Director of Advancement & Engagement

Position Summary

The Flagler Museum seeks a strategic, collaborative, and relationship-oriented advancement leader to help shape the next phase of the institution’s growth and community engagement. Reporting directly to the Director & CEO, the Director of Advancement & Engagement will lead the Museum’s evolving advancement function, overseeing membership, donor relations, leadership giving, and institutional engagement strategies during a period of significant organizational momentum and transformation.

Over the past year, the Museum has undertaken a broad institutional repositioning centered on operational integration, expanded audience engagement, elevated programming, and philanthropic growth. These efforts have resulted in substantial increases in membership participation, donor engagement, institutional visibility, and contributed revenue, while positioning the Museum for a more ambitious and integrated future.

The Director of Advancement & Engagement will play a central role in building the systems, relationships, and strategies necessary to sustain and expand this momentum. This position is ideally suited for a rising institutional leader who combines strong relationship instincts with operational sophistication, strategic thinking, and a genuine enthusiasm for institution-building within a culturally ambitious environment.

The successful candidate will work closely with the Director & CEO, Chief Curator, Director of External Affairs, and senior leadership team to strengthen philanthropic engagement and support the Museum’s broader strategic direction.

About the Museum

The Flagler Museum preserves and interprets Whitehall, the historic estate of Henry Morrison Flagler, while advancing educational and cultural understanding through exhibitions, scholarship, public programming, and community engagement focused on Florida and Palm Beach history.

The Museum is entering a dynamic phase of institutional growth defined by expanded programming and exhibitions, increased community engagement, strengthened philanthropic participation, enhanced institutional visibility, and a more integrated relationship between programming, audience development, and advancement.

Recent institutional initiatives include the launch of the Whitehall Stewardship Society, significant growth in membership engagement and contributed support, and the development of ambitious exhibitions and partnerships designed to position the Museum as an increasingly active cultural and civic institution within Palm Beach and South Florida.

Key Responsibilities

Advancement Strategy & Institutional Engagement

• Help shape and implement a comprehensive advancement strategy aligned with the Museum’s broader institutional goals and strategic direction.
• Build and strengthen advancement infrastructure, systems, workflows, and donor stewardship practices.
• Develop thoughtful pathways for audience engagement that deepen long-term institutional participation and philanthropic support.
• Support the continued growth and stewardship of the Whitehall Restoration Council and related leadershiplevel giving initiatives.
• Partner closely with senior leadership to align advancement efforts with exhibitions, programming, partnerships, and institutional priorities.

Donor Cultivation & Philanthropy

• Manage and grow a portfolio of individual donors and prospective supporters.
• Work closely with the Director & CEO in the cultivation, stewardship, and strategic management of key donor relationships.
• Help coordinate and support leadership fundraising efforts across the institution, including collaboration with curatorial and programmatic leadership where appropriate.
• Develop more sophisticated donor communications and stewardship strategies in partnership with the Director of External Affairs.
• Assist in preparing fundraising materials, donor strategies, proposals, and cultivation plans.

Membership & Engagement

• Oversee the Museum’s membership program and membership team.
• Continue the evolution of membership as a deeper form of institutional engagement connected to programming, philanthropy, and long-term participation.
• Develop strategies for membership growth, retention, upgrades, and donor pipeline development.
• Strengthen engagement opportunities for members and supporters through thoughtful cultivation and stewardship initiatives.

Advancement Operations & Team Development

• Oversee advancement operations, including donor database strategy, reporting, and pipeline management.
• Lead continued optimization and refinement of the Museum’s Blackbaud environment following a recent institutional migration.
• Build, mentor, and cultivate a collaborative advancement team culture grounded in professionalism, responsiveness, and institutional alignment.
• Develop systems for prospect tracking, donor engagement, stewardship, and advancement reporting.
• Work collaboratively across departments to support institutional initiatives and ensure alignment between advancement and broader Museum operations.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will demonstrate:

• Significant experience in advancement, donor relations, membership, or institutional engagement within a museum, cultural institution, university, preservation organization, or related nonprofit environment.
• Strong relationship-building skills and comfort engaging with high-level donors, members, trustees, and community stakeholders.
• Experience managing donor pipelines, stewardship strategies, and advancement systems.
• Familiarity with Blackbaud or comparable donor management platforms.
• Excellent organizational, communication, and strategic planning skills.
• A collaborative, emotionally intelligent, and institution-minded leadership style.
• Comfort working within a highly collaborative environment where fundraising and donor engagement are shared across senior leadership.
• Strong professional judgment, diplomacy, and discretion.
• Interest in history, culture, preservation, design, civic dialogue, or related intellectual and cultural fields.

The Museum seeks a leader who is entrepreneurial, thoughtful, and excited by the opportunity to help shape a growing advancement function within an institution entering a dynamic phase of strategic and philanthropic growth.

Compensation

Salary: Approximately $110,000-$150,000, commensurate with experience.

Comprehensive benefits package included.

To Apply

Please submit a résumé and cover letter describing your interest in the position and your approach to institutional advancement and donor engagement within a cultural organization.