Job Description

The Gund at Kenyon College is at an exciting moment of growth, and we are seeking a Development Officer to help shape the museum’s future. This newly created position reflects our commitment to deepening our impact, expanding our reach, and ensuring long-term sustainability. As we advance the museum’s strategic plan—centering shared learning, curatorial excellence, collection stewardship, civic engagement, and organizational effectiveness—we are looking for a dynamic leader who can forge meaningful connections with supporters, cultivate new funding opportunities, and articulate the value of The Gund’s mission to a broad range of stakeholders.

Reporting to the David and Francie Horvitz Family Foundation Director and Chief Curator of The Gund, and to the Associate Vice President for Development in the Division of Advancement, the Development Officer for The Gund will be charged with building on a comprehensive development program that includes diversified streams of contributed support from individuals, foundations and corporations; and an active and engaged Board of Directors. The fundraising charge is to expand the philanthropic base for exhibits, collections, educational and outreach activities, and endowment needs. Interested candidates should bring a minimum of 3-5 years, and more preferred, of frontline fundraising experience, with demonstrated prospect management skills along all points of the engagement pipeline, including a track record of closing individual donor gifts in the 6+ figure range.

The Development Officer will primarily focus on developing and maintaining a major gifts portfolio through creative engagement events, personal outreach, and constituent relationship management. They will be directly responsible for growing individual giving and implementing innovative approaches to membership and donor groups. They will also bring institutional expertise and oversee foundation and corporate giving.

The Collection of The Gund is an emerging collection of approximately 500 objects, focusing on Modern and Contemporary art in a global context. Serving as a dynamic teaching resource, it supports cross-disciplinary learning through works that span diverse voices, media, and perspectives. This is a unique opportunity to make a lasting impact on The Gund’s future, working closely with leadership, curators, and the Kenyon community to advance a vision of a museum that is both locally grounded and globally engaged.

The successful candidate will have proven success in fundraising, an understanding and appreciation of contemporary art, and the ability to work both independently and collaboratively with colleagues across roles and teams. Experience at a university art museum is a plus. The ideal candidate will be adept at navigating both museum and advancement infrastructures, ensuring that fundraising efforts are seamlessly integrated into the institution’s broader goals. The successful candidate will have a creative and entrepreneurial spirit, the flexibility to adapt as organizations evolve, and the ability to manage multiple priorities. They will be a proactive problem solver and collaborator who can recognize and seize opportunities as they arise. Since this is a new position, the ideal candidate should be highly organized and self-sufficient, with the ability to work independently.

Administrative support will be available as needed. This is a full-time position and remote / hybrid work environment may be an option for this position.

Key responsibilities include:

• Working with senior leadership, developing and managing a plan for achieving annual fundraising goals from individuals, foundations, corporations, and other contributed and earned sources of revenue.
• Assuming a hands-on, creative role to strengthen The Gund’s major gifts pipeline, focusing on the identification, cultivation, stewardship, solicitation, and acknowledgement of individual donors.
• Working with Board members, and serving as the liaison for the Development Committee, to help manage and maximize their fundraising efforts.
• Partnering with the Director & Chief Curator and Board leadership, as appropriate, to help identify and recruit new Board members.
• Supporting the Director and Chief Curator in envisioning and planning a range of events, including Board trips and donor cultivation initiatives, ensuring they are thoughtfully designed, well-executed, cost-effective, and strategically aligned with follow-up and solicitation efforts.
• Maximizing institutional giving, growing support from foundations and developing a corporate partnership program.
• Managing external consultants as needed, particularly for grant writing and event planning.
• Coordinating and presenting regular reports on progress to goal to key stakeholders at The Gund and Kenyon College.
• Collaborating with colleagues at Kenyon, including advancement, finance, marketing and public relations, to maintain a holistic approach to donor cultivation, engagement and communication.
• Representing The Gund at key arts events and fostering connections within the broader arts community.
• Bringing best practices in individual and institutional giving within the visual arts and museum field, informed by prior experience, to enhance The Gund’s development efforts.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Deep understanding of art museum fundraising, with the ability to translate The Gund’s mission and strategic goals into compelling cases for support.
• Knowledge of university art museum opportunities and challenges.
• Proven experience working across multiple contributed revenue streams, with an expertise in major gifts, and success in foundation, corporate, and government support.
• Proven experience with innovative earned revenue streams in museums.
• Ability to navigate and align The Gund’s fundraising priorities with the College’s priorities.
• Adept with CRM systems and Slate, and flexible about doing Development administrative work as needed.
• If not already a contemporary art enthusiast, this leader will be open to embracing and deepening their engagement with the field.

Kenyon College is a nationally prominent, private liberal arts college where academic excellence goes hand in hand with a strong sense of community and close relationships among students and professors.

Compensation and Benefits

Salaries at Kenyon are competitive and commensurate with experience. In addition to an attractive salary, Kenyon offers benefits for employees and their family members. Children of employees are eligible for 100% tuition waivers at Kenyon, and through the Great Lakes Colleges Association, children of employees are eligible for 90% tuition waivers at nineteen other of the nation's finest liberal arts colleges.

We also offer health, dental and vision insurance, TIAA retirement, and many other benefits, including provisions for a spouse, families, and domestic partners. Details about benefits as well as conditions of employment are described more fully in our Staff Handbook

Kenyon is a unique place to live and work. To discover why it should be your next home, click here

Kenyon College is an equal opportunity employer, and we welcome applications from all qualified individuals. It is the College's policy to evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, physical and/or mental disability, age, religion, medical condition, veteran status, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by institutional policy or state, local, or federal law. Kenyon College has a strong commitment to an inclusive environment that welcomes all voices and perspectives.