The Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art (YSMA), a unit of the Pan-Atlantic University, operates as an art museum with a dual commitment to serving both the university and the broader community. To realize its ambitious educational objectives, the museum, through its Advancement and Grants Office, is actively engaged in fundraising initiatives to secure the necessary funds. The YSMA is currently seeking an energetic and experienced Advancement & Grants Officer (AGO) to spearhead the development, implementation, and management of the museum's fundraising and grants strategy.

We are seeking a skilled fundraiser capable of securing the funding required to make a meaningful impact on audiences through educational programs, exhibitions, and the sustained operation of the museum on a day-to-day basis. The AGO will support creative partnerships and grow brand identity in support of the mission-based goals of the YSMA. The successful candidate will assume a pivotal role within the museum's senior leadership team, contributing a distinctive blend of energy, creativity, and strategic thinking to the expansion of the museum's support base through fundraising and development efforts. The AGO will frequently represent the museum at both internal and external networking events, fostering existing and new donor relationships and stepping in for the Museum Director as needed.

This position operates on a hybrid model, requiring the AGO to be physically present at the museum on certain days of the week and work remotely for the remainder.

RESPONSIBILITIES

As the AGO, reporting directly to the Museum Director, you will be responsible for three main areas:

GRANTS: Your duties will involve the preparation, submission, and follow-up of grant applications on behalf of the museum,

INDIVIDUAL DONORS: Your role includes promoting, expanding, and overseeing the Friends of the YSMA Scheme. The primary objective is to establish a dynamic and sustainable membership scheme that not only generates revenue but also cultivates a sense of community and support for the art museum among its members.

SPONSORSHIPS: Your task is to secure sponsorships from corporate organizations. Your overarching goal in this capacity is to develop and maintain robust relationships with corporate sponsors, ensuring financial support that aids the art museum in achieving its mission and objectives.

Further details regarding the specific responsibilities for each of these three areas are outlined below:

GRANTS

1. Planning and overseeing a comprehensive annual calendar for grant proposals and reporting.
2. Creating and submitting grant applications to individuals, private foundations, corporations, and agencies.
3. Developing supporting materials for all grant applications.
4. Identifying, nurturing, soliciting, and managing relationships with institutional funders in alignment with their guidelines, deadlines, and established best practices.
5. Producing grant reports, attachments, corporate partnership proposals, presentations, stewardship reports, and other relevant grant-related correspondence.
6. Ensuring compliance with grant awards, monitoring the proper utilization of funds according to funder requirements. Preparing and submitting necessary grant reports as stipulated by the funding entity.

FRIENDS OF THE MUSEUM

1. Developing and formulating the museum's membership strategy through the implementation of a membership scheme (Friends of the YSMA) that aligns with the museum's objectives and resonates with a diverse audience.
2. Coordinating membership recruitment campaigns and events.
3. Collaborating with the communications officer to create promotional materials, campaigns, and online/social media initiatives.
4. Creating and enhancing membership benefits to make the program attractive and valuable for members.
5. Handling the processing of new memberships and renewals, including the billing and collection of annual membership dues. Coordinating communications to members for new, renewed, and lapsed memberships.
6. Overseeing member benefits and ensuring the prompt and accurate acknowledgment and fulfillment of benefits.
7. Developing and executing strategies to retain existing members, including renewal campaigns, member appreciation events, and targeted communication.
8. Maintaining membership database records and generating monthly reports on the current status of memberships.
9. Implementing mechanisms to collect feedback from members, facilitating continuous improvement of the membership scheme. Utilizing feedback to adjust benefits, communications, and the overall structure of the scheme.

CORPORATE SPONSORSHIPS

1. Identifying potential corporate sponsors that align with the museum's mission and values.
2. Cultivating and fostering relationships with corporate representatives to establish a meaningful connection between the museum and potential sponsors.
3. Attending networking events and industry functions to meet and engage with potential sponsors.
4. Developing compelling sponsorship proposals that align with the interests and goals of each corporate sponsor, outlining the benefits of partnering with the museum.
5. Negotiating sponsorship terms, including financial contributions, in-kind support, and other mutually beneficial arrangements.
6. Providing excellent stewardship to current corporate sponsors, ensuring they feel valued and engaged with the museum. This involves regularly communicating updates, achievements, and the impact of their support.
7. Collaborating with event planners to organize special events and functions that offer networking opportunities for sponsors, ensuring they receive exclusive access or benefits at museum events.
8. Working with the communications officer to ensure proper recognition of corporate sponsors through various channels, such as signage, publications, and events.
9. Providing regular reports to sponsors detailing the impact of their support and how funds are utilized.
10. Working closely with the finance team to manage and track the budget associated with corporate sponsorships, ensuring funds are allocated appropriately and used efficiently.

QUALIFICATIONS

The ideal candidate will bring most of the following qualifications and skill sets:

1. A bachelor's degree in a relevant field such as arts administration, nonprofit management, business, marketing, or a related discipline will be preferred.
2. Experience in donor cultivation, stewardship, and relationship management, with a proven success in developing and implementing fundraising strategies. Experience with a museum, cultural institution, non-for-profit organization, or higher education institution would be an advantage.
3. Familiarity with various grant-making entities and their application processes.
4. Strong grant writing and proposal development skills, including the ability to articulate the museum's mission and goals persuasively.
5. Excellent written and verbal communication skills to effectively convey the museum's mission and fundraising needs to diverse audiences. Ability to prepare compelling proposals, reports, and other communication materials.
6. Strong networking and relationship-building skills to connect with potential donors, sponsors, and grant-making organizations. Comfortable representing the museum at events, meetings, and public forums.
7. Strong organizational and project management skills to handle multiple tasks and deadlines effectively.
8. Capacity to give attention to detail in managing donor databases, grant calendars, and other administrative aspects.
9. Ethical Conduct with a deep understanding of ethical fundraising practices and compliance with relevant laws and regulations in the nonprofit sector.
10. A genuine passion for and understanding of the arts, cultural institutions, and the mission of the museum is essential, as is the capacity to cultivate relationships with a broad support base.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

The YSMA aims to provide the AGO with a compensation structure that combines stability and performance incentives. The compensation package will consist of a fixed component along with performance bonuses tied to fundraising outcomes. Bonuses will be granted semi-annually upon the achievement of quantifiable and transparent performance targets, ensuring objectivity, and eliminating bias.

The AGO will be employed by Pan-Atlantic University, and the terms of employment will align with those applicable to other university employees. The appointment as AGO will be considered probationary until the successful completion of an active employment period lasting 6 months.

APPLICATION

To be considered for this opportunity, please send a letter of interest, and resume to:

Mr. Michael Oseghale at moseghale@pau.edu.ng