The Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) Chicago offers exhibitions of the most thought-provoking art created since 1945.
The MCA documents contemporary visual culture through painting, sculpture, photography, video and film, and performance.
Located in the heart of downtown Chicago, the MCA boasts a gift store, bookstore, restaurant, 300-seat theater, and a terraced sculpture garden with a great view of Lake Michigan.

Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago

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operations

Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago is a prominent art institution located in Chicago, dedicated to showcasing contemporary artworks and hosting a variety of exhibitions, events, and educational programs. It features a diverse collection including significant donations and rotating exhibitions that highlight both local and international artists. The museum provides a platform for artistic expression and community engagement through tours, workshops, and performances, making it a vital part of Chicago's cultural landscape.

The Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) Chicago offers exhibitions of the most thought-provoking art created since 1945. The MCA documents contemporary visual culture through painting, sculpture, photography, video and film, and performance. Located in the heart of downtown Chicago, the MCA boasts a gift store, bookstore, restaurant, 300-seat theater, and a terraced sculpture garden with a great view of Lake Michigan.

• Ensure timely and accurate processing of all contributions and membership transactions; optimize online donor portals and payment workflows in collaboration with Finance/IT (including PCI considerations).
• Own data governance and documentation standards across all donor CRM’s including Raiser’s Edge and Tessitura: develop SOPs, business rules, data dictionaries, and audit trails aligned with industry best practices and applicable privacy regulations.
• Design and maintain data architecture (queries, imports/exports, segmentation, and custom variables) with rigorous QA, de-duplication, and scheduled data hygiene.
• Lead system enhancements and upgrades: translate fundraising needs into technical specifications, manage vendors, coordinate testing/UAT, and drive change management and user adoption.
• Partner with IT to ensure system reliability, access controls, integrations (e.g., ticketing, email marketing, financial systems), and SLAs; analyze and recommend enhancements to the Chief Development Officer (CDO).
• Gather requirements, develop specifications, and lead the documentation of new processes and procedures (gift acceptance policies, planned giving, etc.).
• Produce and quality-assure donor lists for invitations, mailings, and public recognition; maintain accurate pledge schedules and fulfillment tracking.
• Lead the MCA’s prospect research function; oversee wealth screening integration and assign research priorities in coordination with frontline fundraisers.
• Conduct in-depth research and prospect management analysis to identify, qualify, and track potential donors capable of making transformative gifts, ensuring alignment with fundraising strategies.
• Develop and synthesize reports, dashboards, and strategic insights to inform decision-making around gift prospects, driving pipeline development.
• Collaborate with the fundraising team to develop tailored strategies for managing and advancing relationships with high-capacity donors.
• Manage the portfolio process for the Pritzker Director, Deputy Directors, and CDO, leading focused research and prospect management initiatives related to trustees and other high-level stakeholders.
• Manage all incoming research requests from this group with particular attention to preparing them for direct solicitation and trustee engagement.
• Monitor economic and wealth trends to identify shifts impacting transformative philanthropy, and develop educational resources and training to help staff integrate these insights into prospecting, cultivation, and solicitation strategies.
• Develop and manage systems to track, evaluate, and advance donor pipeline activity and prospect movement.
• Ensure front-line fundraisers are trained in the pipeline process and utilize tools effectively.
• Uphold ethical standards and data privacy guidelines per APRA codes of conduct.
• In partnership with the Chief Development Officer, develop and deliver regular reports and dashboards related to revenue, campaign progress, and donor engagement.
• Extract, analyze, and maintain donor and prospect data within the donor database to create nuanced prospect profiles and inform cultivation strategies for gifts.
• Generate ad-hoc reports for Director’s Office and Development staff to inform strategy and performance tracking.
• Translate and contextualize data insights into actionable recommendations for fundraisers.
• Provide analysis of trends and KPIs to guide departmental planning, portfolio development, and goal setting.
• Lead and develop team members by fostering an inclusive, psychologically safe environment that encourages open, two-way feedback and continuous growth.
• Serve as a positive cultural ambassador across the museum, modeling behaviors that champion equity, collaboration, and respect.
• Drive accountability and clarity of expectations while overseeing day-to-day operations, special projects, and performance against key metrics.
• Actively engage in coaching and feedback to strengthen engagement, support professional development, and achieve organizational goals.
• Collaborate with frontline fundraisers to optimize internal workflows and reduce administrative burden.
• Lead database training for new Development staff and recommend continuing education tools.
• Recommend staff development opportunities to ensure team proficiency with fundraising systems and analytics.
• Serve as the primary liaison to Finance for revenue reconciliation and audit support; maintain documentation and controls.
• Track and manage the Development Operations budget; evaluate vendors and tools for ROI and cost-effectiveness.
• Monitor progress against financial forecasts, escalate risks and opportunities to the CDO, and recommend corrective actions.
• Act as the lead operations partner for all campaign-related data, research, and reporting.

Director of Development Operations

Director of Development Operations ensures operational excellence for philanthropic efforts. Managing systems and processes that support fundraising and campaign initiatives across the organization.

director

• We have an opening for a Director of Individual Giving who will play a pivotal role in advancing the MCA’s mission to inspire and educate through contemporary art by cultivating and securing transformative philanthropic relationships.
• This position oversees all aspects of individual giving, including contributions from Trustees and non-Trustees, and provides leadership to key support groups such as the Women’s Board, Emerge (a collecting group), and regional affiliate groups.
• The Director dedicates at least 60% of their time to face-to-face meetings and solicitations with prospects and donors, serving as a visible ambassador for the museum.
• Develop and implement comprehensive solicitation strategies for unrestricted, restricted, planned gifts, campaign gifts, multi-year commitments, and art acquisitions.
• Serve as the primary relationship manager for a portfolio of major gift prospects, creating written strategies, proposals, and maintaining accurate records in Raiser’s Edge.
• Drive donor pipeline development and moves management to secure multi-year commitments and deepen engagement.
• Increase awareness of major gifts among donor prospects and communicate the museum’s mission with passion and clarity.
• Maximize fundraising event revenue by developing donor-centric strategies, securing sponsorships, and leveraging event participation for cultivation and solicitation opportunities.
• Travel domestically and internationally to connect with donors at major art fairs and cultural events, creating unique engagement opportunities that deepen relationships and advance philanthropic support.
• Partner with the Stewardship Manager to operationalize the stewardship calendar: ensuring timely acknowledgements and tax receipts, benefit fulfillment, donor recognition, and impact reporting.
• Lead and develop team members by fostering an inclusive, psychologically safe environment that encourages open, two-way feedback and continuous growth.
• Actively engage in coaching and feedback to strengthen engagement, support professional development, and achieve organizational goals.
• Establish and track individual fundraising goals. 
• Collaborate with the Chief Development Officer (CDO) to set, monitor, and achieve contributed revenue and activity goals.

Director of Individual Giving

Director of Individual Giving advancing MCA’s mission through philanthropy. Overseeing all individual giving aspects and cultivating donor relationships in a dynamic museum environment.

manager

• Identify opportunities for corporate sponsorships, foundation grants, and government awards; maintain and update the annual proposal calendar.
• Project manage the grant writing process, including setting internal deadlines, collecting materials, and assisting with the development of grant budgets.
• Draft letters of intent (LOIs), proposals, evaluations, and reports, taking primary responsibility for requests and reports up to $25,000.
• Collaborate with the Director of Institutional Giving to set personal fundraising goals and remain accountable for achieving targets.
• Manage benefit fulfillment and retention materials for institutional donors.
• Oversee corporate partnership solicitations, including generating new and renewal lists, prospect rating, creating copy and supporting materials, scheduling meetings, and preparing gift acknowledgements.
• Solicit corporations for event sponsorships for major fundraising events such as Vernissage, Visionary Luncheon, and ArtEdge Gala.
• Maintain accurate records in the CRM/database for all institutional giving activities.
• Conduct research and prepare briefing documents for institutional donor meetings.
• Evaluate sponsorship opportunities, track requests and follow-up activity, and manage internal and external communications related to grants and sponsorship activations.
• Coordinate with Finance to calendar proposals and report budgets.
• Ensure institutional donor recognition is accurate and up to date across publications, materials, and web platforms.
• Serve as liaison to Visitor Experience for the Corporate Membership program.

Manager – Institutional Giving

Manager of Institutional Giving responsible for corporate, foundation, and government giving at MCA. Overseeing grant writing, donor relationships, and fundraising events to support the museum's mission.

Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago

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Director of Development Operations

Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago

Director of Individual Giving

Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago

Manager – Institutional Giving

Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago