Director, Advancement (AF)
- Salary
- $115K–$120K
- Hiring from
- United States
- Work type
- Hybrid
- Posted
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Salary Range: $115,000.00 To $120,000.00 Annually
About the Architects Foundation
The Foundation is the philanthropic partner of the American Institute of Architects and the steward of The Octagon, a National Historic Landmark at the heart of the AIA Global Campus for Architecture & Design. Its annual budget is $3 million. Currently, half is contributed income and grants, and the remainder comes from investment income, earned revenue, and in-kind support. It is anticipated to be a $5 million annual budget at the campaign’s close. Built to Last launched in 2025 and has raised more than $8 million, roughly 40 percent of its goal, in its quiet phase. The campaign funds the renewal of The Octagon, educational programs, scholarships and fellowships. The development program the Director builds will outlast the campaign.
Function of the Position
Reporting to the Executive Director of the Architects Foundation, the Director, Advancement will lead the Architects Foundation's advancement function, encompassing development, brand, events, and rentals. The Director will build a high-potential development program, including donor engagement programs, capital campaign engagement, stewardship, events, annual giving, and institutional partnerships.
The Director builds and manages their portfolios, prepares briefings and strategy, manages follow through, and surrounds them with the engagement and stewardship programs that create a robust, trusted, and loved organization. The Director also carries a personal portfolio.
Job Duties
Campaign Stewardship and Infrastructure
Lead Built to Last to its goal and its close, and build the systems needed to support and sustain it.
- Lead the campaign through its $20 million goal and its 2028 close.
- Direct the campaign infrastructure the Sr. Manager, Development and Marketing operates, including pipeline management, gift agreements, naming opportunity inventory, and reporting to the Executive Director, the Foundation Board, and the campaign steering committee.
- Design the stewardship program, including donor reporting, recognition, hard hat tours, salon dinners at The Octagon, and signature events, and direct its delivery by the development team.
- Lead campaign donor engagement, including naming opportunities and milestone events into and through the public phase and reopening of The Octagon.
- Direct the collateral, proposals, and campaign materials the Sr. Manager, Development and Marketing produces.
- Plan and launch the public phase of the campaign, timed to the brand initiative and the second construction phase at The Octagon, to establish multi-year partners and diversify the Foundation’s funding commitments.
Annual Fund and Donor Circles
Build the programs that bring donors in and keep them close.
- Design and run the annual fund, including donor circles, benefit levels, a cultivation and stewardship calendar, and recognition structures.
- Launch and grow The 1857 Society, a planned giving program.
- Engage AIA members in giving through annual gifts, in coordination with AIA.
- Draw on the Foundation's Directors of Curatorial Affairs, and Education and Public Programs for donor access to exhibitions, programs, and scholars.
Major Gifts and Planned Giving
Engage the Foundation’s leaders as active fundraising partners and build a sustainable culture.
- Manage the Executive Director’s major gifts portfolio, including research, briefings, strategy, and follow-through.
- Deploy the Foundation Board and the campaign steering committee as fundraisers, matching each to the prospects they can open.
- Carry a personal portfolio of major gift prospects.
- Build the planned giving program and engage AIA members and longtime donors in bequests.
Partnerships in Collaboration with AIA
Develop new sources of multi-year support alongside the Foundation’s parent organization.
- Build partnerships with suppliers, manufacturers, and allied professionals, in consultation with the AIA Senior Director, Business Development, as a source of multi-year support.
- Grow foundation and institutional funding, setting the calendar, priorities, and cases for each proposal. The Sr. Manager, Development and Marketing oversees grant writing and reporting with a contract grant writer.
- Partner with the Sr. Manager, Development and Marketing to shape and execute the communications strategy that clearly articulates the Foundation’s impact to donors and prospects.
Brand, Events, and Rentals
Build a cohesive public identify for the Foundation and the events and earned revenue..
- Oversee the Foundation’s brand initiative, with the Sr. Manager, Development and Marketing leading marketing execution, timed to the public phase of the campaign and the reopening of The Octagon, so donors, partners, and the public see one Foundation across The Octagon, the center, scholarships, and Communities by Design.
- Manage the Foundation’s signature events calendar, including the reopening of The Octagon, in coordination with the Foundation’s Director, Education and Public Programs, who leads public programs.
- Build and manage the rental program for The Octagon as a source of earned revenue, in coordination with the AIA Managing Director, Global Campus and AIA events staff, and with the Foundation’s Director, Curatorial Affairs on object safety.
Team and Institutional Leadership
Lead the advancement team and report on its results.
- Manage the contract campaign manager.
- Manage the advancement budget and revenue forecast, including rental revenue, and report results to the Executive Director and the Foundation Board.
- Partner with the Executive Director on board engagement and the fundraising work of the Steering Committee.
- Put the Foundation’s impact measures to work in donor reporting, cases for support, and campaign communications.
- Represent the Foundation within the architecture, design, and philanthropic communities.
Qualifications
Required
- Progressive fundraising experience of 8 or more years, including having run a development department or function, ideally in a cultural, preservation, design, or mission driven organization.
- Demonstrated advanced role in a completed capital or comprehensive campaign, with responsibility for stewardship, infrastructure, donor engagement, pipeline, and solicitation under a campaign timeline.
- Experience leading a development operation with an annual fund, donor circles, a donor events calendar, and a suite of engagement programs.
- Experience building or growing a planned giving program, including bequests.
- Experience building corporate, industry, or institutional partnerships in collaboration with a parent or allied organization.
- Demonstrated record of creating fundraising programs, collateral, and stewardship programs rather than operating programs built by others.
- Demonstrated experience engaging executive and board leaders as active fundraising partners. Experience managing development operations and communications staff.
- Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to work across organizations and with many stakeholders.
Preferred
- Demonstrated success securing and closing five and six figure gifts or larger.
- Proven ability to build relationships and cultivate new foundation and institutional funding partners. Experience in architecture, design, preservation, or museums.
- Experience leading a brand initiative, a signature events program, or rentals and other earned revenue.
Education
- Bachelor’s degree required.
Travel
- Minimal travel. Occasional local or regional travel for donor meetings, site visits, and professional engagements as needed.
Supervisory Responsibilities
- Manage the Sr. Manager, Development and Marketing.
- Work closely the contract campaign manager.
- Collaborate with consultants, contractors, interns, and volunteers on campaign delivery.
Work Location
Washington DC, hybrid, DC Metro area only. Standard schedule of three days in office or on campus and two remote days per week, with occasional evenings and Saturdays for donor events, signature events, and rentals. Occasional travel required.
Benefits Offered
A comprehensive benefits package aligned with AIA offerings. Benefits include medical and dental insurance, a 401(k)-retirement plan, flexible work arrangements, paid time off, parental leave, flexible
