Position Description

Classical Theater of Harlem (CTH)
Director of Development (Full Time / 75k annual plus benefits)

Organization

Since its founding in 1999, CTH has presented a repertory of works ranging from traditional classical playwrights (Anton Chekhov, Euripides, and William Shakespeare), to established 20th century playwrights (August Wilson, Langston Hughes, and Jean Genet), to new plays by emerging playwrights.

In addition to its productions, CTH proudly provides theatre-based training and live theatre experiences to Harlem youth and their families through its arts education program: Project Classics. It also engages in robust, theatre-related programming, which include Future Classics, Playwrights’ Playground, and Revisited Classics. These free reading series act as a way to engage new audiences, invest in the artistic development of new work, and give exposure to emerging professional playwrights.

Revenues: $1.5  million

Classical Theater of Harlem (CTH)

Reporting to and in partnership with the Executive Director (ED), the Development Director (Director) will spearhead development efforts as CTH continues to grow. The Director will have the opportunity to build the development function in a manner that advances the mission and strategy of CTH.  CTH seeks to hire a Director of Development (“Director”) as a senior member of the staff team. The Director will provide strong vision, leadership, and direction on effective strategies for meeting CTH’s annual revenue goals and fulfilling its greater revenue potential. This individual will work closely with the CEO and the Board Chair to design fundraising approaches and identify, cultivate, solicit and steward individual, foundation and corporate donors.  The Director will be supported by an outstanding Development Manager and will be responsible for directly managing this individual. The candidate must have a flexible schedule, be prepared to join meetings and conference calls earlier and later than regular business hours – including some weekends – and be willing to travel as necessary.

Key Responsibilities

• Work with the CEO and senior leadership to design, execute, manage and evaluate a comprehensive fundraising strategy.
• Develop and deepen relationships with foundation and corporate prospects and partners, and expand Classical Theater of Harlem’s network of individual donors.
• Develop and implement a plan for major gifts.
• Manage and expand a portfolio of individual donors and prospects with the capacity to make annual contributions.
• Engage in face-to-face solicitations and other direct engagement with donors and prospects, and arrange and support engagement for the CEO.
• Develop goals, strategies, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship plans for each donor, ensuring that each one receives frequent personalized "touches."
• Draft donor correspondence, and maintain primary responsibility for developing messaging, talking points, proposals, and materials for development activity.
• Conduct prospect research and outreach.
• Produce major events.
• Prepare regular fundraising activity reports.
• Provide goals and projections to inform the annual budgeting process.
• Mentor and support a Development Staff
• Lead on special projects as determined by opportunity and need.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate has at least 5 years of professional experience that demonstrates a capacity to fundraise to cultivate our current donor base and generate new donors. This opportunity is perfect for someone with a relentless drive to deliver results and who thrives at building and sustaining meaningful relationships. The position requires a high-energy, detail-oriented, hard-working individual who can help set direction, execute on planned activities, and build deep and lasting relationships with donors and team members. The successful candidate will have a proven track record of success and will ideally bring a network of her/his own, as well as the ability to expand on CTH’s existing base.

• Bachelor’s degree.
• Demonstrated success in major gift solicitation.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with diverse constituencies, including board members, donors, and high net worth prospects.
• Connections and influence within the philanthropic community.
• Self-motivated strategic thinker with a proven record working independently and achieving results.
• Experience managing staff.
• Proactive approach to daily work, problem solving and long-term project implementation.
• Ability to work successfully in a collaborative environment and manage cross-organizational relationships.
• Ability to handle sensitive information about donors, team members, etc. with discretion and good judgment.
• Ability to work with a small and entrepreneurial professional staff; flexibility in supporting other staff as needed.
• High level of professionalism with excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work closely with staff as well as external partners.
• Vigilant attention to detail and demonstrated commitment to meeting high-quality standards.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Passion for the arts and the Harlem community.
• Computer literacy, including extensive knowledge of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Experience with donor database software.
• Friendly and outgoing personality, a sense of optimism and enthusiasm, and dedication to teamwork.

To Apply

Please Forward your resume to : [email protected]