Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal (CMC) seeks an experienced fundraising professional to serve as the vice president of institutional advancement. The vice president is the chief development officer and will direct a substantial fundraising program, which includes a comprehensive campaign of significant size.

Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal is home to the Cincinnati History Museum, Cinergy Children’s Museum, the Museum of Natural History & Science, the Robert D. Lindner Family OMNIMAX® Theater, and the Cincinnati Historical Society Library. The Museum Center has come into being over the last 15 years with the merger of several independent institutions and the creation of the OMNIMAX Theater. CMC is a nationally recognized educational and research resource and one of the top cultural attractions in the Midwest. The Museum Center serves more than one million visitors annually and reaches out to almost 200,000 young people in school groups through hands-on exhibits and programs. As a center for the entire community, the Museum Center hosts over 700 events each year. Originally built in 1933 as the Union Terminal train station, the building is a National Historic Landmark and was renovated and reopened as Cincinnati Museum Center in 1990. 

The vice president of institutional advancement oversees a staff of 15 and an expense budget of $1.1 million and a revenue budget of $5.1 million. The Museum Center’s total annual budget is about $14 million. The vice president plays a special role in strategic planning at the Museum Center as the principal source for endowment growth, capital expansion, and budget subsidy through gifts and grants. In the next several years, the incumbent will be responsible for a multi-million dollar comprehensive campaign to address the Museum Center’s facilities, endowment, and operating needs. The vice president will be expected to set ambitious goals and develop innovative strategies for increasing contributions for expanded programs and capital projects.

Attractions 

• Cincinnati Museum Center is led by an energetic and accomplished President/CEO and senior staff. The Museum Center’s leadership is a dedicated and ambitious group of museum professionals and community volunteers. 

• The Museum Center is a high-profile institution in the community. It is one of three most-visited attractions in the city, and its unique historic building and educational mission are sources of civic pride. 

• The environment of the Museum Center is very pleasant. As a multi-disciplinary facility, there are always interesting programs and events. The camaraderie of the staff and volunteers make it a positive place to be and a happy working atmosphere. There is support for creativity and ideas. 

• Cincinnati, Ohio, and the surrounding area, is an attractive place in which to live and work. It is a community of significance in the history of the United States with a rich, dynamic business and cultural environment. Over 10 Fortune 500 corporations are located in Cincinnati, and it is an active philanthropic community as well.

Critical Issues 

• The Museum Center’s financial footing has improved due to a successful 2004 tax levy, which assured the institution of a stream of operating revenue for building maintenance and funds for capital improvements over the next five years. The Museum Center seeks to capitalize on this community support by increasing its endowment to at least $30 million in the forthcoming comprehensive campaign. 

• This is a time of transformational change for the Museum Center. With the tax levy securing its future, the center must now move to its next level of achievement. The leadership has set ambitious goals for programming, growth, and expansion, and the next vice president of institutional advancement will need to marshal the forces to meet the challenge. 

• The development program needs to expand its reach both within the local community and beyond. The Museum Center should be known to more corporations and foundations outside the region. New sources of government funding also need to be identified.

Position 

Reports to: President/CEO in parallel with four other vice presidents for museums, exhibits and museum planning, marketing, and finance and administration. 

Supervises 15 total staff with three senior-level direct reports.

Major Responsibilities: 

1.      Manage all development, membership, and fund-raising programs that generate unrestricted support for annual operations and restricted support for specific programs, areas, and museums. Primary fundraising activities include: major gifts and planned giving, individual annual giving and gift clubs; individual and family membership marketing and sales; special events; corporate relations; foundation relations; government relations; prospect research, gift processing, and stewardship.

2.      Manage the planning for and implementation of the comprehensive campaign, working with counsel. Direct membership programs and marketing and public relations programs related to the comprehensive campaign.

3.      Develop strategies to communicate the Museum Center’s mission among internal and external constituencies and increase its visibility.
      Collaborate with the vice president of marketing in continuing development of CMC’s communications plan and public relations agenda. 

4.      Manage the development department, including budgeting and reporting. Supervise, train, and evaluate department staff.  

5.      Supervise volunteer services department and programs.  

6.      Advise and assist the president in planning and executing Museum Center policies and programs. Conceive and organize outreach activities for the president and assist as an administrative liaison to the Board of Trustees. As a member of the president’s senior staff, participate in planning, administration, and general management of the Museum Center.  

7.      Monitor trends and statutes affecting philanthropy and legislative and regulatory development at the federal, state, and local levels affecting cultural and nonprofit institutions.
 

The Ideal Person Should Have: 

A baccalaureate degree; advanced degree desirable. 

Ten years or more experience and demonstrated success in different areas of institutional advancement with a track record in closing major gifts in a non-profit setting.  Museum experience a plus.  

Experience and demonstrated success in one or more comprehensive capital campaigns. 

Demonstrated ability to manage, inspire, and lead a professional staff. 

Demonstrated achievement in organizing and motivating trustees, staff, and key volunteers to participate effectively in fundraising activities.  

Excellent oral and written communication skills. 

Demonstrated understanding of and appreciation for the distinctive value of museums and cultural institutions.
 

The Ideal Person Should Be:

Organized. 

A strong manager. 

Collaborative and collegial with peers, subordinates, and volunteer leadership within the institution and with its external partners. 

A person of professional integrity, sound judgment, and initiative.

Candidates and sources, please communicate with:
Bob Sellery or Katie Wilson, Robert Sellery Associates, Ltd.
1050 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., 10th Floor
Washington, D.C. 20036.
Email: wilson@sellery.com  or sellery@sellery.com
FAX 202.333.1167
Telephone: 202.331.0090
All inquiries will be kept in strict confidence.

ROBERT SELLERY ASSOCIATES, LTD.
1050 CONNECTICUT AVENUE, N.W. , 10TH FLOOR     WASHINGTON, D.C. 20036     202.331.0090
sellery@sellery.com