National Museum of Asian Art announces Allison Chance as its new Chief Advancement Officer

WASHINGTON, DC.- The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art today announced Allison Fleming Chance as its next chief advancement officer (CAO). Chance joins the museum from the U.S. Soccer Federation, where she was the vice president of individual giving. She brings more than two decades fundraising and leadership experience at major arts and cultural institutions, including the Smithsonian.

Chance previously served as a major gifts officer from 2012 to 2015 at the Institution’s central advancement office during its $1.5 billion comprehensive campaign. At the National Museum of Asian Art, Chance will help advance the museum’s Second Century Campaign, which focuses on building support to expand the museum’s impact as a global leader in understanding the arts, cultures and societies of Asia and their intersections with the United States.

Chance will lead the museum’s advancement team and its philanthropic strategy, overseeing individual giving, membership, institutional support, major gifts and campaign efforts.

“Allison is joining the museum at an exciting time,” said Chase F. Robinson, director of the National Museum of Asian Art. “As CAO she will bring not only her comprehensive advancement leadership experience and knowledge of Smithsonian-wide funding priorities, but also her deep understanding of building teams and aligning different perspectives. We enthusiastically welcome Allison back to the Smithsonian, where her bold, creative and collaborative approach will be crucial for driving our evolution as a museum in our second century.”

At the U.S. Soccer Federation, Chance drove sustainable growth with creative donor engagement initiatives, including her design and execution of a giving strategy to a $250 million campaign. She also built the federation’s first-ever individual giving team, developed new fundraising infrastructure and more than doubled annual individual giving revenue and donor households. Prior to the federation, as deputy director and chief development officer of the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, she modernized fundraising strategies and formed a development program that generated more than $17 million annually in contributed revenue.

Chance’s career is rich with museum experience. She started her career at the Brooks Museum of Art in Memphis and subsequently held advancement positions at the Corcoran Gallery of Art and The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C., and the Smithsonian’s central office. At the Smithsonian, she chaired the initiative to bring together advancement leaders from across its museums, research centers and the National Zoo to align strategy, share best practices and coordinate major gift efforts.

“Joining the National Museum of Asian Art, I feel that I’ve come full circle,” Chance said. “I was drawn to this museum—and back to the Smithsonian—for its constant commitment to finding new ways to connect and engage with audiences both at a local and global level. This drive parallels one of the central practices of advancement: to connect donors to an institution’s mission in tangible and relatable ways.”

Chance holds a bachelor’s degree in art history from the University of Memphis and completed continuing education in nonprofit fiscal management at George Washington University.

The National Museum of Asian Art’s Second Century Campaign is part of the Smithsonian Campaign for Our Shared Future. With new initiatives to expand virtual opportunities for cross-cultural connections, to train the next generations of scholars and to honor the cultural heritage of Asia and the United States, the museum strives to engage and inspire 21st-century audiences, globally and at home on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.