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Major Gifts Officer

Philadelphia Museum of Art

Philadelphia, PAFull-time$94K/yrSeen 4 days agoSeen in employer's feed 3 days ago

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At a glance

Compensation
$94K/yr
Location
Philadelphia, PA
Schedule
Full-time
Work Authorization
Not specified

Olive lists jobs from US employers, including remote roles you can work from the United States.

Job overview

The Major Gifts Officer manages an assigned portfolio of prospective donors and participates in the full gift cycle, from identification and cultivation through solicitation and stewardship. The role develops strategies to secure major gifts, supports museum leadership and trustees in solicitation activities, and collaborates across development, curatorial, and program teams. It also focuses on building donor relationships and expanding the pool of qualified prospects.

Skills & qualifications

RequiredNice to have

Skills

Donor CultivationDonor SolicitationMicrosoft OfficeRaiser’s Edge

Qualifications

Bachelor’s or Equivalent Experience7+ Years Major Gifts or Development Experience

Benefits

Medical Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
401(k) Match
Paid Time Off

Full job description

We Are Committed to an Inclusive Workplace

At the Philadelphia Museum of Art, we actively seek to employ a diverse group of people who embody our organizational values. We welcome and encourage individuals of all backgrounds to apply, especially those from marginalized and underrepresented groups in the museum field, who are inspired by our shared purpose and enjoy working collaboratively with others.

We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship or immigration status, color, disability, ethnicity, familial status, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other protected status.

How You Will Contribute

The Major Gift Officer will participate in all aspects of the gift cycle including identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship. The position manages a portfolio of prospects and qualified prospective donors as assigned. The major and principal gifts team works strategically and collaboratively across individual giving, with museum leadership, development colleagues and volunteers to raise fund for programmatic, special exhibition, endowment, and capital priorities. Leveraging the planned giving and leadership annual giving programs are also a focus for the entire team to build long term financial support. Building relationships with assigned volunteer, trustee, and major donors, with gravitas and warmth, is a key element of the position.

Specifically, you will:

  • Position and manage assigned portfolio (approximately 125 individuals) and work toward agreed upon targets for portfolio penetration, meetings, proposals submitted, Leadership Annual Giving acquisitions, and gifts secured.

  • Initiate or further relationships through proactive and strategic contact with prospects and achieve visit metrics as assigned.

  • Develop, implement and drive cultivation and solicitation strategies to secure gifts in the $25,000–$1,000,000 range.

o Move potential donors in an appropriate and timely fashion toward solicitation and closure.

o Submit assigned number of proposals per year.

o Make face to face solicitations as appropriate.

o Involve additional staff or volunteers as needed.

o Support solicitation activities of the museum’s Director and Chief Executive Officer, Director of Development, and Trustee leadership.

  • Manage prospect tracking and correspondence.

o Share information with staff and volunteers as appropriate.

o Ensure that Raiser’s Edge is up to date with all actions, contact reports, strategy memos and proposals statuses so that progress towards goals can be tracked and shared through reporting, pipeline meetings and in other settings.

o Track and monitor progress toward assigned goals.

  • Serve as Development liaison with curatorial and program departments of the museum.

  • Identify and qualify prospective donors from the general museum membership and community to expand the pool of qualified candidates.

  • Collaborate with Leadership Annual Giving team, to ensure that annual operating support gifts are part of a holistic philanthropic approach with donors, as well as with other Development and museum staff.

  • Perform other duties as assigned.

Your background and experience include:

  • A proven track record of success in initiating contact with prospective donors as well as participating in individual cultivation and solicitation for fundraising campaigns.

  • The ability to communicate the priorities and programs of the museum and identify and understand the philanthropic interests of donors.

  • A bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience is required.

  • Proficiency with Microsoft Office programs and Raiser’s Edge preferred.

  • A minimum of seven years of progressive Major Gifts and/or Development experience.

Position and Compensation Details

  • The salary for this position is $93,500.

  • This position is Full-Time, Exempt, and 35 hours per week.

  • This position is part of the AFSCME Local 397 bargaining unit.

  • This position reports to Senior Director, Individual Giving

  • Physical requirements:

  • Able to remain stationary for extended periods of time, to utilize computers and other office equipment required of this job, to perform physically administrative duties in a typical interior office environment, gallery, or exhibit space, and to access most public and staff areas of the museum campus

  • Background check required after a conditional job offer is made. Consideration of the background check will be tailored to the requirements of the job.

Institutional Requirements

  • Upholds the professional standards of the field, always acts in a manner that is consistent with the best interests of the museum and protects and enhances its reputation and standing within the community of museums.

  • Adheres to the museum’s code of ethics and Employee Handbook and avoids any real or perceived conflicts of interest.

  • Shows respect for co-workers and visitors and an understanding of and appreciation for the diversity of the museum’s staff, volunteers, and audiences.

  • Maintains confidentiality.

  • Adheres to all museum protocols, procedures, rules, and policies.

Application Timeline

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. We encourage candidates to apply early as the position will close once we have a robust applicant pool or a candidate has been selected.

What We Offer

Our employees are at the center of the museum. As an employee, you will have access to numerous museum perks including, but not limited to:

  • Free general admission to the museum for you and your immediate family

  • Discounted guest tickets for admission

  • Discounts on gift memberships

  • Special staff tours and presentations from our curatorial and conservation teams

  • Discounts at the museum restaurant, museum cafés, and museum retail and online stores

We offer a comprehensive benefits package for employees including:

  • Medical, dental, and vision benefits

  • Fully paid short-term disability insurance, long-term disability insurance, and life insurance

  • Health savings or flexible spending account program

  • Retirement savings program with museum match

  • Paid vacation, personal days, sick days, and holidays

*Eligibility for certain benefits is based on a variety of factors including the employee’s regular schedule and tenure.

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How this job compares

Set against the 677 open Development jobs on Olive Jobs, counted October 27, 2026.

Pay
  • This posting$94K/yr
  • Pennsylvania median$70–103K/yr25 salary ranges
  • US median$100–147K/yr394 salary ranges

This rate, $94K, is 8% above the Pennsylvania median midpoint ($87K) — in the middle half of Development salary ranges in Pennsylvania.

Openings
Olive Jobs lists 41 open Development jobs in Pennsylvania and 677 across the US. 3% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
Experience
This posting asks for at least 7 years of experience; Development postings that state a minimum ask for 5 years at the median (504 postings).
Education
348 of the 677 open Development jobs (51%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.

Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on October 27, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.

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