Executive Search

Senior Director of Development

Sterling Search Inc. has been exclusively retained to recruit the Senior Director of Development (SDoD) for Laguna Art Museum (LAM).

Laguna Art Museum (lagunaartmuseum.org) 

History

Founded in 1918 by a small group of artists who settled in Laguna Beach, the Laguna Beach Art Association (LBAA) eventually developed into an exhibition space where the best current works of art were showcased. Using funds raised by artists, Edgar Payne, who later became the museum's first president in 1920, converted an old town pavilion into an art gallery to exhibit members’ artwork for sale. By growing the size of the permanent collections and increasing the quality of exhibitions, LBAA gradually began to operate as an established museum. It became known as the Laguna Beach Museum of Art in 1972. After a $1.6 million expansion in1986, the museum doubled in size from 9,000 square feet to 19,000 square feet. Along with the introduction of an entirely new building, the museum also changed its name to Laguna Art Museum. This rebranding was a continuation of the museum's effort to set itself apart from other museums in the area as the premier institution of California art. The museum’s permanent collection consists of over 3,600 works of art from the nineteenth century to the present day.

About Laguna Art Museum

The mission of Laguna Art Museum is toenlighten and engage people of all ages through art that embodies and preserves the California experience.

Laguna Art Museum, with a budget of $3.6 million, is the museum of California Art. It collects, cares for and exhibits works of art that were created by California artists or that represent the life and history of the state. Unlike any other museum in the state, it collects California art and only California art, and ranges across all periods and styles. LAM believes that the artists of California have created works of the highest quality and significance. An artistic center throughout its history, Laguna Beach is a natural home for the premier museum of California art.

LAM is led by its dynamic Executive Director, Julie Perlin Lee, who joined LAM in May 2021. Julie initially focused on streamlining operations and building meaningful programming centered on ways to engage and benefit the community. Under her leadership, LAM has introduced more than 100 different programs that attract people of all ages, from the serious artist and art lover to new parents and young schoolchildren. Most recently, LAM has increased the number of professional teaching artists to bring art programming into the classroom and on site to Boys and Girls Clubs in Orange County. In the past year they have served more than 4,000 students in Title1 schools throughout OC. LAM envisions its art education programs, and art in general, as vehicles that encourage critical thinking, creativity, innovation and problem solving.

All the evidence demonstrates that art is critical to our wellbeing as individuals and as a community, enhancing the way we experience the world throughout our whole lives. One such example is LAM’s annual Art+Nature program which was first introduced in 2013. Inspired by the gorgeous Laguna Beach landscape, the museum hosts an annual conference and festival to explore the relationship between art and nature. The multidisciplinary exploration combines art and the natural world by providing an outdoor art installation and nature-themed exhibitions along with keynote lectures, panel discussions with artists and environmentalists, collaborations with the non-profit community and education partners, and free family activities in tandem with artists. The event serves a number of purposes: to provide a festival of art and ideas for the community; to inspire artists; to find and develop connections between art and science; to raise awareness of environmental issues; and to celebrate Laguna Beach as a center for the appreciation of art and nature.

The Opportunity

The new SDoD will be joining Laguna Art Museum at an exciting time as the museum looks to expand once more for much needed space for further programming events and thus increase the potential for a significant increase in earned income.

The Sr. Director of Development will report to the Executive Director and will partner with her to set and implement a strategy for expansion and for long-term financial sustainability. The SDoD serves as the Head of the Development Department, currently overseeing 1.5 employees as well as managing a contracted grant writer. All fundraising activities fall within the SDoD’s purview including donor cultivation, major gifts, fundraising events, donor acknowledgment, fundraising campaigns and the marketing of those campaigns, etc. In addition, the SDoD is responsible for overseeing the update and maintenance of the donor database, ensuring the integrity of all donor information. Although the museum employs event planners for major events, currently the development team handles membership events and special donor receptions. Leadership of and attendance at these events is expected, including evenings and weekends. The new SDoD will also partner with the Museum’s Marketing Coordinator and Graphic Designer to align strategy and effective fundraising messaging to the 50,000+ mailing list names and its 2,500 active donors.

Your role will be supported by a passionate and committed board of directors who, themselves, are donors and strong champions and advocates for the museum. Based in beautiful Laguna Beach, you will interact with creative artists and generous philanthropists who share the core belief that art benefits all of us in significant and meaningful ways and that LAM is creating value in all it does to serve the community.

With excellent new programming in place, the SDoD will also have the benefit of inheriting a strong major gift portfolio of existing and potential new donors, from which to grow and expand the major gift program. They will also receive a comprehensive fundraising plan that is ready for review, input and implementation. The fundraising program raises $2.8 million in revenue that also includes membership dues. An additional $400,000 for an art auction event and tickets sales brings the total development budget to approximately $3.2 million.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Direct and oversee the growth of philanthropic revenue, with a primary focus on implementing a comprehensive fundraising strategic plan to expand and diversify LAM’s funding sources in both the short and long term. This includes, but is not limited to, campaign/annual appeals. corporate and foundation support, individual giving including support of the Connectors Committee and Directors Circle; major gifts and all revenue generated by membership and programs.
• Support, encourage, and make presentations to the Board of Directors and work closely with the Connectors Committee in their fundraising goals; the SDoD will provide direction to the Committee, developing an overall annual strategy focused on donor opportunities and a systematic approach to donor engagement and donor stewardship.
• Partner with the Connectors Committee Chair to update on key metrics (most notably finance), help design agendas for regular meetings and help assure accountability and follow up from the committee. A regular check in on mutually established expectations is essential to this role.
• Engage, motivate, and align volunteer leadership and the ED with donor prospects (individual, corporate and foundation). Serve as a resource for cultivation and stewardship efforts and track relationship progress in the database.
• Use moves management to engage donors (individuals, foundations and corporations), moving relationships through the donor cultivation cycle, ultimately presenting compelling presentations with appropriate gift strategies and comprehensive fundraising proposals to secure new and renewed support.
• Partner with the Marketing Team to ensure effective messaging with fundraising goals and strategies. Provide input and feedback on fundraising materials and collateral.
• Partner across all departments with staff, including curatorial staff, program/education team, marketing and communications and other internal stakeholders who can assist in advancing the success of the Museum’s fundraising strategy.
• Manage Gift Processor and oversee the implementation/upgrade of donor acknowledgment, stewardship, and recognition programs with feedback and follow up systems.
• Oversee the implementation of a comprehensive schedule of grant inquiries, proposals, and reports, managing and monitoring the preparation of all materials and other servicing activities on all foundation grants and awards; and, ensure timely delivery in accordance with granting guidelines.
• Work collaboratively with the contract grant writer and program and financial staff to gain assistance with identifying funding opportunities, assistance with grant writing and reporting outcome data.
• Create and fundraise for project campaigns and other programs in partnership with the Executive Director.
• Create, monitor, and report on fundraising plans and budgets that include, but are not limited to reviewing financial statements for accurate reporting, ensure receipt, acknowledgement, and allocation of grants according to the requirements of the IRS and donor.
• Ensure timely utilization of donor and prospect records, gift management systems, and informational reports within the donor database. Create a systemized schedule of donor prospect research.
• Continue to develop systems and best practices for a sustainable annual fundraising program.
• Ensure compliance with all relevant regulations and laws, maintain accountability standards to donors, and ensure compliance with code of ethical principles and standards of professional conduct for fundraising executives.
• Execute all other reasonable duties as assigned by the Executive Director.

Qualifications

LAM is looking for a senior fundraiser who is comfortable networking with high-end donors/prospects and is thoughtful and strategic about engaging donors in its fundraising strategy. The Museum offers multiple “high-touch opportunities,” and will rely on the SDoD to decide which donors/prospects to engage, when to engage them, and determine why they are the right people to engage at this time. LAM is looking for a “big thinker”- a visionary who can help lay the groundwork for a capital campaign and help them to secure transformational gifts.

• Bachelor’s Degree required; MA preferred.
• 7 to 10 years of development experience with an emphasis on strategic fundraising with a track record of diversifying philanthropic revenue streams for other nonprofit organizations.
• 3+ years in a supervisory role.
• Proven track record in successfully establishing and growing long-term relationships with donors.
• Demonstrated management skills in motivating, directing and managing staff and consultants, and in coordinating and supporting the fundraising activities of others.
• Must be a high energy person --self-starter who can produce results with limited oversight.
• Broad-based knowledge of various development activities including proposal and grant development, direct solicitations, leveraging fundraising databases and support systems for donor segmentation, research and volunteer management.
• A track record as an exceptional communicator, in writing as well as verbally; adept at writing proposals, solicitation letters, donor correspondence, and other materials.
• Ability to integrate into the community and build relationships with key stakeholders. Strong connections to business and thought leaders; willing to relocate close to Laguna Beach, central or southern OC.
• It is imperative that the SDoD has a passion for the mission; it is not expected that the SDoD will be an expert or an authority of the art world.

LAM is seeking candidates who have a passion for people, possess strong leadership skills and is able to collaborate with a small team. You must be creative and solution-driven with very strong communication skills. The SDoD should be ready to “hit the ground running” and be able to quickly understand the big picture of the museum’s fundraising needs while also multi-tasking to accomplish several competing needs at once (for example, annual appeal and finding exhibition sponsors; major gifts and making sure membership is running). It is critical that the SDoD demonstrate flexibility, resourcefulness and the ability to pivot as needed to adjust to internal and external change. A person who is a self-starter with an entrepreneurial spirit and an innovative approach to fundraising is best suited to this role.

Compensation

The salary range is $165,000 - $185,000, plus a generous benefits package.

Direct all correspondence, emails, and telephone calls to Sterling Search, Inc.