Associate Director of Advancement (Development Officer), Eskenazi Museum of Art
Bloomington, IN, USA
USD 80k-80k / year
Posted on Aug 21, 2026
ART MUSEUM (BL-AMUS-IUBLA)
Since its establishment in 1941, the Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art at Indiana University (IU) has grown from a small university teaching collection into one of the foremost university art museums in the country. A preeminent teaching museum, its internationally acclaimed collection includes more than 48,000 objects representing nearly every art-producing culture throughout history. Collection areas include African art, ancient art, Asian art, global contemporary art, European and American Art, Indigenous art, Oceanic art, and prints, drawings, and photography.
The Associate Director of Development designs and implements engagement and solicitation strategies for the Eskenazi Museum of Art¿s donors, and prospective donors.
Department Specific Responsibilities
- Plays a critical role in the museum's annual fundraising and stewardship strategies, particularly when it comes to cultivating early-stage donors and donor prospects.
- Supervises development staff and sets priorities for the museum's development activities in consultation and collaboration with the museum's Senior Director of Development.
- Responsibilities include stewardship, soliciting annual support (restricted and unrestricted), supervising development staff, event planning and implementation, establishing or expanding relationships with donors, and coordinating with key partners across the museum and university.
- Responsible for ensuring that practices follow Eskenazi Museum of Art and IU Foundation objectives and policies, and for developing and tracking the development department budget as part of the planning process.
- Cultivates donor relationships through segmented stewardship and solicitation messaging, regular communication and outreach, including thank you messages and consistent updates on the impact of philanthropic support.
- Maintains the Crimson database and Workfront or AlumniQ list pulls and solicitation approvals, and forwards prospective and current donor information to the Senior Director of Development and museum director.
- With Senior Director of Development and museum director, sets annual giving targets, contacts, and timelines by campaign. Tracks progress toward goals, reporting and presenting figures to museum leadership.
- Elevates the museum¿s overall advancement strategy.
- Maintains a portfolio of 50-75 mid-level prospects. Creates proposals, solicits and closes gifts from $1,000 up to $49,999 with an emphasis on annual giving and encourages multi-year commitments regularly.
- Oversees annual fund.
- Strategically identifies and develops engagement strategies that provide opportunities for donors to be meaningfully involved in the museum¿s mission and programs designed to catalyze personal connections with museum programs and staff.
- Oversees the design and production of donor-related marketing and communication, including online, social media and web content.
- Collaborates with the Senior Director of Development, museum director, development and museum staff to facilitate programming and communication for the museum¿s National Advisory Board organization, communication, travel, and activities.
- Fosters collaborative relationships with museum staff and university advancement partners to expand and diversify the donor network, and advocates for the museum.
- Develops and implements (with the support of the Development Coordinator) events that engage museum supporters who have the capacity to make early stage and major gifts. Events may include donor receptions in major markets, on-campus guest speakers, museum tours and art viewing opportunities, and lunch and learns.
- Uses advancement data to ensure strategic allocation of resources when planning and implementing events and sends follow-up messaging and associated metrics after events.
- Researches, compiles, and provides metrics, facts, and general operations information to donors.
- Regularly collaborates with museum colleagues to answer donor queries related to their interest in giving/contributing.
- Provides list of major gift prospects to Senior Director of Development and museum director and develops opportunities to engage them with the museum.
- Provides day-to-day operational management of development office, including staff and intern responsibilities, if needed. Sets goals and analyzes, monitors, and evaluates performance of assigned staff. Train and manage interns.
General Responsibilities
- Initiates and assumes responsibility for the identification, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship of a portfolio and/or a region of prospects and donors.
- Plays a major role in the planning, implementation and coordination of fundraising activities by coordinating and driving specific engagement strategies.
- Serves as the unit liaison among internal and external stakeholder groups, cultivating relationships, and providing organizational information and representing the interests of the unit.
- Advances knowledge of the university's missions, goals of the individual unit and development program objectives.
- Facilitates productive relationships daily between donors and top IU administrators, faculty and staff to ensure effectiveness of donor strategy plans to meet their individual goals.
- May provide guidance to other staff engaged in fundraising/development activities.
Combinations of related education and experience may be considered. Education beyond the minimum required may be substituted for work experience. Work experience beyond the minimum required may be substituted for education.
EDUCATION
Required
- Bachelor's degree in related field.
WORK EXPERIENCE
Required
- 5 years of experience in fundraising/development, sales, communications, public relations, a higher education foundation, or related field.
Preferred
- Project management experience, coordinating initiatives involving multiple collaborators and stakeholders, and organizational leadership
SKILLS
Required
- Proficient written and verbal communication skills.
- Maintains a high degree of professionalism.
- Ability to build strong customer relationships.
- Demonstrates time management and priority setting skills.
- Demonstrates a high commitment to quality.
- Possesses flexibility to work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
- Seeks to acquire knowledge in area of specialty.
- Highly thorough and dependable.
- Demonstrates a high level of accuracy, even under pressure.
- Possesses a high degree of initiative.
- Ability to influence internal and/or external constituents.
Preferred
- Interest in the arts
This role requires the ability to effectively communicate and to operate a computer and other standard office productivity equipment. The position involves sedentary work as well as periods of time moving around an office environment and the campus. The person in this role must be able to perform the essential functions with or without an accommodation.
Some events and engagements on nights and weekends, and travel outside of Bloomington and Indiana.
Indiana University Bloomington
This is an in person position
$80,000.00 on an annualized basis.
Monday - Friday, 8:00am-5:00pm
For full-time staff employees, Indiana University offers a wide array of benefits including:
- Comprehensive medical and dental insurance
- Health savings account with generous IU contributions
- Healthcare and dependent care flexible spending accounts
- Basic group life insurance paid by IU
- Voluntary supplemental life, long-term disability, critical illness, and supplemental accidental death & dismemberment insurance
- Base retirement plan with generous IU contributions, subject to vesting
- Voluntary supplemental retirement plan options
- Tuition subsidy for employees and family members taking IU courses
- 10 paid holidays plus a paid winter break each year
- Generous paid time off plans
- Paid leave for new parents and IU-sponsored volunteer events
- Employee assistance program (EAP)
Learn more about our benefits by reviewing the IU Benefit Programs Brochure.
Career Level: Advanced
FLSA: Exempt
Job Function: Development & Advancement
Job Family: General Development
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