Director of Philanthropy

Love nature? Then you’re going to love The Nat.   

The San Diego Natural History Museum is seeking a Director of Philanthropy to join our team. This is a unique opportunity to advance the mission of one of the region’s most beloved organizations- conserving nature through science and discovery. 

This position will play a key role in driving The Nat’s fundraising success. You will be responsible for managing a portfolio of individual donors and prospects, cultivating meaningful relationships, and securing philanthropic support through the Leadership Circles program. In addition, the role oversees the annual fund, membership, and events, ensuring a strong and sustainable base of support. The position reports to the Senior Director of Philanthropy and is an integral member of the philanthropy team. 

Your Day-to-Day Work  

Individual Fundraising and Leadership Circles Program (50%) 

• Manages a portfolio (85-100) of Leadership Circles donors and prospects with annual giving capacity of $1,500- $10,000.
• Manages the Leadership Circles individual giving program to include developing materials for cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
• Through research and best practices, identify, cultivate and solicit individuals for general operating support and program support to achieve 2-3% annual program revenue growth.
• Plans and implements customized cultivation activities and stewardship events for portfolio, including reporting, meetings, tours, and other appropriate activities.
• Writes LOIs, proposals, cover letters, prepares budgets, and compiles requested information to create complete solicitation packages for Leadership Circles and other individual donors.
• Writes and manages quarterly donor stewardship email.
• Tracks organizational funding priorities and keeps current on Museum strategic priorities and departmental programs.
• Strategizes with the philanthropy team to determine fundraising and stewardship strategies for prospective and current donors that are personal, thoughtful, and creative ways.
• Creates and manages donor recognition opportunities.
• Sends timely contact reports and gift alerts to Museum team.
• Performs other duties and participates in special projects as needed.

Membership, Annual Fund, and Events Programs and Staff (50%) 

All Programs

• Provides leadership and oversight for revenue and expense budgets for these programs.
• Analyzes progress towards goals; identifies opportunities for growth and adjusts strategies to ensure fundraising success.
• Utilizes donor database to design segmentation strategies to strengthen donor retention and increase fundraising potential.
• Oversees multi-channel communication and solicitation strategies across programs (newsletters, website updates, emails, letters, and social media) to deliver cohesive stewardship and fundraising messages.

Membership 

• Supervises the Membership Manager and program to include member events, retention and acquisition strategies, member stewardship and budget management.
• Provide leadership on strategies to meet or exceed revenue budget goals and strategically grow membership program.

Annual Fund 

• Plan and write annual fund campaigns to reach targeted segments and a larger general audience.
• Designs campaigns to secure one-time and monthly donors, with an emphasis on donor growth and retention.
• Partner with museum’s communications team to create compelling fundraising stories across all platforms.
• Supervises the Philanthropy Manager’s execution of annual fund production to include working with internal and external partners.
• Supervise the Philanthropy Manager’s daily activities to include data entry/database management gift processing and acknowledgements, mail processing, and other stewardship communications.

Events 

• Leads development and strategy of all donor events.
• Supervises the Philanthropy Manager’s execution of donor events, including working with internal and external partners and accepting RSVPs.
• This may include coordination with the larger philanthropy department to reach goals for various donor segments.
• Work with the museum’s facility usage team to conceptualize and plan events.

What You Bring   

You love talking to people and presenting philanthropic opportunities. You are results-oriented with excellent writing and management skills. You are a self-starter and a team player with energy, enthusiasm, and flexibility. You love to find new ways to engage and connect with people and stimulate their curiosity. 

• Bachelor’s degree preferred.
• 3-5 years professional nonprofit fundraising experience, with experience soliciting current and prospective major gifts.
• Experience with annual fund and membership programs.
• Background in managing staff.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, including the ability to present information in a variety of formats.
• Demonstrated ability to resolve problems.
• Ability to keep track of the overall picture while maintaining accuracy and attention to detail in a variety of situations.
• Ability to work well independently and within a team environment.
• Demonstrated organizational and time management skills.
• Ability to complete projects accurately and completely within deadlines.
• Experience with Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook is required.
• Experience with Raiser’s Edge, Altru or other constituent records management database systems is preferred.

This is a full-time, exempt position with benefits such as health insurance, vacation, sick-time, 15 paid holidays, free admission into all of Balboa Park’s museums, and more. This position requires you to work on site in Balboa Park no less than four days per week, with the option to work remotely one day per week. 

Pay: The salary is $75,000, commensurate with experience. 

A little more about us.   

The San Diego Natural History Museum (The Nat) was founded by amateur naturalists in 1874 and has played a major role in the conversation of our region. The Nat is looking forward to an exciting new era, focused on innovative audience engagement and an increased role in conservation. sdnat.org