Director of Development and Communications: Samuel S. Fleisher Art Memorial

The Director of Development and Communications is a senior leadership position charged with overseeing the success of Fleisher Art Memorial’s strategies in fundraising, brand awareness, and revenue-generating storytelling. Reporting to the Executive Director, the Director will oversee a staff that represents key areas of Fleisher’s donor cultivation, corporate and foundation giving programs, and digital and print strategy for conveying impact and building audiences.

Fleisher has a uniquely vigorous dedication to its mission and core values, recently ratified in a three-year Strategic Plan. The Director of Development and Communications will help advance that plan by overseeing a brand-focused communications and storytelling strategy to cultivate a thriving community of supporters. This position will lead strategies to share Fleisher’s values and mission impact in social and print marketing initiatives, lead Fleisher’s membership initiatives, oversee an already robust portfolio of Foundation and Government grants, and work in partnership with the Executive Director to steward major individual and endowment gifts to secure Fleisher’s future. Fleisher’s Strategic Plan also calls for reviews of its systems and software, member benefit programs, and long-term collaborations with other non-profits, and the new Director will have an opportunity to significantly shape Fleisher’s Development and Communications operations for the future.

The Director should be a self-directed leader who can sell a vision for Fleisher’s future to both internal staff and external stakeholders, generate new opportunities to create excitement around Fleisher’s history and impact, and advocate for Fleisher’s values in a challenging political landscape. Fleisher has done important work in this area over the last three years, and the new Director joins the team when both institutional and individual giving initiatives have shown positive year-over-year growth, and will oversee a team of enthusiastic, already successful colleagues.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

Development, Advancement, and Administration

• Sustain and build the infrastructure needed to grow the current $3.5 million budget through the solicitation of major gifts, individual gifts, memberships, government grants, special events, and corporate and foundation support.
• Provide strategic management for a team of three full-time staff as well as contracted consultants (when appropriate) to integrate the institutional work of Development and Communications strategies in alignment with the 2025-2028 Strategic Plan.
• Lead a comprehensive review and revision of Fleisher’s membership program and benefits.
• In partnership with the Executive Director, coordinate and deepen the work of the Board of Directors, including board recruitment, governance oversight, annual giving, and integration with staff/programs in other departments.

Donor Cultivation

• Supervise a Manager of Individual Giving in the development of a pipeline of members and mid-level individual donors.
• Partner with Executive Director to identify and qualify new prospects for major giving and implement a permanent legacy giving strategy for the future.
• Oversee the work of an Events Coordinator in implementing a robust series of external rental events that introduce new individual organizational partners to the institution and provide significant unrestricted funds.
• With the Events Coordinator, implement annual fundraising events, including the Founder’s Award Celebration, that highlight Fleisher’s impact and raise significant unrestricted funds each year.

Annual Giving & Campaigns

• Oversee the planning and execution of two annual giving campaigns, including direct mail, digital appeals, and peer-to-peer initiatives.
• Lead the team in crafting compelling donor and member-centric appeals, impact stories, and campaigns that align with Fleisher’s voice.

Stewardship & Engagement

• Oversee strategic process for stewardship touchpoints, including timely acknowledgments, impact updates, member communications, and donor recognition.
• Lead the execution of cultivation gatherings that celebrate art, build community, and highlight Fleisher’s mission in action.
• Oversee accurate record-keeping in the CRM database, ensuring timely processing of gifts, memberships, renewals, and acknowledgments.
• Generate regular reports on Development activities, revenue progress, and retention rates for both external campaigns and internal, Board-led reviews.

Collaboration & Integration

• Partner with program staff to connect donors and members with the stories and impact of Fleisher’s classes, exhibitions, and community-based work.
• Serve as an advocate for donors and members across the organization, ensuring their voices and experiences shape Fleisher’s culture of engagement.

Communication and Marketing

• Guide the development of tailored cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies that inspire generosity and foster authentic connections.
• Supervise a Coordinator of Digital Marketing in the development of social media and web strategies that enhance Fleisher’s visibility for potential students and supporters.
• Oversee a Communications strategy that aligns with Fleisher’s 2025-2028 Strategic Plan, with a focus on impact, storytelling, and relationship development with potential supporters (including both students and donors).

Required Qualifications:

• 5-8 years of professional fundraising experience, including budget management, financial reporting, and revenue forecasting.
• Demonstrated success in grants management and grant writing.
• ·Strong interpersonal skills and ability to build authentic, long-term relationships with diverse stakeholders.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with an ability to convey impact and inspire generosity.
• Experience managing donor/member databases (eTapestry, Raiser’s Edge, or similar CRM preferred).
• Proven ability to design and execute donor/member campaigns and engagement initiatives.
• Strong project management and organizational skills; ability to manage multiple deadlines and coordinate cross-functional tasks.
• Commitment to equity, inclusion, and Fleisher’s mission of making art accessible to all.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in arts/culture, community arts, museums, or education; familiarity with the Philadelphia philanthropic landscape a plus.
• Comfort with prospect research tools and methods and with board/development committee engagement.
• Experience with digital fundraising platforms and email/marketing tools (e.g., Mailchimp/Constant Contact, Classy/Donorbox/GiveLively); light design skills (Canva/Adobe Express).

Working Conditions and Physical Requirements:

• Work is primarily performed in an office setting, with the option for remote work one to two days per week, as appropriate.
• Some evening and weekend hours for donor/member events and meetings.
• Prolonged computer use, meetings, and occasional lifting/transport of materials