Director of Development

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Overview:

Saint Louis Dance Theatre seeks its first, full-time Director of Development. This role requires an entrepreneurial spirit, innovative strategist, and a vibrant, technically strong go-getter. You will oversee all fundraising activities for a nonprofit organization with a $1 million annual operating budget and a three-year, $3 million capacity-building campaign. Reporting to the Executive Director, this pivotal role is your opportunity to shape and execute a dynamic development strategy, from annual giving to major gifts and beyond. We’re looking for a driven, passionate advocate for St. Louis’ arts and culture vibrancy, who is thrilled to resource the artistically excellent and creatively just vision of our Artistic Director, Kirven Douthit-Boyd.

Who you are:

You are passionate about Saint Louis Dance Theatre’s mission and evolution, with a demonstrated dedication to the arts and equity. You are driven by the idea of establishing Saint Louis Dance Theatre as the city’s premier contemporary dance destination, while being deeply invested in the local and national arts and culture ecosystem through fundraising and friend-raising. You are self-motivated, think outside the box, and thrive on small, startup-esque teams. You possess the superpowers of cultivating trust and collaboration to yield financial growth for organizations. You excel at building relationships, both internally and externally, and enjoy working at all levels, from the creatives and dancers to Board members and philanthropists to establish shared goals aimed at achieving organization-wide impact. You find value in using data to drive decision-making and are adept at seeking and using feedback from varying stakeholders to craft your work.

What you do:

Strategy Development: In consultation with the Executive Director and the Board, develop and execute a comprehensive development strategy that meets STLDT’s annual operating goals, along with ongoing individual cultivation strategies for individual supporters.

Major Gifts: Devise and implement progressive new strategies to acquire, renew, and upgrade major donors; develop program-based fundraising initiatives to attract and retain major donors and increase their loyalty. Oversee prospect research efforts and manage a portfolio of major donors.

Institutional Fundraising: Manage STLDT’s diverse relationships with government, foundations, and corporations for continued success in institutional fundraising. Supervise the research and timely preparation of all foundation, corporate, and government grant proposals, and oversee grant stewardship, administration, and reporting.

Events: Work closely with staff, trustees, and other volunteers to maximize the effectiveness of patron experiences at all company events. Act as a thought-partner and strategic collaborator in the efforts to implement major fundraising events.

Development Operations: Develop and/or strengthen all internal systems for development operations, including gift processing and tracking, donor recognition, grant reporting, project management, prospect research, and prospect funneling.

Metrics of Success:

By the end of year 1, you will have:

1. Internalized the Saint Louis Dance Theatre Theory of Change (within three months) with an emphasis on fund-development, infrastructure, and artistic outcomes in order to participate in brand story-telling opportunities.
2. Completed the design, and achieved consent, for a fund-development strategy targeting new major donors to the organization (within six months) after thorough collaboration with the Executive Director, Artistic Director, and Board of Directors that can yield at least $150k within 12 months.
3. Built a more economically, racially, and geographically diverse institutional donor funding pipeline with a focus on the arts, culture, vibrant cities, and the Midwest, with a portfolio strategy that can yield at least $500k within 18 months.
4. Identified, strategized, and implemented at least two donor-cultivation partnerships or salons, focusing on racial and economic diversity to increase the portfolio of mid-sized donors that can yield at least $50k within 12 months.
5. Advanced the ongoing financial accountability of the organization by developing and implementing a system for regular Board development updates with strategic engagement for the Development Committee in partnership with the Executive Director.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.
• Minimum 3-5 years of development leadership experience.
• Demonstrated track record of successfully closing major gifts and exceeding contributed income goals in a sophisticated donor environment.
• Excellent communication skills, emotional intelligence, and interpersonal skills, including the ability to connect with people from diverse racial and socioeconomic backgrounds as well as inspiring others with STLDT’s mission through written and in-person messaging.
• Strong planning, strategy, financial, budgeting, and analytical skills.
• Drive and ambition to pursue excellence while maintaining composure under pressure.
• Competent with technology, including Google Suite, cloud storage, Adobe Creative Cloud, and Microsoft Office.
• Ability to travel throughout the area and work evenings and weekends if necessary.
• Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion.
• Passion for contemporary dance, and knowledge of the St. Louis Arts Community.

Selection Process and Timeline:

The selection process for this position includes three stages for qualified candidates:

1. Submission of two examples of past development work (i.e. appeal letter, campaign strategy, outline of portfolio development results).
2. Virtual interview with Executive Director and Artistic Director.
3. Virtual group interview with Board Executive Committee and Development Committee.

Projected start date for this position is August 31, 2024.

Compensation:

This is a full-time position. Compensation, including benefits, is commensurate with qualifications and experience. The starting salary range for this position is $60,000 – $70,000, with potential annual salary increases over three years (up to a total $20,000 increase).

STLDT’s benefits package includes:

• Employer paid medical insurance
• Dental and vision insurance
• Voluntary life insurance
• 4 complimentary tickets for each main stage performance
• Access to community arts partner events
• Networking opportunities
• Access to free community dance classes
• Generous time off, including nationally observed holidays, vacation, and sick paid-time off.
• Flexible remote work policy.

About STLDT (formerly The Big Muddy Dance Company):

Saint Louis Dance Theatre not only brings life to our community; we reflect life in our community. Bringing together world-class artistry and audacious vision, purpose drives performance. Always in step with our craft and our conscience, we are an instrument of optimism through inclusivity, collaboration, and artistic excellence.

DEAI Statement:

Saint Louis Dance Theatre stands in solidarity with our beloved diverse communities, in the effort to promote inclusion over prejudice. We believe in the power of art as a tool to transform: to speak up, to heal, to inspire confidence, to bring communities together. We are taking a deep look inward to ensure that every social identity has the opportunity to be successful, supported, and have a sense of belonging. We also invite people forward to express their journeys through life and dance, as part of our resolve to turn intention into impactful action.

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