News

 Director of Development

The Wendell Gilley Museum in Southwest Harbor, Maine, is seeking a full-time Director of Development to support annual and project-based fundraising in a busy, year-round museum on the “quiet side” of Mount Desert Island (MDI), Maine that has the goal of bringing people closer to nature through art.

Founded in 1979, the Museum’s mission is to inspire artistic creativity and engagement with the natural world on Mount Desert Island and Downeast Maine for current and future generations through education, exhibitions, and programs, while honoring the legacy of noted bird carver Wendell Gilley.

The Development Director will oversee the organization’s fundraising, cultivation, and development, managing new and developing relationships with current and future donors. Duties include planning fundraising events, interacting with donors past and present to encourage ongoing contributions, and seeking out opportunities for financial support through grants and sponsorships.

This is a largely in-person position with some ability to work remotely from time to time. There is an expectation of attendance at many after-hours events, primarily but not exclusively on MDI with potential donors.  While the Gilley Museum remains open year-round, the bulk of donor interactions and events take place during the summer months.

Duties include:

• Develop and implement a comprehensive fundraising plan to meet the organization’s annual and project-based revenue goals.
• Identify and cultivate major gift prospects, as well as corporate and foundation donors.
• Plan and execute special events as part of a team that engage donors and raise funds for the organization.
• Collaborate with the Communications team to develop and execute effective donor communications and marketing materials.
• Work closely with the Board of Directors and Executive Director to develop fundraising strategies and goals.
• Lead fundraising committee of the Board providing organization, accountability, training, and inspiration.
• Oversee tracking of events, donors and acknowledgments with the Museum’s Little Green Light database.
• Monitor and analyze fundraising data to evaluate performance and adjust strategies as needed.

Preferred qualifications include:

• Bachelor’s degree in nonprofit management, business administration, or a related field.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in nonprofit fundraising, with a proven track record of success in major gifts, corporate and foundation giving, and special events.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to write compelling donor communications and marketing materials.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with colleagues, board members, and volunteers.
• Experience with fundraising software and donor databases including Little Green Light
• A deep commitment to the mission and values of our organization.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office (Excel, Google business suite)

This position reports directly to the Director of the Wendell Gilley Museum and joins a team of four full-time staff and eleven part-time/seasonal staff. Be part of our collaborative, community-focused workplace committed to connecting people, nature and art. Salary range is $55,000 - $60,000 commensurate with experience, plus benefits.

Equal Opportunity Employer. Apply with cover letter and resume to: director@wendellgilleymuseum.org, with Director of Development in the subject line. Please direct inquiries to the same email address.

Office Manager

General Description:

The Office Manager is responsible for supporting the administrative and financial operations of the Wendell Gilley Museum.  This position is an integral part of a small team that works hard to keep the Museum vibrant and sustainable for our community. This is a full-time, exempt position.

Responsibilities:

• Record and pay invoices/bills in a timely manner, daily close of the museum’s point of sale system and posting to QuickBooks, routine reconciliation of the museum’s donor database system to QuickBooks, depositing checks and/or cash in a timely manner.
• Coordinate the annual budget process: prepare budget sheet in fall, answer budget inquiries and provide relevant information,
• Manage the museum’s internal calendar of project deadlines and meetings. Schedule meetings (in-person and online) and manage communications around these including preparation of agendas and meeting minutes.
• Other administrative duties include answering phones, processing daily mail, ordering supplies, and assisting the Director with routine communications.
• Assist with museum with events.
• Work some nights and weekend days.

Qualifications:

• Knowledge of, and experience with, QuickBooks and basic bookkeeping.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office products including Word and Excel.
• Prior nonprofit experience is beneficial.
• Familiarity with fundraising databases.
• Initiative, and the ability to work independently and with little supervision.
• Ability to organize and prioritize work; excellent time management skills.
• A sense of humor and a positive attitude. Ability to work well as part of a team.
• Good communication skills (speaking & written).

Compensation and benefits:

Salary is $40,000. Benefits include a flexible schedule (off-season) and possibility to conduct some work remotely, and generous vacation time. Full time, exempt employees are eligible for a QSEHRA healthcare reimbursement plan which covers premiums for certain healthcare plans as well as reimbursement of medical, dental, and vision costs up to a set limit each year. 

To Apply:

Send a current resume, the names of three references, and a cover letter that expresses your interest in the position to director@wendellgilleymuseum.org.

 EOE.

The Wendell Gilley Museum celebrates the work of individuals and believes that there is an artist in each of us. Our core values—which promote people, nature, art—recognize the need for diverse views, skills, perspectives. WGM warmly welcomes all people as visitors, supporters, employees, and Board members. We seek to be open, fair and inclusive in all of our activities.

Matinicus folk artist David Sears — carver, painter and multimedia artist — has been beset by the elements and a ferry in need of repair. Unfortunately, he cannot get from Matinicus Island, where he lives in the summer, to the mainland to join the Wendell Gilley Museum as planned on July 29 for the People-Nature-Art series. His program is rescheduled for March of 2026 and there will be no People-Nature-Art program on July 29 as previously planned.

People-Nature-Art continues in August with sculptor David Smus on Aug. 12. Join in person or online. Sign up at www.wendellgilleymuseum.org/calendar

Due to the popularity the new Carving and Woodburning a Bird for Beginners workshop, the Gilley is adding two additional sessions of the class over the holiday weekend. Join us Saturday, July 5 from 10:30am to 12:30pm or from 1:30pm to 3:30pm to learn basic skills in wood carving and woodburning in this two-hour class and create a small piece of avian art you can finish during the workshop and take home with you. Registration is required and class sizes are limited. Participants must be at least 11 years old.

For the morning class, sign up HERE.          For the afternoon class, sign up HERE.

The Museum’s 2025 Winter Session ends Saturday, May 3 at 4pm and with it, two exhibits close – Dan Miller: Going with the Grain, a collection of woodblock prints featuring birds and landscapes by the 96-year-old artist who summers in Corea; and Alley’s Avian Art, a collection of all nine of Islesford painter Rick Alley’s winning depictions of seabirds in their natural habitat which won the prestigious Maine Duck Stamp Contest (more than any other painter in the award’s history.)

The Gilley is open Tuesday night from 6 to 8pm for the April People-Nature-Art reception and presentation by Peggy Clark Lumpkins, and on Friday and Saturday from 10am to 4pm. The we will be closed until Wednesday, May 28 when we reopen with hours Tuesday through Saturday from 10am to 4pm.

Come see this art before it is gone from the Gilley; then plan to come back for the next special exhibit, “Birds in Art,” a traveling show from the vaunted exhibit at the Lee Yawkey Woodson Museum.

The classes scheduled for March 29 have been canceled but the Gilley is still open for visitors. Come visit and see the special exhibit of Dan Miller’s spectacular woodblock prints; the Maine Duck Stamp winning paintings by Islesford painter and lobsterman Rick Alley, Jr.; carvings by Wendell Gilley, Elmer Crowell, Hank Tyler, Steve Valleau, and more. We’re open 10am to 4pm and hope to see you soon.

The Museum is open two days each week, Fridays and Saturdays,
from 10am-4pm, with People-Nature-Art programs one Tuesday night each month and some workshops on other days or evenings.

The Winter Session runs from Jan. 10, 2025 through May 3, 2025, open from 10am to 4pm on Fridays and Saturdays with People-Nature-Art programs one Tuesday night each month and some workshops on other days or evenings.

If you are not a member but would like to have membership benefits, including reduced prices on workshops and unlimited free admission to the Gilley, you can purchase a Winter Membership for $30. In May, if you decide to convert it into a full membership, the $30 will be deducted from the membership you choose.
For more information or to buy a Winter Membership for yourself or someone else, contact Office Manager Jane Holland.

Following a terrific 2024 season, the Wendell Gilley Museum is closed until Friday, January 10, 2025 when the Museum’s Winter Session begins. Our People-Nature-Art series continues to happen one Tuesday night every month throughout the year, and we’ll be offering workshops in: carving, painting (including Paint ‘n’ Sips), haiku writing, printmaking and more. To sign up, go to the Calendar above and click on the link to the workshop you’d like to attend. Or leave us a message at 207-244-7555. Warm wishes and a happy new year to all of you from all of us here at the Gilley.