Associate Director, Individual Giving and Events

About Theatre Development Fund

Theatre Development Fund, Inc. (“TDF”), a not-for-profit organization, founded in 1967 to promote the performing arts, is a broadly-oriented service and advocacy organization dedicated to bringing the power of the performing arts to everyone. TDF’s activities fall into three areas. TDF expands access, making the performing arts accessible to all by removing cultural, physical and financial barriers. TDF cultivates communities of theatergoers by engaging, educating and encouraging people to make the performing arts an essential part of their lives. TDF supports theatre makers and sustains creators, advancing the industry through convenings, research and the TDF Costume Collection. Through its programs, TDF brings theatre into the lives of over 2,000,000 people per year. TDF’s efforts are primarily focused in New York, but it has also been involved in audience development efforts for the performing arts across the United States and, on a limited basis, internationally.

In the five years leading up to COVID-19, TDF grew its fundraising department from three to six and increased contributed revenue by more than 50%, raising $3M annually. Coming out of the pandemic we are working diligently to return contributed revenue to pre-pandemic levels, with a focus on sustaining new donors who provided much needed emergency support during the shutdown.

About the Position

TDF’s Associate Director, Individual Giving and Events is a motivated, goal-driven, enthusiastic relationship builder who works closely with the Director of Development and the entire Development team to advance the organization’s philanthropic goals in order to support the company’s full array of initiatives. The Associate Director supervises the Individual Giving and Events Manager, and is responsible for leading Individual Giving and Events strategies and activities to achieve specific contributed revenue goals. The Associate Director also manages a portfolio of current and prospective individual donors giving between $1,000 and $25,000+ annually, with a strategic focus on portfolio upgrades and acquisition.

 The successful candidate will be a team leader and a strong supervisor who is able to prioritize assignments, work under pressure, balance an array of responsibilities and enjoy working on a team positioning itself for growth. The work for this position has the possibility of a hybrid schedule which is typically 35 hrs/week. Some evenings and weekends will be required. In this role, the right candidate will have full ownership of but not limited to the following:

• Manage a portfolio of current and prospective donors giving $1,000 to $25,000+ annually through all phases of the moves management cycle, with a strategic focus on portfolio growth to meet or exceed yearly revenue goals.
• Specific responsibilities include identification, cultivation, and stewardship of donors, development of personalized fundraising strategies, preparation of proposals, correspondence and other materials.
• Through effective management of the Individual Giving team, meet or exceed annual individual giving revenue and special event goals through the implementation of new gift strategies and communication plans, providing concierge-quality service to donors, and cultivating individual donor relationships.
• Supervise and oversee the growth and development of Individual Giving and Events Manager. Set revenue targets and other performance goals to ensure their success.
• Oversee planning of donor engagement events implemented by the Individual Giving and Events Manager, aiding them in their efforts.
• Support Director of Development in planning and implementing annual benefit.

About you:

• You are passionate about or have an interest in the performing arts and making it accessible to all

• You are an experienced fundraiser who enjoys making direct asks and is comfortable working with individual donors

• You are a creative thinker and problem solver who works well with others and has a desire to learn and implement new ideas

• You understand the importance of being able to effectively communicate, including being a good listener and writer; you are a strong proofreader and self-editor; you understand how to tell an organization’s story

• You are detail oriented with excellent time management and organizational skills

• You take initiative, are flexible and work well both independently, cross-departmentally, and with a team

• You lead by example and inspire coworkers and those you supervise to do their best work and hold themselves accountable

• You have a strong understanding of Word and Excel. Experience with Tessitura, Wordfly and iWave is a plus but not mandatory