Director of Development

ORGANIZATION:
Vancouver Opera

DEADLINE:
Until Filled

ORGANIZATION DESCRIPTION:
Vancouver Opera creates extraordinary experiences that engage, inspire, and entertain our community through voice, music, and theatre.

Vancouver Opera is the second largest opera company in Canada. It is regarded worldwide for its fine mainstage productions; for its country-leading education programs, which have reached more than 1.6 million children and their families in more than 65 years; for its innovative and award-winning community programs; and for forging ground-breaking cross-cultural creative partnerships that have brought opera to new generations of Canadians in recent history.

WEBSITE:
http://vancouveropera.ca

JOB DESCRIPTION:
Proactive, dynamic, resilient, self-motivated, detail- and people-oriented, the Director of Development will have exceptional social and verbal communication skills and value frequent interaction and collaboration with others. The Director of Development will be an experienced and entrepreneurial professional with the vision to actively pursue Vancouver Opera’s ambitious goals with creativity and determination and will have a high degree of personal accountability and a commitment to exceeding expectations. A self-sufficient and self-managed professional with a highly organized approach, the Director of Development will have the ability to achieve organizational objectives with staff, board members, volunteers, donors, and prospective supporters. You have proven strategic fundraising expertise that drives revenue and engages audiences. If this sounds like you, Vancouver Opera is looking for a strategic development leader with an affinity for the arts to lead the fundraising team for this established yet evolving organization.

Under the direction of the General Director, the Director of Development provides the best possible support to the organization by overseeing the cultivation, establishment, and maintenance of all donor relations; and planning and directing all fundraising policies and activities, including the annual drive, capital campaigns, grants, sponsorships and underwriting, public funding and government relations, planned giving, capital and multi-year project giving, and fundraising for the Vancouver Opera Foundation.

RESPONSIBILITIES:
• Collaborate and partner with the General Director and senior leadership team, and other appropriate senior staff, in the development of strategic goals, objectives, and metrics, including budgets and goals for all programs
• Determine contributed revenue needs for long-term programs and projects
• Plan and execute long-term fundraising activities in support of the company’s strategic goals
• Develop and oversee appropriate tracking and reporting mechanisms and systems

• Work closely with development staff to craft all short-term and long-term fundraising plans
• Oversee work with external partners and the development team to research, develop, and launch a multi-year endowment campaign
• Develop case statements, materials, databases, and prospect lists
• Identify and implement strategies for prospect and donor research, identification, cultivation, and stewardship
• Solicit major annual operating and endowment gifts; manage a personal pipeline of donors and prospects
• Work with the development team to create appropriate donor and sponsor recognition activities
• Oversee special events and participate in all relationship-based events

• Prospect, cultivate, and solicit donors at all levels
• Implement board and major individual giving components
• Oversee the development and maintenance of donor acknowledgement procedures
• Ensure effective systems and accurate donor records and reports are captured in the Tessitura database, and useful reports are generated for analysis
• Provide leadership in developing donor retention strategies
• Collaborate strongly with the Marketing team for identification and cultivation of donors, and to develop conversion and activation programs for each donor where appropriate
• Cultivate, solicit, and follow up with key planned and foundation giving prospects and their legal advisors and financial planners

• Develop corporate and foundation funding strategies and prospect management
• Ensure timely application, reporting, and compliance with grant requirements
• Ensure fulfillment of sponsorship benefits
• Provide direction in the production of effective presentation materials, customized proposals, case statements, and solicitation materials as needed
• Collaborate with the Director of Finance and Administration for the preparation of grants, proposals, deeds of gifts, and all significant contracts

• Establish public funding budgets and goals
• Ensure timely and appropriate grant requests to the Canada Council for the Arts, funding agencies of the Province of British Columbia, Metro Vancouver, the City of Vancouver, and other local municipalities; ensure compliance and timely reporting
• With the General Director, develop and implement advocacy, public information, and government relations strategies

• Supervise development staff and inspire success
• Develop performance plans based on metrics and industry best practices
• Evaluate, hire, and lead staff on an ongoing basis
• Identify training requirements for Development staff and provide training and professional development
• Cultivate, recruit, and motivate the Board of Directors in fundraising efforts
• Attend meetings and report regularly to the Board of Directors and associated committees
• Organize and foster volunteer participation and build strong relationships with volunteer leadership, including Development Committee, Vancouver Opera Foundation, Special Events Committees, and Annual Campaign chairs and volunteers

• Accountable for ownership of the Development budget and projections
• Create, manage, and monitor annual development budgets and cash flow projections in collaboration with the Director of Finance and Administration and the General Director
• Develop and monitor department expense plans and set and achieve annual contributed revenue goals
• Provide timely and reliable information to Finance to ensure accuracy of projections
• Collaborate with Finance on tax receipting requirements for special events and individual giving to ensure CRA compliance
• Act as key sponsor for the Tessitura database in the Development department
• Encourage and ensure the use of Tessitura to its fullest capacity, working toward accurately consolidating all fundraising-related data and reporting
• Create reporting templates in collaboration with other departments to support timely analysis and decision-making
• Participate in the broader community to further the mission and goals of Vancouver Opera
• Assure legality and maintain confidentiality of all solicitations
• Attend performances and other events throughout the year as needed

QUALIFICATIONS:
• Master’s degree in a related field and/or equivalent experience required
• Five or more years of experience working in Development preferred
• Familiarity with donor management systems and relational databases; prior research and Tessitura knowledge a plus
• Extensive knowledge of Microsoft Office
• Superior attention to detail and strong ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and with grace under pressure
• High degree of integrity, ethical decision-making, and sound business judgment; able to honor a high degree of confidentiality
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Solid interpersonal skills with the ability to develop and maintain productive relationships at all levels of the organization
• Ability to work independently and proactively with minimal supervision
• Passion for opera and/or classical music and the arts preferred

HOW TO APPLY:
Vancouver Opera offers a dynamic team environment in an exciting cultural hub, a strong partnership network, amazing mainstage productions, and exceptional education and community programming. Additionally, VO offers a competitive salary, group benefits, a group RRSP matching program, and paid annual vacation. A competitive compensation package with a salary range of $125,000–$140,000 is offered, commensurate with experience.

Vancouver Opera strives to provide meaningful employment opportunities that reflect the range of diverse communities in which we live and work. The organization values diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Applications from women, persons of colour, Indigenous persons, persons with diverse abilities, and members of other under-represented groups are encouraged.

To apply, please email your cover letter and resume to wmurgatroyd@vancouveropera.ca with the subject line “Director of Development.” Interviews will be scheduled on a rolling basis. The posting will be removed when the position is filled.

REMUNERATION:
$125,000 – $140,000 plus benefits.