Development Guild DDI Seeks Executive Director for Fuller Craft Museum
July 16, 2021 – Non-profit specialist recruitment firm Development Guild DDI was recently selected to find an executive director for the Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton, MA. The non-profit, which focuses solely on collecting contemporary craft, is New England’s only craft museum. Senior vice president and principal Tracy Marshall is leading the assignment.
“Fuller Craft Museum seeks an executive director to help lead the museum, expand its leadership role in the national crafts community, and meet ambitious plans for growth and increased community engagement,” said Development Guild DDI.
The executive director will report to the president of the organization’s 14-member board of directors, and will direct all aspects of the museum, said the search firm. The individual will work with staff and the board to meet the goals of the current strategic plan (and prepare for the plan’s revision in 2022), advance the field, expand the audience, engage the community and sustain resources. He or she will be also charged with increasing the museum’s visibility, attendance, growth and community impact, as well as developing the board, advancing the museum’s collections, exhibitions and educational programs.
The new executive director will play a key role in raising funds and increasing the donor base. This leader will be expected to form effective external relationships with key local community, government and business leaders, as well as philanthropic, craft, artistic and educational communities.
The new leader will manage an operating budget of $1.4 million, a staff of nine full-time and 12 part-time employees, and 27 active docents.
Key Requirements
Candidates should have 10-plus years of operating experience in the arts and/or museum setting. A strong understanding of the business, community relations, operational, and collections management aspects of running a museum is required. Prospects must also have an appreciation for craft and the ability to understand and engage supporters around the unique nature of the art form. A track record of successful community engagement to meet ambitious goals to increase visibility and overall participation in the life of an arts organization is also necessary.
Development Guild DDI said that those applying for the role should also have a deep understanding of museum best practices to help monitor and evaluate program effectiveness. Experience recruiting, training, and supervising staff against ambitious goals and objectives is vital. Candidates should also have proven success and enthusiasm for the solicitation of high-net-worth individual contributors, corporations, public and other private sources to generate resources and increase philanthropic revenue; capital campaign experience is a plus.
Fuller Craft’s purpose is to inspire, stimulate, and enrich an ever-expanding and diverse community. Founded in 1946, the museum is a treasured resource that chronicles, interprets, and presents contemporary craft and supports the field through education, community engagement, and thought leadership. Each year, the museum welcomes more than 16,000 visitors who come to experience the full spectrum of contemporary craft (a fine art genre featuring objects made with wood, ceramic, glass, fiber, and glass). The museum offers robust exhibition programming, a permanent collection of over 850 objects, and a stunning 22-acre campus enhanced by outdoor sculptures. Fuller Craft offers classes to students of all ages, and works collaboratively with the Brockton public school system and other community partners to provide meaningful educational experiences.
Non-Profit Recruiters
Development Guild DDI, which has offices in New York and Boston, was founded in 1978. The firm helps clients align leadership around a strategic vision with its planning, executive search and fundraising services. The firm works with non-profits nationwide, partnering with leaders in academic medicine, higher education, arts and culture, human services and others.
Development Guild’s clients, which number more than 500, have included: Boston Children’s Hospital, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Tufts Medical Center, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Holocaust Memorial Museum, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Nature Conservancy, Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, College of the Holy Cross, Partners in Health, University of Rhode Island Foundation, Planned Parenthood Federation of America and the American Cancer Society.
President William Weber, who co-founded the firm with Suzanne Weber in 1978, has focused his career on the convergence of strategic planning, philanthropy and leadership development, as well as the transformational impact it can have on an institution. His many clients have included: Boston University, George Washington’s Mount Vernon, Johns Hopkins Medicine, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Mount Sinai Health System, National Coast Guard Museum Association, Union of Concerned Scientists and Year Up.
Ms. Marshall has worked with a wide range of clients, including Boston Children’s Hospital Trust, Cape Cod Healthcare Foundation, Emily Dickinson Museum, The Fenn School, French Cultural Center, The Home for Little Wanderers, Kents Hill School, The League School, Mount Sinai Health System, Olin College of Engineering, St. John’s Prep, St. Louis Children’s Hospital Foundation, University of Rhode Island Foundation, and Woodwell Climate Research Center. Ms. Marshall rejoined Development Guild DDI in 2011 after serving for seven years as the director of philanthropy at Faulkner Hospital. Her career has also included positions at the United Way of Massachusetts Bay, Dana Hall School in Wellesley, MA and the National Trust for Historic Preservation in Washington, D.C.
Related: Arts Consulting Recruits New Leader for Martha’s Vineyard Museum
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
