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Manager of Development Operations

Company:
Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art
Location:
Philadelphia, PA
Posted:
May 13, 2025
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Description:

PAFA is seeking a Manager of Development Operations to join the team! This key position, reporting to the Chief Development Officer, oversees department operations, supports major gift and campaign pipeline growth, and ensures the integrity of our donor database. If you're a detail-oriented and strategic professional passionate about the arts and philanthropy, we invite you to help shape the future of PAFA.

ABOUT PAFA

Founded in 1805, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) is America's first school and museum of fine arts. Located in the center city of Philadelphia, PAFA is intimate in scale with a strong sense of community. PAFA offers several non-degree and certificates in studio art and art appreciation programs. PAFA's museum has an outstanding collection of American art, and the museum actively collects and exhibits contemporary art, including work in new media. Additionally, PAFA is home to the Brodsky Center, a print and papermaking center focused on the creation of innovative editions by contemporary artists.

PAFA is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to an environment that welcomes and encourages recruiting and retaining qualified candidates from diverse groups. PAFA provides equal opportunity to applicants without regard to race, color, religion, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, or status as a veteran.

POSITION: Manager of Development Operations

Reporting to the Chief Development Officer, the Manager of Development Operations will support the strategic direction of PAFA's development efforts and manage department operations. The Manager's primary responsibilities will include achieving financial goals set with the CDO, strategic and coordinated pipeline growth for all giving areas with a focus on major/principal gifts and campaigns, directing fundraising and stewardship events, and oversight of donor database and development communications.

Department Operations and Information Management

Develops and implements a comprehensive strategy for pipeline growth, wealth screening and the identification and research of donor prospects

Working with the CDO, develop protocol and reporting to monitor departmental activity and track progress towards goals

Act as the architect of donor database to streamline processes and reporting, working in close concert with Database Manager and Director of IT as needed or outside vendors; train staff accordingly

Serves as central pipeline manager and clearinghouse for development-related actions and tracking across the across the institution

Manages timeline/calendar, list development, and logistics for fundraising and cultivation events

Works with the Database Administrator to maximize coordination between Raiser's Edge and other systems, including SIS, data capture methods, and e-communications software to advance fundraising outcomes and tracking/analysis of constituent data

Directs and monitors database management, maintenance and data health for efficiency and accuracy of donation processing and constituent data management

Develops protocols and supervises the processing and acknowledgment of gifts, pledges, pledge payments, and other contributions

With Database Administrator, creates and updates constituent management policies and procedures to ensure consistency across the institution and promote best practices

Revenue Goals

Develops and achieves budget projections for fundraising events. Develops related expense budgets as well as general development expense budget.

Develops and implements ticket sales strategies and oversees expense budgets to meet goals for fundraising events including the Annual Student Exhibition and Bacchanal.

Conducts and directs analysis on the effectiveness of solicitation, cultivation and stewardship strategies, including comparative data reporting.

Ensure that reporting is in place to track progress towards goals and departmental activity, and database usage supports this and best practices.

Cultivation and Stewardship

With Development team, plans calendar of stewardship events, directs research on event attendees and maximizes opportunities for donor cultivation during events (assignments, seating, introductions, etc.)

In collaboration with the Director of Major Gifts, ensures that cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship activities are recorded consistently and accurately for efficient portfolio management, coordination and reporting across the school and museum

Leads prospect review meetings and contributes to prospect strategy development and stewardship planning

Prepares briefing materials and follow up reports for executive staff, curators, trustees, and other fundraisers as needed

Ensures accuracy of donor recognition credits, including exhibition signage, website, printed materials with Donor Relations Officer

Donor Communications

Working with the Director of Marketing, Communications, and Event Services, manages the creation and execution of donor publications and communications including the annual report, e-newsletters, donor stories and website

Oversees list generation for all mailings and development events

Manages personalized communications including visit letters and stewardship reports from the President and CEO and CDO

Create gift agreements, and ensure agreements meet Gift Acceptance Policy standards and institutional priorities

Serves as development department communications liaison between marketing, the college and museum

QUALIFICATIONS

Bachelor's degree and 5-10 years of development experience

Prior management experience with multiple direct reports

Excellent written and verbal communications skills

In-depth knowledge of development tracking systems, specifically Raiser's Edge as well as research analytics and screening tools

Excellent interpersonal relationship and management skills

Ability to represent PAFA well in a variety of settings

Willing to perform other duties as assigned

Flexibility for weekend and evening events

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts accepts digital applications only. A complete application should include the following:

Resume

Cover Letter

When submitting your application online, please save your documents as Microsoft Word (.doc, .docx) or PDF (.pdf) files. To help us process your applications as efficiently as possible, please save your files with the following filename format:

LastName_FirstName_Resume

LastName_FirstName_CoverLetter

*Due to the amount of potential applicants, we do not respond to voice calls or messages about the status of your application. Based on the criteria for the position, the most qualified candidates will be contacted directly. Thank you for your interest in PAFA.

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