Director of Philanthropy
Job Title: Director of Philanthropy
FLSA Classification: Exempt; Full-Time Salary
Salary Grade/Level/Family/Range: Salary Range TBD
Reports to: Executive Director
Date created: August 25, 2022
Last revision: May 31, 2023
Summary/Objective:
The Director of Philanthropy serves to carry out and advance the mission of Ballet Arizona while overseeing all of the fundraising efforts and managing relationships with all of our current and future financial partners. This position will need a hands-on leader to manage a team of development professionals responsible for the maximization of contributed revenue from individuals, foundations, corporations, and government entities. This position will also include oversight and involvement with fundraising events, interacting with current and former donors to encourage ongoing contributions and seeking out opportunities for financial support through grants and sponsorships.
The Director of Philanthropy is responsible for building and managing effective, strategic, and collaborative development programs throughout the department. With respect to individual, foundation, and corporate donors, the Director will act as an account executive and facilitator for donor identification, cultivation and solicitation; they will also lead stewardship activities related to leading donor prospects. The Director will also have supervisory responsibility and management oversight for major and planned gifts, individual gifts, institutional giving and special events.
Central to developing, building and delivering the overall strategic direction of the Philanthropy department, this position will play a critical role in the overall relationship of Ballet Arizona to the community and will work closely with the Board, Executive Director and Artistic Director.
Essential Functions:
- Take the lead in solicitation of all major gifts.
- Implement and execute three-year and annual plans for the department through an iterative process that distributes ownership and responsibility across the team.
- In partnership with the executive director, direct all activities related to major campaigns and other fundraising initiatives.
- Develop and execute strategies and programs to identify and acquire new donors, retain and encourage greater participation and higher-level giving from existing and reactivate lapsed donors.
- Facilitate strong working relationships within the organization to support all fundraising opportunities.
- Plan and support the role of the Philanthropy Committee and other development-related task forces.
- Participate in strategic and operational planning with the Executive team to ensure that common objectives are met.
- Maintain the cohesion, effectiveness and efficiency of the team.
- Ensure business processes are in place for efficient donor/grant/event, etc. tracking. Processes should promote data and audit integrity, especially for restricted donations and endowments.
- Be knowledgeable about gift processing and acknowledgment practices and assist in assuring that Ballet Arizona carry out these processes at the highest level of standards.
- Maintain a recognition and stewardship program for donors to the organization.
- Ensure the ethical handling of all confidential donor and prospect information.
- Regularly audit development department activities to ensure goals are being met and necessary improvements made.
- Create and prepare correspondence, proposals, promotional pieces, articles, and other printed material in support of all fundraising initiatives.
- Perform other related duties as assigned.
Competencies
- Must demonstrate excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Must possess a high level of digital literacy, be proficient in Microsoft Office applications, and be comfortable working with databases.
- Must possess strong project management skills including planning, organizing, prioritizing, implementing, and evaluating.
- Must demonstrate a high-degree of integrity, dependability, accountability, and global fluency.
- Must demonstrate entrepreneurial leadership, problem-solving and critical thinking skills, and ability to excel in a fast-paced, high-performance culture.
- Meticulous attention to detail and strong organizational and analytical skills.
- Must be a strong collaborator and a team player.
- Must possess strong staff management skills and the ability to function well as a leader and coach.
Supervisory responsibilities
This position directly manages the Events & Operations Manager, Annual Fund Manager, Corporate & Foundation Manager, Annual Fund Coordinator, and the Philanthropy Assistant.
Work environment
- Work is conducted primarily in an office setting and at partner sites in the community. Event support at the main office location and at external event sites is required.
- Some weekends, nights, or on-call work are required.
Physical demands
- Physical requirements include sitting for long periods of time and heavy computer usage.
- Light physical effort is required – must be able to lift up to 20 pounds.
Travel required
- Travel to and from external event sites (within Maricopa County) is required.
- Must be willing and able to commute to and from the office and event sites on a regular basis.
Required education and experience
- Bachelor’s degree in a related field
- 5 years of successful experience in fundraising and relationship building at a senior level
- Demonstrated record of accomplishment in managing significant contributed revenue programs
- Experience and proficiency in working with integrated fundraising/ticketing databases
Preferred education and experience
- CFRE preferred
- Preference for candidates who have led departments that successfully raised a minimum of $3M annually
- Proficiency in Spanish desirable
- Experience with Tessitura strongly preferred
- Experience working in the arts and/or with artists is preferred
How To Apply:
Qualified applicants can apply at www.balletaz.org or may submit a letter of interest, resume and contact information to Human Resources via e-mail to HR@balletaz.org. Please note that NO telephone calls will be accepted.
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