Description
The Director of Development (“DOD”) will join Neighborhood Music School at an unusually exciting moment in its 115-year history. NMS is financially strong and poised forsignificant growth in both its reach and impact. The School is developing plans to expand its community partnerships and programming while exploring a significant expansion of its physical campus. A capital campaign is already beginning to take shape around this vision.
NMS has a strong fundraising foundation, including an annual fund that consistently raises approximately $400,000–$500,000, longstanding relationships with individual and institutional supporters, and significant untapped philanthropic potential. What NMS has not had in recent years is a dedicated senior development professional with the time and expertise to bring these assets together into a comprehensive fundraising program.
Working in close partnership with Executive Director Noah Bloom, the Board of Directors, and a highly collaborative Administrative Leadership Team, the DOD will build theinfrastructure and relationships necessary to significantly grow contributed revenue. Over time, success will mean that development is no longer something held primarily by
the Executive Director, but an organizational capacity shared by a skilled development function, an engaged Board, and a leadership team that plays a vital role in philanthropy.
For a development leader energized by building, this is a rare opportunity to join a beloved, financially healthy institution with strong leadership, significant unrealized philanthropic potential, and big ideas about what’s next.
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Requirements
Required Skills and Experience
- Demonstrated success developing and implementing fundraising strategies that have resulted in meaningful growth in contributed revenue.
- Skilled at building and/or strengthening the systems, tools, and processes necessary for an effective development operation, including donor and prospect management, and CRM systems.
- Growing an annual giving program over multiple years.
- Success cultivating, soliciting, and closing five-figure individual gifts, with experience managing relationships across the full donor cycle.
- Meaningful experience working within a capital or comprehensive campaign, including campaign readiness and planning, feasibility, prospect development, case development, major gifts, and campaign execution.
- Experience with foundation and institutional fundraising, including prospect identification, grant management, reporting, and relationship stewardship.
- A record of developing corporate and business partnerships and securing government and public-sector funding.
- Demonstrated ability to partner effectively with an Executive Director and Board, independently driving the development work while organizing and leveraging the time, expertise, relationships, and involvement of both.
- Motivated to become an integral part of an organization and its community, building the relationships and understanding needed to fundraise for its mission with authenticity and credibility.
- Experience collaborating with and contributing to a larger leadership team to support overall organizational health and strategy.
- Commitment to equity and inclusion, and a desire to be part of fostering an anti-bias anti-racist culture.
Preferred Skills and Experience
- A background in fundraising within the arts, arts education, creative youth development, education, or community-centered organization.
- Familiarity with the philanthropic landscape of New Haven and/or CT.
- A personal connection to the arts and an understanding of their capacity to foster learning, creativity, human connection, and community.
- A degree is welcomed but not required.
