Position Description: Director of Development, Stanford Live

Stanford Live is committed to sharing, celebrating, and advancing the art of live performance.

We unite acclaimed and emerging artists in music, dance and theater with the Stanford campus and Greater Bay Area communities in a broad range of experiences we have designed to engage the senses and emotions, stimulate minds, and enrich lives. We value: Artistic Vitality, Learning, and an Inclusive Community.

Stanford Live launched its inaugural season in January 2013 in Stanford University’s new Bing Concert Hall, a state-of-the-art, intimate hall containing 842 seats in a “vineyard” format (seating sections that surround the stage). Bing Concert Hall provides a nexus of campus and community and has already begun to transform the practice, study and experience of live performance on the Stanford campus and beyond.

Stanford Live presents approximately 35 – 40 performances annually, and significant outreach to students, faculty and staff on campus and in the communities beyond Stanford.

The Director is part of a senior management team of six, including the Executive Director, Programming, Marketing, Finance, and Operations and Production. The Director must balance the needs of the many campus and off-campus constituents, including Bing Inaugural Members, other individual donors, institutional donors, the University Office of Development, Stanford alumni, Stanford students, faculty and staff, Stanford Live subscribers, and others.


Position Summary:

Reporting directly to Stanford Live’s Executive Director and also to Stanford’s Director of Development, Arts Programs, the Stanford Live Director of Development is responsible for raising funds to cover approximately 50% of Stanford Live’s annual $5 million budget, and has the primary responsibility for increasing the organization’s annual contributed income. With 842 vineyard style seats in Bing Concert Hall and Stanford students accounting for more than 17% of the Stanford Live audience at $10 per ticket, income from ticket sales is limited and contributed income is the key component in the organizational business model. Presently, the annual fundraising goal for individual gifts is $1.9 million. Contributed income will be the major vehicle for the desired growth of the program.

The Director of Development will be a leader in Stanford Live’s strategic planning in order to identify and articulate Stanford Live’s goals and objectives, and translating those into fundraising opportunities; developing and implementing a fundraising strategic plan to meet or exceed Stanford Live’s fundraising goals and objectives; and formulating strategies, overseeing and leading Stanford Live’s development activities.


Management Responsibilities:

• Plan, oversee and lead identification, cultivation, and solicitation strategies to raise annual funds and major gifts from individuals, as well as funding from foundation grants, corporate underwriting, and campus and community partners.

• Work closely with the Executive Director, Stanford Live and the Office of Development’s Director of Development, Arts Programs, as well as the Office of Development, OSR, Foundation Relations, and other university offices to accomplish fundraising goals.

• Support the outreach, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship efforts of the Executive Director, Stanford Live.

• Work closely with the Executive Director to lead Stanford Live strategic planning in order to identify organizational and programmatic goals, objectives, strategies, and plans.

• Articulate the Stanford Live goals and objectives and translate them into fundraising opportunities.

• Project and evaluate annual and special project income for the Executive Director, so that annual program planning may be accomplished; manage and analyze development budgets.

• Supervise the efforts of the Assistant Director, Development, a Manager of Donor Stewardship and a Database Associate.

• Support Stanford Live’s goals as needed.


Volunteer Management and Outreach:

• Provide staffing for the recruitment and management of 2-3 high level volunteer committees that will provide a strategic advisory role, outreach, and planning for two major annual events.

• Develop and implement external relations strategies for campus and community partners in order to increase Stanford Live visibility and status, as well as engagement and funding from those sources.


Fundraising:

• Develop a strategic plan to meet or exceed Stanford Live’s fundraising goals and objectives, including goals to support expanded programs.

• Create and assess new funding strategies to build the organization, including working closely with the Office of Development to facilitate endowment gifts and planned gifts.

• Expand and enhance Stanford Live’s annual giving efforts including the use of direct mail and online giving, and donor events.

• Through regular interactions with donors at performances and events, develop strong relationships and an understanding of the preferences and interests of the Stanford Live donor.

• Develop a comprehensive stewardship plan for all Stanford Live annual, major gift, and corporate and foundation donors.

• Oversee the records and data management providing monthly reports on fundraising progress.

• Work with Major Gift Officers in the Office of Development to manage a portfolio of major gift donors and prospects (solicitations of $250,000-$500,000).

• Facilitate opportunities for Stanford Live and/or university senior staff, volunteers, and/or OOD major gift and principal gift staff as needed to cultivate and solicit donors.

• Personally build relationships in the corporate and foundation communities, cultivate and secure foundation and government grants and corporate underwriting in the form of cash and in-kind gifts.


REQUIREMENTS:

• Three years experience as a major gift officer ($250,000 or above).

• Three years experience as the manager of a staff and volunteers.

• Experience managing and coordinating complex projects that have multiple tasks with competing deadlines; set priorities and schedules and meet deadlines with a minimum of supervision

• Positive, can-do attitude and dedicated work ethic.

• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, research and editorial skills; ability to synthesize information and compose clear and effective prose.

• Superior organizational skills; a work style that is thorough, accurate and detail-oriented; the ability to follow through on projects with minimal supervision.

• Strong attention to details and the ability to quickly understand and remember details about donors and projects to which they are assigned.

• Strong customer-service focus; excellent interpersonal and communication skills, and a proven ability to work patiently, persuasively and effectively with a wide variety of people, including students, faculty, staff, donors and alumni.

• Demonstrated sound judgment in situations requiring independent decision-making and in handling confidential and sensitive material.

• Excellent computer skills; proficiency in using advanced functions of word processing, databases, Excel spreadsheets, web resources, and donor management database; experience using Stanford’s information systems such as PostGrads and ReportMart3 is a plus but not required.

• An understanding of the development and alumni enterprise—particularly within an academic setting—and the ability to work within that framework is desirable.


PREFERRED:

Experience as a Director of Development in the performing arts
Master’s Degree

Fixed Term – Two years, with possibility of renewal

Final offers of employment are contingent upon successful completion of national criminal background check, national sex offender registry search and, where applicable, driving record.