Development Officer: Donor Cultivation & Stewardship

Motown Museum•Detroit, MI

About The Position

Motown Museum is seeking an experienced fundraising and donor relations professional with a background in events, hospitality, and relationship-based giving. This role is essential to strengthening the Museum’s donor pipeline and ensuring exceptional stewardship of supporters who help advance our mission. The Development Officer plays a key role in building and sustaining philanthropic support for Motown Museum. This position is responsible for managing a portfolio of individual, corporate and foundation donors, identifying and cultivating new prospects, and implementing strategies that increase engagement and giving. The Development Officer will also support partnerships, annual giving initiatives, membership efforts, and special events that contribute to the Museum’s growth and long-term sustainability.

Requirements

Strong critical thinking and problem-solving skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to draft and edit donor-facing materials such as letters, proposals, and reports.
High attention to detail and strong organizational skills.
Exceptional interpersonal skills and ability to build meaningful relationships with donors, sponsors, and community partners.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint); experience with CRM/database systems strongly preferred.
Ability to handle confidential and sensitive information with discretion and professionalism.
Experience in fundraising and donor relations required.

Responsibilities

Manage and grow a portfolio of individual and corporate donors, with a focus on gifts of $5,000 and above.
Meet annual fundraising goals for assigned portfolio and contribute to overall departmental targets.
Partner with the Development team to create and execute fundraising plans with measurable qualitative and quantitative outcomes.
Identify, cultivate, solicit, secure, and steward up to 100 donors in your portfolio, including individuals, corporations, foundations, and government entities.
Develop tailored engagement strategies for each prospect, including personalized cultivation and stewardship plans.
Support the strategy and implementation of the annual giving campaign.
Assist with capital and endowment campaign efforts as needed.
Manage donor relationships, including benefits fulfillment and recommendations on agreements.
Ensure timely and accurate gift acknowledgment and donor communications.
Maintain complete and up-to-date donor records in the Museum’s CRM system, including contact reports, engagement tracking, and follow-up actions.
Support membership initiatives, including recruitment, renewals, benefits, communications, and special events.
Ability to draft LOU’s, MOU’s, donor agreements, and invoices.
Representing Motown Museum at events and donor engagement opportunities to cultivate relationships.
Assist with planning and execution of on-site and off-site meetings, events, and third-party activations.
Support direct mail, digital outreach, and social media communications as needed.
Ability to draft LOU’s, MOU’s, donor agreements, and invoices.
Assist with recruitment and coordination of volunteers and interns supporting development activities.
Serve as a liaison for donors and stakeholders, providing excellent customer service and personalized communication.
Follow all Museum policies, procedures, and professional standards.
Demonstrate commitment to Motown Museum’s mission, vision, and values at all times.