Director of Development

ABOUT YERKES

Yerkes Observatory is known globally as the birthplace of modern
astrophysics and remains a landmark in the history of
science. Since 1897, the Observatory has welcomed
world-renowned astronomers, astronauts, Nobel Prize winners,
scientists, and educators. Located on Geneva Lake in Williams Bay,
Wisconsin, the Observatory was founded and operated by the
University of Chicago for 125 years.

In 2020, the Yerkes Future Foundation (YFF) assumed long-term
stewardship for preserving and expanding the Observatory. The
community-based foundation hired a director and the first few staff
and launched a $25M campaign to restore the observatory and fifty
acres of historic Olmsted-designed grounds. The campaign has
already raised $19M, primarily from major local donors, with the
goal recently extended to $40M.  

The goal of the Foundation is to transform the observatory and
its grounds into a unique public pilgrimage site for astronomy and
discovery. From ongoing astronomical research to sci-fi film
festivals, four newly-built miles of walking trails to the first
commissioned outdoor sculpture, public talks by science luminaries
and cultural influencers to school programs and nighttime star
parties—Yerkes will cross-pollinate science, ecology, culture and
curiosity in order to become a national leader in growing the
public’s understanding of—and engagement with—science. Yerkes has
already hosted talks, programs or residencies with
Grammy-winning musicians and composers Eighth
Blackbird, Brooklyn-based artist Ashley Zelinskie, former
US Poet Laureate Tracy K Smith, astronomer and
public educator Dean Regas, and former Senior
Scientist of the James Webb Space Telescope and Nobel prizewinner
Dr. John Mather.

Major restoration work has been ongoing and will continue for
many years ahead. Since the observatory re-opened to the public in
summer 2022 for tours and programs, more than 45,000 ticketed
visitors have taken tours or attended events, with tens of
thousands more enjoying the open-access landscape. 

Learn more about Yerkes Observatory and Yerkes Future
Foundation here.

THE POSITION

As the inaugural Director of Development, this position will
build on the tremendous fundraising success achieved by the
leadership, Board of Directors, and surrounding generous community,
formalizing a comprehensive development program. The observatory
invested a year of work with fundraising consultants at Campbell
& Company and staff to create the baseline systems required to
scale up the development efforts of the organization, including
setting up the CRM and populating it with high-quality data and
growing staff capabilities. The Director of Development reports
directly to the Executive Director and will work closely with
the Deputy Director & Head of Science and Education to
help develop and tell the story of the many facets of the
observatory’s mission and potential. This position is
responsible for the strategic direction, development, organization,
expansion, and assessment of all philanthropic avenues to increase
financial support for the Yerkes Future Foundation. This Director
of Development leads all aspects of the organization’s fundraising
plans including but not limited to: major gifts, annual giving,
leading campaigns, corporate/foundation relations, governmental
grants, sponsorships, planned giving, volunteers and special
events.

The Director of Development is responsible for overall
leadership and supervision of all development work. A successful
Development leader will demonstrate entrepreneurial skills, be a
great storyteller, is creative, adaptive, and relational and will
be comfortable participating in the visioning and building of a new
organization for which few models exist. This role currently
oversees two positions, one direct report and one indirect report;
depending on the experience of the selected candidate, it may
oversee an additional position being created in 2024 to lead
communications. This role requires an individual who is adept at
making conversation, and demonstrates ease and confidence in
navigating relationships with donors and community members. This
role also requires active participation with the team in hands-on
work. It is not unusual at Yerkes to see the Director lighting an
exhibit, the astrophysicist/deputy director picking up ice for an
event, and staff at all levels engaging board members and
donors. All employees are expected to center, model, and
champion Yerkes Future Foundation’s values.

MAJOR OBJECTIVES

Within the first 12 to 18 months, the Director of Development
will achieve the following major objectives:

• Build strong, trusting relationships with the Executive
  Director, the leadership team, the Board, and key donors; establish
  a visible and dynamic presence as a leader throughout the
  surrounding community and with stakeholders in nearby metro areas,
  particularly Chicago.
• Manage, lead, and develop the team’s skills to maximize
  philanthropic growth.
• Lead campaign strategy and work closely with Executive Director
  to ensure ambitious yet achievable goals are set and achieved.
• Strengthen Board philanthropic engagement by utilizing each
  member’s unique skillset and seeking their support with fundraising
  and networking.
• Establish and launch a planned giving program, which given the
  organization’s 125-year legacy is seen as having significant
  potential to advance endowment growth in the coming decade.

QUALIFICATIONS

The ideal candidate will possess most of the following
qualifications:

• At least five or more years of progressive leadership
  experience in development or advancement; experience leading major
  and planned giving, capital campaigns and community relations
  preferred.
• Proven track record of building a development program or team,
  achieving revenue goals, major gift solicitation, and donor
  cultivation; thorough understanding of a diversified funding base
  including government grants.
• A genuine commitment to the mission, vision, and values of the
  Yerkes Future Foundation and a general interest in the work of the
  Observatory; experience in science or astronomy would be an
  advantage.
• Is entrepreneurial, strategic, collaborative, a strong
  storyteller, has strong relationship building capacities, as well
  as comfort navigating parameters that are both known and
  unknown.
• Demonstrated experience collaborating with and developing a
  passionate Board of Directors, each bringing unique skillsets and
  abilities.
• Demonstrated ability to prospect, cultivate, and manage new
  donors, while effectively stewarding and re-engaging the
  Foundation’s existing donor base.
• Excellent financial analysis skills; ability to develop and
  manage both revenue and expense budgets.
• Comfort and expertise in leveraging metrics and data for
  reporting and goal-setting.
• Demonstrated success in building productive, collaborative,
  long-term relationships with senior leaders, staff, boards,
  volunteers, and donors; a flexible and creative work-style that
  prioritizes both relationships and evidence-based results.
• Persuasive writing and verbal skills, including public speaking
  and strong interpersonal skills.
• Well-developed sense of and/or appreciation of high-quality
  design and aesthetics.
• Ability and commitment to working with diverse groups of
  people.
• Comfort and familiarity with Development technology and donor
  database management software, ideally Virtuous.
• Willingness and ability to travel when needed.
• A bachelor’s degree is required; an advanced degree is
  desirable.

APPLICATION

Yerkes Future Foundation has retained Campbell & Company to
conduct this search. The team for this project includes Sarah
Beraki, Vice President, and Alex Catuara, Senior
Consultant. The detailed position guide is
linked here.

Yerkes Future Foundation has engaged Campbell & Company
since 2022 for support in building a strong foundation for
development work and systems. The new Director of Development will
continue to receive consultation from, and work with, Campbell
& Company for continuous growth and improvement of the
development program.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

The Yerkes Future Foundation (YFF) subscribes both to the letter
and the intent of all applicable laws and regulations regarding the
hiring and promotion of employees. The Foundation recognizes that
it must actively seek to attract and retain a diverse workforce,
and that diversity in all dimensions is beneficial to furthering
its mission.

The following is YFF’s formalized Equal Employment Policy
statement which has been approved and adopted by the Board of
Trustees:

The Yerkes Future Foundation’s overall goal for employee
relations is founded on the principle of the respect for the status
and rights of individuals. Therefore, the Observatory provides
equal employment opportunity for all applicants and employees,
regardless of their race color, religious creed, national origin,
sex, sexual orientation, age, genetic information, ancestry,
disability, veteran’s status or any other characteristic.

 

 If you need reasonable
accommodation during our application, hiring, or onboarding
processes, please contact Erin Cullen at
ecullen@yerkesobservatory.org. Upon hire, all
reasonable accommodation requests are handled by the Yerkes
Observatory team.