Position Summary:
Georgia Symphony Orchestra seeks, for immediate hire, a Director of Development to join our team. This new role for the organization will work closely with the Executive Director, marketing team and Board of Directors to expand and strengthen our donor base as well as develop new relationships for corporate and foundation support. This role presents a unique opportunity to significantly impact the organization’s mission to break down access barriers to ensure that the transformative power of music serves all members of our community.
About the Organization:
The Georgia Symphony Orchestra (GSO) has been part of the cultural landscape of Marietta and metro-Atlanta for over 74 years. With comprehensive programming for music lovers of all ages and genres, the GSO creates impact far beyond the concert hall through innovative and engaging performances, world-class educational programs, and intentional community engagement.
Key Responsibilities:
Donor Relationship Management
- Build and nurture new and existing long-term relationships with individual donors and key supporters.
- Maintain regular and appropriate communication with a portfolio of donors.
- Determine the cadence and style of engagement, including regular email communications, phone calls, donor visits, and presentations. (expectation of 10 - 15 touch points per week)
- Execute these communications with support from the marketing team, Box Office Manager, Board of Directors and Executive Director, ensuring consistency of messaging and branding.
- Send gift acknowledgments and thank you notes to donors as assigned
- Manage a portfolio of donors.
- Update and keep accurate donor records.
- Schedule 5-10 meetings per month
- Track and record all donor prospect interaction activity
- Implement programs to renew, retain, and grow annual gifts.
- Identify, qualify, cultivate, and solicit new annual gift prospects
- Develop donor progress reports for the Executive Director and Board of Directors
- Showcase impeccable customer service and the ability to positively engage with a variety of audiences.
Partnership Development
- Cultivate relationships with corporate, private foundation, government and community partners
- Secure and support meetings with potential funders, providing talking points, presentations, and materials as needed.
- Collaborate with the executive team to develop effective strategies to solicit and steward sponsorships and partnerships.
- Manage a portfolio of outside partners.
- Update and keep accurate records
- Schedule 5-10 meetings per month
- Update marketing team on developments with sponsors and partners
- Maintain regular and appropriate contact with sponsors and partners
Fundraising Strategy
- Collaborate with the executive team to create and implement effective strategies to increase annual giving, corporate sponsorships and fundraising.
- Contribute as needed to grant applications.
- Support fundraising event planning from concept to execution.
- Collaborate with the executive team to develop annual giving priorities and the associated collateral as needed.
- Support annual fundraising campaigns (EOY, EOFY, Board Match) from concept to execution.
Operational Support
- Identify and collaborate with the marketing team on monthly partners and donors available to feature their stories/testimonials in our social media and newsletters.
- Assist with development and marketing projects including donor research, marketing research, grants writing and support, and maintenance of email marketing and fundraising database systems.
- Assist in planning and executing an annual development, communications, and marketing calendar, and multiple giving campaigns and donor appreciation events throughout the season.
- Assist in creating sponsorship packages and proposals to attract corporate donors and sponsors, and in soliciting those donors and sponsors.
- Facilitate internal communication about donor engagement efforts to keep the Executive team and Board of Directors informed and aligned.
- Help streamline and improve internal systems and platforms to improve the efficiency and scalability of fundraising operations.
- Create documentation of processes and administrative operations.
The Successful Candidate:
The ideal candidate is a passionate, energetic, results-driven professional with a strong sense of community and a deep commitment to the arts. They will be experienced in cultivating and managing relationships with individual and institutional donors and have a strategic mindset.
While no candidate will possess every quality, we are seeking someone who possesses many of the following attributes:
- Strong Leadership and Organizational Skills: organized, capable of managing multiple projects at once, and able to galvanize teams to accomplish stated goals
- Exceptional Communicator: excels in written, spoken, and visual communication, viewing good communication as storytelling to drive meaningful connections. Comfortable with presenting to leadership, key stakeholders, investors, and others.
- Enjoys collaboration: employs a collaborative approach and demonstrates exceptional listening skills, emotional intelligence, and the ability to work well both independently and with diverse teams
- Interested in GSO’s Mission and Field of Work: possess authentic interest in the the creative arts
- Flexible and Adaptable: comfortable with ambiguity, able to balance competing priorities, learns on-the-go in a fast-paced environment, maintains a growth mindset
- Creative Problem-Solver: exhibits creative problem-solving skills and the ability to think innovatively to overcome challenges while translating ideas into concrete actions and measurable outcomes.
- Exceptional Project Management Abilities: Proven experience in planning, coordinating, and executing projects from start to finish. Capable of managing all aspects of fundraising efforts, including ideation, implementation, and follow-through.
- Lean Mindset: able to be creative and execute ideas on a restricted budget
- Results-Oriented: able to execute strategies effectively, deliver intended results on time, and show the impact/results
- Holds a College Degree: graduated with a higher education degree or show us why your experience is enough
- Experienced with a wide range of software tools, including Canva for design, Google Suite for collaboration, Asana for project management, and Salesforce to manage donor records, track engagement, and generate reports.
- Sense of humor
- Strong interpersonal skills
Salary
$48,300-$50,500 total compensation based on experience.
Work Environment:
- Full-time position
- Flexible, hybrid. This position requires frequent local travel for client meetings and corporate development.
- Available to work some nights and weekends in support of performance schedule
- Reports to the Executive Director
Benefits:
- Flexible paid time off (10 days PTO per year)
- Nurturing collaborative environment
- Up to $4,800 healthcare reimbursement benefit
- Up to $500 in Professional Development opportunities
Timeline: For immediate hire.
