Campbell & Company Seeking Major Gifts Officer for the Chicago History Museum
May 23, 2024 – For not-for-profit organizations, these are particularly challenging days. Declining support from government sources, increased demand for their services and competition for donor dollars are just a few of the issues that charitable groups must overcome to stay afloat each year. Simply put, major gift officers are top-level fundraisers. They identify potential donors, cultivate relationships and, above all, raise much-needed funds from key supporters. For many non-profits, major gift officers are, in a word, indispensable. Recruitment firms that can find the right person to do the job are among a non-profit organization’s most valued partners. And for recruiters, the business of finding major gift officers is booming.
Campbell & Company was recently called in by the Chicago History Museum to lead in its search for a major gifts officer. Vice president of executive search Colleen Rogers and senior consultant Emily Miller are leading the assignment. This executive will play a key role in raising the level of major gift support for the organization over the next four years. Reporting to the vice president of external engagement and development, the major gifts officer will be responsible for working with the museum’s senior management, trustees, and others to cultivate, solicit, steward, and engage major donors and high-level volunteers.
The ideal candidate will be an outgoing and engaging team player with a history of success cultivating major gifts. Campbell & Company notes that the major gifts officer should bring a passion for the history of Chicago and the motivation to contribute to a growing program. Those applying will have a minimum of five years of development experience, preferably with prior experience engaging a diverse pool of donors and prospects in the Chicago philanthropic community. A successful history of meeting and exceeding major gifts or high-level annual fund goals is required; capital campaign and/or planned giving experience is an advantage. A high level of emotional intelligence and ability to build meaningful relationships both internally and externally, across a spectrum of personalities, backgrounds, and age groups is also desired.
As Chicago’s oldest cultural institution, the Chicago History Museum houses more than 25 million objects in its collection that connect people to the city’s history and to each other. CHM serves as a major museum and research center, offering dynamic exhibitions, tours, publications, events, and programming that inspire learning and civic engagement.
With offices around the country, Campbell & Company offers counsel in advancement planning, fundraising, marketing communications, and executive search for non-profit organizations in the education, health and medicine, arts and culture, environment, social service, and professional society fields.
Recent Searches
Campbell & Company recently assisted in the recruitment of John Herron as the new president and CEO of Outreach International in Kansas City, MO. The assignment was led by Dan Nevez, vice president, executive search, Alexandra Catuara, senior consultant, and Angèle Bubna, consultant. “Throughout his career in both academic and nonprofit sectors, John has developed collaborative partnerships and secured philanthropic support to deliver mission-driven programs and operations,” said Shelley Scherer, chair of the Outreach International board. “We are confident that John’s holistic approach to leadership and his strategic orientation will build on Outreach International’s extraordinary success and further advance its essential mission to create lasting solutions to chronic poverty through community-led development.”
Dr. Herron comes to Outreach from the Kansas City Public Library, where he served as CEO, leading that organization as it served a metropolitan population of 2.2 million. Within its 10 locations and over 2 million items in circulation, the library provides literacy and digital literacy programs, refugee and immigration services, health improvement, and public programming.
Campbell & Company was also recently enlisted to find the next president and chief executive officer for the Friendly Center, a non-profit that provides free programs and services for low-income families and individuals in Orange County, CA. “The Friendly Center’s new president and CEO will join an organization that has a solid financial base, an excellent reputation, and is poised for continued growth,” said Campbell & Company.
Related: Six Recruiting Trends Effecting Non-Profits
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor; Lily Fauver, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
