Development Manager - Krasl Art Center

Posted on 1/22/25

Position type: Full time, exempt, salaried

Location: Southwest Michigan, regular on-site presence

Benefits: Comprehensive benefits package

Reports to: Executive Director & Chief Curator

Salary Range: Starting at $50,000; commensurate with experience

Position Summary

The Donor Relations Manager is responsible for corporate sponsorships, event based fundraising, and individual giving at Krasl Art Center (KAC). The role requires a passionate extrovert who loves to genuinely win others over and can clearly articulate the value of art to diverse audiences, including individual donors, family foundations, business owners, and granting agencies, among others. The ideal candidate will be an excellent communicator and consummate professional; they will be reliable and trustworthy, with integrity and discretion in managing sensitive and confidential information.

Development is a collaborative, multi-team member effort at KAC. The Executive Director identifies fiscal targets and maintains a portfolio of individual donors; the Director of Events oversees earned revenue; the Marketing Manager leads membership; and all staff identify opportunities for, and support, grant writing.

The Donor Relations Manager works closely with the Executive Director & Director of Events. They are an active participant in high-level brainstorming and strategizing within the organization. They also regularly participate in hands-on implementation and administration, including communications, recognition, and data management. This position will help build and improve upon existing processes and will need to quickly become proficient in Google Workspace and KAC’s CRM (VeevArt/Salesforce).

KAC is seeking an individual who will work well with the team, take initiative, consistently follow through, and accomplish goals. Experience with non-profits is ideal. A background in sales, marketing, and event planning are appropriate.

Essential Functions

Development

    • Nurture relationships with local businesses, sharing the economic value of KAC and the arts to the community
    • Cultivate and grow business sponsorships for programs and event specific opportunities at Krasl Art Center, including exhibitions, education, and the annual art fair
    • Lead VIP experiences and secure sponsorship for the annual Krasl Art Fair on the Bluff, taking ownership of the goals and evaluation tools outlined in its master plan as the organization’s largest fundraising event
    • Partner with the Director of Events to develop event-based opportunities that successfully raise funds, earn income, and engage audiences in ways that are unique to the community and reflective of the art center
    • Cultivate and successfully solicit major gifts from a diverse group of individuals, corporations and foundations; work closely with the Executive Director to co-manage and grow this portfolio
    • Ensure high-quality stewardship of all donors at all levels
    • Comprehensively oversee and manage grant writing and foundation requests - nurturing relationships with the granting organizations and foundations externally, and internally collaborating with the KAC team to submit high-quality, fundable applications
    • Work with the Marketing Manager to set and manage goals and strategies to increase membership

Administration

    • Manage development-related communications in all media - including annual appeals, solicitations, sponsorship proposals, and donor acknowledgements
    • Manage and improve processes related to prospect identification, donor stewardship, and contributions management
    • Oversee a transition to a new donor technology/CRM platform, vetting policies and procedures for entering data, moves management, contact notes and reports
    • Manage donor communications and data
    • Ready this position to support KAC for a near-term capital campaign

Collaborative Teamwork

    • Be a resource to and collaborate with staff to set earned income goals 
    • Empower staff and board to recognize their role in development at Krasl Art Center - train, mentor and support them in these activities to include solicitations, participation, and grant writing
    • Participate in master planning discussions to ensure that financial growth and capacity building are built into its strategies
    • Engage and coordinate the Fund Development Committee
    • Work with the Marketing Manager to ensure that development and marketing materials are unified and consistent with the Museum brand

About Krasl Art Center

Krasl Art Center (KAC) is an accredited art museum, regional arts center, and public arts advocate. It opened its doors in 1980 with roots that harken back to the St. Joseph Art Association and the area’s first art fair held in 1962. KAC is situated atop a scenic bluff overlooking Lake Michigan, just outside of the local downtown business district of St. Joseph, Michigan. Indoors, KAC displays dynamic exhibitions and new artist projects in its galleries, as well as outdoor artist commissions and new installations every summer. Its studio classrooms provide arts instruction, workshops and drop-in events to all ages and skill levels, and its gift shop offers one-of-a-kind artist-made items. KAC produces year-round programs and events in the arts.

In 2023, the American sculptor Richard Hunt gifted his Benton Harbor Studio to KAC. The Krasl will assume operations of the 20,000 sq ft studio in the spring of 2025. Both sites offer unique opportunities to serve the local community, employ local artists, and showcase art from across the nation. Significant community collaborations and partnerships deepen this work. In these ways, KAC embraces its mission to inspire meaningful change and strengthen community through the visual arts and persistently seeks to live its values and beliefs.

How to Apply

Email cover letter and resume to tami@krasl.org. Subject line to read Development Mgr-Last Name (Example: Development Mgr-Smith). No phone calls, please.

We will begin reviewing applications immediately.

Krasl Art Center is an Equal Opportunity Employer.


Thank you to our Partners!


Michigan Museums Association       313-334-7643       PO Box 5246, Cheboygan, MI 49721      lcbrisson@michiganmuseums.org

Powered by Wild Apricot Membership Software