About the Role
The Director of Institutional Giving will lead and expand the School of American Ballet's institutional giving program, responsible for raising over $1.5 million annually, plus additional capital and endowment fundraising. This role involves managing relationships with foundations, corporations, and government donors, and supervising one staff member.
Responsibilities
- Manage and expand the School’s institutional giving strategy to secure more than $1.5 million, with gifts ranging from $1,000 to $250,000+.
- Build and manage relationships with 40+ foundations, corporate, and government donors to ensure strong engagement with SAB and steward lasting support.
- Identify and strategically cultivate institutional prospects; implement tailored engagement strategies; solicit and secure gifts personally and as part of a team; and steward donors to maintain and strengthen long-term relationships.
- Work closely with SAB-wide staff to conceive of and submit persuasive, well-written, and applicable proposals and reports, with accompanying budgets and support materials, on behalf of student life programming, the scholarship fund, and other priority initiatives.
- Oversee a comprehensive donor communication strategy, ensuring timely and high-quality engagement through acknowledgement letters, written correspondence, invitations, mailings, visits, calls, newsletters, and e-blasts.
- Develop strong relationships with Board members and coworkers; engage the Board’s Development Committee in cultivating and stewarding institutional donors; and serve as a resource to the Board and senior leadership team in their fundraising efforts.
- Guide prospect solicitation and donor stewardship efforts by the Executive Director and Board through the preparation of research, talking points, email drafts, and meeting briefings.
- Partner on the planning, execution, and fundraising for future capital and endowment campaigns.
- Mentor, train, and supervise staff in Institutional Giving to ensure that departmental goals and needs are being met, and that staff are continually developing in their roles.
- Oversee the work conducted on behalf of Institutional Giving by department staff and volunteers.
- Supervise the maintenance of tracking systems, Institutional Giving mailing lists, and electronic and physical donor records.
- Manage Institutional Giving’s expense budget.
Requirements
- 5+ years of demonstrated success in institutional giving; knowledge of New York area funders.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills.
- Fluency in budgeting and data analysis.
- Ability to manage time and projects in a fast-paced environment.
- Proven track record of securing institutional gifts at the $100,000+ level.
- Polished and professional demeanor, with the ability to speak on behalf of the School at events.
- Proficiency in Raiser’s Edge or a similar donor database.
- Tasks might include some lifting, including heavy items that require use of carts.
- Evening and weekend hours required for donor events.
Skills
- Institutional giving
- Foundation relations
- Corporate relations
- Government relations
- Donor cultivation
- Donor stewardship
- Proposal writing
- Budgeting
- Data analysis
- Project management
- Communication (written and oral)
- Raiser's Edge or similar donor database proficiency
Location
- Lincoln Center
Work Type
- Full-time
- Exempt
- Hybrid (4 days in-person, 1 day remote)
Experience Level
- 5+ years of demonstrated success in institutional giving
Salary/Compensations
- $100,000-$112,000
Benefits
- Full health benefits
- Four weeks of vacation
- Two holiday weeks in December
- Generous retirement savings benefits
About the Company
- The School of American Ballet (SAB) at Lincoln Center, founded by George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein, is the preeminent ballet school in the country.
- Our mission is to train professional dancers for careers in classical ballet.
- We provide the resources for a diverse pool of students to train at the highest level – with 15-25 a year going on to dance for New York City Ballet, our official but independent ballet company, and other major ballet companies worldwide.
- SAB has a far-reaching impact on the art form and enriches the lives of each student who comes through its doors, over 800 annually, ages 6 to 18.
- SAB has approximately 90 part- and full-time employees and an operating budget of $17 million.
Equal Opportunity
- The School of American Ballet is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
- Diverse candidates are encouraged to apply.
