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.

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.

Bar Harbor artist Amy Pollien kicks off the 2025 People-Nature-Art series at the Gilley. Her work is based on close observation of local plants, wildlife, and geology, as well as weather, time of day, and season. These elements are combined based on a consistent interval, or module, of closed forms and a limited color palette. Her goal is to make a cohesive impression of the nearly overwhelming detail of her visual experience at a particular place and point in time. Look for trout swirling around a vase of dahlias at Echo Lake in the image here. And join us to discover more about this artist and her work. There will be a 6pm artist's reception followed by a 7pm program that will be simultaneously livecast on Zoom. All are free, but registration is required.

People-Nature-Art is a monthly series that brings artists, writers, carvers, and creative types of all kinds to the Gilley to explore how nature and art interact in their work, and how their art impacts their own approach to nature.

Paint Maine’s state bird, the Chickadee, on a snowy branch in this first Paint ‘n’ Sip of the new year, with instructor Erika Rosso. She will guide students step by step through the process, explaining each step along the way.

Sip on wine, tea or seltzer as part of this adults-only class, which is suitable for artists of all levels who are at least 21 years old. All materials and beverages provided.