Gift Officer (IS-1001-12)

Smithsonian Institution•Washington, DC

11d•Onsite

About The Position

About the National Museum of Asian Art Through an ambitious program of collection, conservation, exhibitions, programming, and research, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art serves as a global and national resource for understanding the arts and cultures of Asia and their interaction with America, past and present. By presenting the arts and cultures of Asia in their extraordinary diversity, we aim to exemplify foundational ideals of curiosity, creativity, and respect. In a world growing ever more interdependent, we believe that cross-cultural understanding is crucial to personal and collective well-being. NMAA opened in 1923 as America’s first national art museum and the first Asian art museum in the United States. The museum now stewards one of the world’s most important collections of Asian art, with works dating from antiquity to the present, from China, Japan, Korea, South Asia, Southeast Asia, the pre-Islamic Near East, and the Islamic world (inclusive of Central Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa). The museum also stewards an important collection of nineteenth- and early twentieth-century American art. Today, NMAA is emerging as a leading national and global resource for understanding the arts, cultures, and societies of Asia, especially at their intersection with America. Guided by the belief that the future of art museums lies in collaboration, increased access, and transparency, NMAA is fostering new ways to engage with its audiences while maintaining its commitment to excellence. NMAA celebrated its centennial in 2023 and is determined to make the museum’s second century as accomplished as its first. The museum is building on its core strengths—the quality and depth of our collections, scholarship, and conservation—while embracing experimentation and new approaches to its work. The museum is transforming digitally, physically, and programmatically to draw in new audiences to celebrate, learn, and connect with Asian and American art and cultures, past and present. Located on the National Mall in Washington, DC, the museum is free and open 364 days a year. The Smithsonian, which is the world’s largest museum complex, welcomes twenty to thirty million visitors yearly. For more information about the National Museum of Asian Art, please visit asia.si.edu The Opportunity The Major Gifts Officer (MGO) serves as a frontline fundraiser responsible for securing philanthropic support from individual donors and prospects in alignment with the museum’s strategic priorities. Reporting to the Chief Advancement Officer, the MGO will play a key role in building and managing a robust portfolio of major donors, deepening relationships, and securing gifts that advance the museum’s mission, programs, and long-term vision. Working in close partnership with the Director, Chief Advancement Officer, and colleagues across programmatic areas will identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward donors capable of making significant gifts to the museum. This role requires both strategic and hands-on engagement—balancing personalized donor relationship management with the broader goals of a major fundraising campaign. A new Major Gifts Officer joins the National Museum of Asian Art at a transformative moment. The museum has launched its 2025–2030 Strategic Plan, embarked on a major fundraising campaign and reintroduced itself to the public as a vital platform for cultural leadership, research, and exchange. This is a remarkable opportunity for a passionate and resourceful fundraiser to help shape the next chapter of the museum’s growth—connecting donors to the museum’s mission and expanding its circle of philanthropic supporters.

Requirements

To qualify at the GS-12 level, applicants must have one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 level in the Federal service, or comparable experience in the private or public sector.
Specialized experience is experience that demonstrates the ability to perform major gifts fundraising work such as:
Cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding major gifts at the six-figure level and above.
Demonstrated success managing a portfolio of major donors and meeting or exceeding annual fundraising goals.
Developing and executing cultivation, solicitation, closing, and engagement strategies that result in philanthropic support aligned with organizational priorities.
Preparing donor briefings, proposals, and solicitation materials; partnering with senior leaders to support donor engagement and asks.
Identifying and qualifying new prospects through research, discovery, and pipeline development.
Ensuring timely and meaningful stewardship, including acknowledgments, reports, recognition opportunities, and impact communications.
Maintaining accurate, up-to-date donor records, strategies, and contact reports in a CRM/advancement database and producing activity/revenue/pipeline reports.
Demonstrating cultural curiosity and sensitivity, with a genuine interest in the arts, humanities, and global cultures represented in the museum’s collections.
Excellent organizational and time-management skills; able to manage multiple priorities, deadlines, and relationships with efficiency and attention to detail.

Responsibilities

Build and manage a dynamic portfolio of approximately 80-90 qualified major and principal gift prospects with the capacity to make 6-7 figure gifts in support of the museum’s priorities.
Develop tailored cultivation, solicitation, closing, and stewardship strategies for each assigned prospect, ensuring thoughtful, strategic engagement that advances relationships and results in significant philanthropic support.
Conduct a high volume of personal outreach, including regular donor visits, phone calls, and correspondence, with a target of at least 65 substantive contacts per year.
Partner closely with the Director, Chief Advancement Officer, and other museum leaders to prepare and execute customized donor strategies, briefings, and solicitations.
Support the museum’s comprehensive fundraising plans by identifying new prospects, contributing to campaign strategies, and securing gifts aligned with campaign priorities.
Work collaboratively with colleagues across the institution to match donors’ interests with institutional needs and to articulate compelling cases for support across a range of initiatives, including exhibitions, conservation, education, digital initiatives, and capital projects.
Contribute to the museum’s overall fundraising strategy by sharing insights from the field, identifying emerging opportunities, and helping to shape donor engagement approaches.
Ensure timely and meaningful stewardship of all donors and prospects in the portfolio, coordinating with Advancement staff to deliver high-quality acknowledgments, reports, and recognition opportunities.
Guarantee accurate and up-to-date records of all donor interactions, strategies, and progress in the museum’s record system.
Collaborate with the stewardship and communications teams to develop materials and events that reinforce donors’ connections to the museum’s mission and impact.
Participate in donor events and engagement opportunities (e.g., receptions, cultivation activities, and program-related gatherings) to strengthen relationships and support stewardship goals
Serve as a key ambassador for the museum, representing its mission and vision to donors, external partners, and the broader community.
Partner with colleagues across the museum to identify potential funding needs, gather impact stories, and develop compelling donor engagement content.
Develop and implement annual fundraising goals, strategies, and activity plans in consultation with the Chief Advancement Officer.
Track progress toward goals and prepare regular reports on portfolio activity, revenue, and pipeline development.
Maintain confidentiality and the highest ethical standards in all interactions with donors and colleagues.