Director of Development

The Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra’s (LPO) Director of Development is a self-motivated and creative individual responsible for the development, evaluation, and implementation of a growing fundraising program that includes annual fund, major gifts, corporate/foundation, government, and volunteer events that lead to the LPO achieving its contributed revenue goals.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Fundraising
• Create and implement a comprehensive LPO philanthropic revenue plan and associated budgets, tracking and reporting mechanisms, consistent with organizational requirements and community capacity, in conjunction with the Executive Director and Board of Trustees.
Build an organizational process to execute the revenue plan, including mechanisms to actively engage staff, board members, and musicians.
• Strategically partner with the Executive Director, Music Director, Board of Trustees, and musicians to generate sustainable revenues:
o Cultivate and solicit major gifts
o Cultivate and solicit corporate sponsorships
o Cultivate and solicit major grants
• Plan, manage, and implement all phases of the Annual Fund campaign; oversee the solicitation and acknowledgment process, maintenance of records, and establishment and disclosure within IRS guidelines of donor benefits; monitor progress and make adjustments as needed.
• Develop a comprehensive case statement for support of the LPO, based on long-range plan; update annually.
• Work with the Executive Director to develop and direct a year-round program to cultivate new prospects and seek out new funding opportunities.
• Develop and implement a corporate sponsorship program; research and identify potential sponsors; prepare proposals and work with Board to identify matches between LPO’s program and each company’s interests.
• Supervise the Grant Specialist in: Preparing grant applications for corporations, foundations, and government agencies that provide arts funding; researching all grant possibilities and writing reports and back-up materials to support each application; following up on each proposal.
• Work with volunteers to plan all special fundraising events and benefits; participate in establishing the budget and oversee the execution of each event.
• Oversee the development and production of all materials used to support the LPO’s fundraising events and campaigns.
• Develop an ongoing planned giving program; work with Board to identify, cultivate, and solicit prospects.

Budgeting and Planning
• Assist the Executive Director and Board in establishing appropriate goals for the Annual Fund and all other fundraising campaigns deemed necessary (endowment, capital, planned giving, etc.) each year.
• Develop a plan for achieving those goals and establish a master calendar that outlines all fundraising events and campaigns; coordinate all activities with the LPO’s master calendar.
• Develop budgets for each event and campaign; monitor the progress of each, and adjust plans when necessary.
• Work closely with the Executive Director and other designated staff in long-range planning for the LPO; prepare budget projections as needed.
• Review and report monthly budget forecast revisions to the Director of Finance and Administration.

Administrative
• Organize staff and volunteers to carry out all fund-raising campaigns and events; evaluate the effectiveness of each campaign.
• Oversee the maintenance of all donor files and records; develop and administer all donor benefits programs in accordance with IRS guidelines.
• Provide periodic progress reports on all campaigns; prepare listings and financial statements as needed by the Board and staff.
Serve as part of the senior staff to assist in setting and implementing administrative and artistic policies.
• Recruit, manage, develop, and evaluate the performance of all development staff, including interns and volunteers.

Other
• Develop and maintain internal and external contacts to optimize fund-raising efforts.
• Maintain ongoing contact with contributors, corporate sponsors, and business and community leaders.
• Support Board and staff efforts to solicit in-kind contributions.
• Keep abreast of recent research on fund raising; maintain a collection of current fundraising resource materials.
• Attend all LPO fundraising and performance events; represent the LPO at other civic and cultural events, as needed.
• Represent the LPO in a manner that demonstrates the highest standards of professionalism and ethical conduct.
• Assist other departments as needed in carrying out their responsibilities.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Executive Director.

NECESSARY SKILLS, EXPERIENCE, AND QUALIFICATIONS
• Bachelor’s Degree required.
• Minimum of three (3) years professional development or related experience, with experience in a significant leadership role in the development department of a not-for-profit organization.
• Knowledgeable about all aspects of fundraising, including campaign design and execution, and experience in solicitation and securing of major gifts.
• Superb oral and written communication abilities with an ability to speak and write persuasively about the mission, goals, and income needs of the LPO.
• Comfort serving as a representative of the LPO in the community.
• Ability to create a strategy that will ensure growth in major and endowment gifts.
• Experience and familiarity with annual fund programs, corporate sponsorships and foundation proposals, and grant requests.
• Knowledgeable about prospect research and comfortable utilizing the development tools that are available through technology.
• Superb planning and organizational skills.
• Successful experience in organizing, staffing, and motivating volunteers.