Job Description
The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is a federally chartered, nonpartisan institution that was created by the US Congress to serve as America’s national memorial to the victims of the Holocaust and an educational institution dedicated to the history and lessons of the Holocaust. The Museum seeks to educate Americans from all 50 states and all walks of life as well as international audiences.
The Museum has three areas of expertise: Holocaust remembrance, Holocaust scholarship and education, and genocide prevention. In carrying out its important memorial and educational mission, the Museum is guided by its institutional values for our workplace: Honor the memory of the victims; carry out our work with dignity, humility, integrity and respect for others; and strive for excellence through teamwork, rigor, and a culture of continuous learning. Consistent respect for others is the foundation for trust, collegiality and inclusion.
INFORMATION ABOUT THE ROLE AND THE OFFICE:
The Development office is responsible for planning, developing, directing and implementing an
extensive program to solicit, process, accept and recognize philanthropic gifts and bequests in support of the Museum’s mission.
The Deputy Director, Midwest Region is responsible for soliciting gifts and developing fundraising
programs in communities throughout the Chicagoland area and for related community outreach and cultivation activities in support of these programs to meet the priority needs of the Museum.
MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
• Develops strategy, directs and provides oversight for all major donor identification, cultivation,
solicitation and stewardship activities in the Midwest region, with a strong focus on the
Chicagoland area.
• Supervises the work of other major gift officers.
• Actively manages and expands an initial portfolio of 125-150 major gift prospects, focusing on
solicitations of $25,000 and higher.
• Grows the Museum's donor base via entrepreneurial outreach throughout the Chicago
metropolitan area and previously uncultivated surrounding areas. Within three years,
successfully reach and sustain a personal annual goal in excess of $3 million via high-touch,
relationship-based major gifts fundraising.
• Manages and ensures the sustained success of major Chicago-based fundraising events,
including, but not limited to, an annual fundraising Luncheon, volunteer leadership engagement
initiatives and parlor meetings with the expectation of generating over $4 million annually.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
● At least 10 years of successful experience as a major gift fundraiser, with a proven track record of
personally soliciting and closing six-figure and higher annual, capital, and endowment gifts with the ability to reach aggressive fundraising goals.
● Leadership skills; success in partnering with internal and external stakeholders as a collaborative
team player.
● Experience as a supervisor of frontline fundraisers.
● Experience in the Chicagoland philanthropic community; knowledge of the broader region a plus.
● Proven ability to devise and execute new fundraising strategies, identify new prospect opportunities and cultivate them to fruition.
● Excellent written and verbal communications and strong interpersonal skills.
● Entrepreneurial, creative and able to execute on new ideas and motivate others to do the same.
● A genuine commitment to the values, mission, and ideals of the Museum.
● Familiarity with Google Workspace/ MicroSoft Office or similar computer applications.
● Strategic Thinking and Planning: Facilitates employee growth by meeting regularly; providing clear, specific performance-based feedback; and fostering each employee’s individual skills and career development needs.
● Leading and Developing People: Performs all duties in a manner which consistently demonstrates
fairness, cooperation, and respect towards coworkers, office visitors, and all others in the
performance of official business. Consistently demonstrates commitment and adherence to Civil
Rights/Equal Employment Opportunity laws, regulations, and policy.
● Innovation and Solution Development: Draws on extensive knowledge, experiences, and creativity to develop solutions that solve problems and capitalize on new opportunities.
● Applies Museum-specific and general business acumen, leveraging and building specialized
knowledge within the Branch/Division/Office to improve processes, accomplish strategic results, and serve Museum stakeholders.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
● Familiarity with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and Holocaust history.
● Four-year college degree; advanced degree desirable.
● Comfort working in a creative, problem-solving, results- and team-oriented environment.
The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum values employee wellness, work-life balance and the diversity of what this means for individual employees in life and work. We are proud to offer a comprehensive benefits package for benefits-eligible employees that includes generous paid leave benefits, health, dental, and vision insurance, flexible spending accounts, a health savings account with an employer contribution, 403(b) retirement plan with a generous employer match and contribution, group term and supplemental life insurance, short and long-term disability,
commuter subsidy, access to two employee assistance programs, as well as voluntary critical illness and accident insurance coverage, long-term care and pet insurance options. Our policies also support telework and other flexible schedule options based on the job, work and team collaboration requirements.