, identifying prospects, soliciting, and working with development officers to mine their portfolios.
• Assist the Director of Corporate Giving & Strategic Partnerships on Gala prospecting and sponsorship fulfillment and participate in fundraising.
• Set Capital Society strategy for maintaining current donors and determining viable solutions for securing new Capital Society members.
• Write corporate and association funding and sponsorship proposals.
• In addition to financial support, seek other forms of corporate contributions such as in-kind donations, volunteering, marketing support, pro bono services, etc.

Cultivation and Acquisition

• Develop Corporate programming and assist in developing Museum programs as a means to engage with current and prospective Capital Society companies.
• Research and engage with companies that align with the Museum’s offerings.
• Leverage Board, sponsor, and member relationships to grow Capital Society.
• Regularly attend events outside the Museum to identify new prospects.

Stewardship

• Work directly with Capital Society members in benefit fulfillment through guided tours, events held at the Museum, or other customized tools to demonstrate value and maintain high renewal rates.
• Co-manage accurate donor/sponsor recognition in all materials and outlets by communicating within and across departments to ensure optimal stewardship.
• Author acknowledgements, reports, and other success metrics by gathering relevant data from other departments and support distribution to donors and sponsors.
• Educate peers across the Museum about Capital Society and advocate for members.

Partnerships and Communications

• Develop mutually beneficial partnerships with companies, in support of additional unrestricted revenue for the Museum.
• Creatively engage with corporate prospects by leveraging the Museum’s space for company events (conferences, expos, team building activities, etc.).
• Nurture relationships with regional/national industry organizations with the goal of demonstrating relevance to the corporate community and attracting new supporters.
• Create and maintain sponsorship and other communications materials.
• Manage the Museum’s LinkedIn strategy, in coordination with marketing.

Other Responsibilities

• Support the integrity of the departmental systems by becoming a proficient user and maintaining and documenting donor/prospect contacts, giving information, and other relevant information in electronic files and in the database pursuant to department procedures.
• Utilize the donor database to produce reports, acknowledgements, and other data to measure progress on fundraising goals and cultivation strategies.
• Maintain and uphold internal general operating procedures that govern the institutional giving function. Follow all institutional finance and personnel procedures and support the annual audit.
• Serve as a member of the development team, participating in department meetings, the planning and activities of the department, and assisting with other department priorities.
• Support the overall objectives of the National Building Museum and act as an ambassador for the institution, especially to the philanthropic community.
• Other duties as assigned, including representing the department at Museum events such as the Honor Award, Scully Award, exhibition opening receptions and other special events.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree preferred.
• At least 3-5 years of Development experience with 1-3 years in frontline fundraising.
• Demonstrated success with donor cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship, including cold calling and face-to-face visits.
• Ability and confidence to develop and maintain relationships with donors.
• Self-starter and sense of initiative.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint; experience with fundraising and/or CRM database (Altru preferred).
• A gifted communicator, both written and verbal, and collaborator, able to bring out the best in colleagues and infuse energy into creative initiatives.
• Proven experience in developing a budget, tracking and measuring campaigns and results.
• Experience planning and implementing fundraising events as part of a larger strategy for giving.
• Goal oriented and committed to meeting deadlines and income targets.

Our Commitment

At the Museum, we pursue diversity and endeavor to create an inclusive and accessible environment for our staff, visitors, stakeholders, and Board members. We value diverse perspectives and believe the power of diversity enriches us all. Creating an inclusive environment is critical to every individual’s work. We are an equal opportunity employer, and we encourage candidates from historically underrepresented groups to apply.