Associate Curator Jobs in Goleta, CA (NOW HIRING)

Since 1941, the Santa Barbara Museum of Art (SBMA) has brought art into the lives of our community through a permanent collection of more than 26,000 objects spanning American art, Asian art, photography, and works on paper, alongside a dynamic calendar of world‑class exhibitions. Each year, our education programs reach approximately 25,000 students and teachers across the region, connecting young people to art, often for the first time. Guided by our mission to integrate art into the lives of people, SBMA serves as a vital cultural resource for Santa Barbara County and beyond, offering meaningful engagement with art, ideas, and community for visitors of all ages and backgrounds.

SBMA seeks an accomplished and relationship-driven Associate Director, Individual Giving to help build a vibrant, data informed fundraising program within our newly restructured Advancement Department. With fundraising goals of $4M - $5M each year, this senior position offers an exciting opportunity to shape and lead a comprehensive individual giving program at one of California’s distinguished cultural institutions. The Associate Director will drive the strategy, performance and growth of individual philanthropic revenue spanning major gifts, planned giving, annual giving, membership, donor stewardship, and events.

Reporting to the Director of Institutional Advancement, the Associate Director, Individual Giving will manage a portfolio of donors and prospects, supervise a talented team, and partner closely with Museum leadership, trustees, curators, and colleagues throughout the organization. The successful candidate will be a strategic fundraiser, skilled relationship builder, collaborative manager, and enthusiastic advocate for the role that art and museums play in their communities.

The Associate Director will lead the Museum’s individual giving strategy and help donors connect their philanthropic interests with exhibitions, collections, education programs, curatorial priorities, and long‑term institutional goals.

• Oversee a portfolio of donors and prospects giving $2,500 or more annually, with an anticipated future focus on donors and prospects at the $10,000 - $25,000+ level.
• Generate $1 million or more in annual contributed support through major gifts, leadership annual giving, renewals, upgrades, special initiatives, and planned giving conversations.
• Develop personalized cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies for donors and prospects.
• Establish and expand the Museum’s planned giving program, including legacy society outreach, donor recognition, and estate gift stewardship and administration.
• Lead the Museum’s individual donor stewardship strategy.
• Strengthen the donor pipeline from membership and annual giving through mid-level, major, planned, and principal gifts.
• Supervise staff responsible for annual giving, membership, events, and support groups.
• Provide leadership and support to the Museum’s Development Committee and engage trustees in fundraising efforts.
• Partner with Finance and Advancement Services on endowment stewardship, restricted‑gift reporting, donor records, revenue forecasting, and compliance.
• Ensure that the Advancement Department provides meaningful engagement opportunities that support fundraising goals.

We're a mid‑sized, ambitious museum with a big‑city cultural footprint and a close‑knit, collaborative team—the kind of place where a talented fundraiser can make a visible, lasting impact. If you're energized by connecting donors to a mission that changes lives through art, we'd love to meet you.

• 5 - 10 years of progressively responsible experience in nonprofit fundraising and donor cultivation with expertise in Major & Planned Giving, Annual Fund & Membership, and Events.
• Demonstrated success personally cultivating, soliciting, closing, and stewarding major gifts.
• Experience managing donor portfolios, fundraising pipelines, moves management, and individualized donor strategies.
• Experience supervising employees, establishing goals, managing performance, and developing collaborative teams.
• Strong knowledge of major gifts, planned giving, annual giving, membership, donor stewardship and events.
• Experience with planned giving, endowment stewardship, board or development committees, donor events, support groups, museums, arts organizations, higher education, or other sophisticated nonprofit environments are highly desirable.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including experience preparing proposals, donor correspondence, briefings, reports, and presentations.
• Sound judgment, discretion, emotional intelligence, and the ability to manage confidential information.
• Strong organizational and project‑management skills, with the ability to balance multiple donors, deadlines, events, programs, and institutional priorities.
• Proficiency with donor databases (preferably Raisers Edge), Microsoft Office, reporting tools, and related technology.
• A bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education, training, and professional experience.
  

• Build relationships with engaged donors, trustees, artists, scholars, and community leaders.
• Work closely with curators and senior leadership to advance compelling institutional priorities.
• Help shape the future of the Museum’s major and planned giving programs.
• Lead and establish a team while developing new fundraising strategies and donor experiences.
• Live and work in Santa Barbara, a community known for its cultural resources, natural beauty, and exceptional quality of life.
  

• Reports to the Director of Institutional Advancement
• Schedule is full time, exempt with some nights and weekend commitments
• Compensation: $102,750 - $132,750
• Full Time Status provides competitive and comprehensive benefits offerings including eligibility for medical, dental, vision, pre‑tax savings, long term disability, life insurance plans, and more. Accrued vacation up to 15 days in first two years of service, 64 hours of paid sick leave reissued annually, and 13 paid holidays (14 on Federal election years). 403b eligibility with a Museum match up to 5% of your earnings after a year of service, SB BikeSpot membership, and working in beautiful downtown Santa Barbara.
• Primarily on‑site, with occasional local, regional, or donor‑related travel
• Successful Background Check is required
• Applications will be reviewed as received. The position will remain open until filled.

Santa Barbara Museum of Art

1130 State Street

Santa Barbara, CA 93101

The Santa Barbara Museum of Art is an equal opportunity employer committed to maintaining a workplace free from discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. Employment decisions are based on qualifications, merit, business needs, and institutional priorities. The Museum complies with all applicable federal, state, and local employment laws. Reasonable accommodations are available to qualified individuals with disabilities throughout the application and employment process.