Director of Individual Giving

ABOUT A.C.T.

American Conservatory Theater is an essential gathering place that brings artists and communities together to inspire and provoke. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Pam MacKinnon and Executive Director Jennifer Bielstein, A.C.T.'s mission is to engage the spirit of the San Francisco Bay Area, activate stories that resonate, promote a diversity of voices and points of view, and empower theater makers and audiences to celebrate liveness. A.C.T. values inclusion, transformational learning, participation, and rigorous fun. A.C.T. is a Tony Award-winning nonprofit theater serving almost 200,000 people in the San Francisco Bay Area annually through theater, training, and education and community programs.

Position Purpose:

Working alongside A.C.T.'s Director of Development, the Director of Individual Giving (DoIG) leads the Development team's individual and major gifts efforts. This position is responsible for developing and managing all activities related to the cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of our individual and major gift donors ($10,000+). The DoIG oversees the development and implementation strategies for securing financial support from a portfolio of new and renewing individual donors. They also supervise and work closely with the Associate Director of Individual Giving, the Annual Fund Manager, and the Donor Engagement Officer on all solicitation, benefit events, and stewardship activities, as well as direct mail, prospect research, pipeline development, planned giving, and portfolio efforts.

Responsibilities: (please note, this list is not exhaustive, but rather a representation of job duties)

• Evaluate current strategies and stewardship practices while developing processes to enhance A.C.T.'s annual fund and major gift program to increase individual contributions across all lines.
• Develop and propose strategies for solicitation of major gifts, including: forging and nurturing ongoing relationships with prospects/donors; directly soliciting support; recommending specific purpose and level of gift; identifying those to be involved in cultivation and subsequent solicitation; assuring that solicitations are carried out and comprehensive plans are created for each prospect and donor.
• Drive strategies to identify donor prospects, working closely with Director of Development and part-time Prospect Researcher to ensure that systems and processes are maximized to support prospect research, cultivation and solicitation, and donor stewardship as part of a comprehensive development effort.
• Supervise, mentor, coach, and advise three-member Individual Giving Team to enhance prospecting, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship activities across all Individual Giving lines and to ensure effective coordination.
• Work closely with Director of Special Events and Donor Engagement & Special Events Manager on all donor benefit and stewardship events, as well as on solicitation efforts for Gala tables, tickets, and underwriting opportunities.
• Solicit and/or upgrade Individual gifts, and maintain regular communication with assigned donors/prospects through phone calls and personal visits at and/or outside the theater.
• Alongside the Director of Development, staff and support the Board's volunteer Development Committee and Committee on Trustees and Governance.
• Manage the qualification process of new prospects and balance portfolios for the Individual Giving Team.
• Manage the Development Department's donor communications strategy, including calendering, segmenting, messaging, and copy creation, to ensure communique to external stakeholders are intentional and cohesive
• Collaborate with Marketing and Box Office on new cross-departmental revenue-generating strategic efforts.
• Oversee ongoing revenue and expense budgeting and reporting for Individual Giving through regular benchmarking, metric analysis, and data projections.
• Oversee A.C.T.'s Production Sponsorship program.
• Maintain records of all aspects of donors and prospects relationships through the use of the A.C.T.'s development database, Tessitura.
• Support senior leadership with the creation of proposals or other materials for cultivation or solicitation meetings.
• Represent the institution and serve as an enthusiastic ambassador at donor and community engagement events.
• Other projects as guided by the Director of Development.

Qualifications & Qualities:

Required/Minimum Qualifications or Basic Qualifications:

• Minimum of four years' experience raising funds from individuals, with proven major gift track record.
• Passion for the arts-and theater, specifically-and the ability to articulate their importance.
• Proven experience cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding donors resulting in significant gifts.
• Ability to understand the needs and interests of donors and to develop successful relationships between them and A.C.T.
• Experience managing gift officers and/or annual fund managers.
• Excellent leadership and management skills.
• Agile with a willingness to proactively problem solve.
• Comfort with a hybrid work environment, with an ability to work nights and weekends as needed, greeting donors at events and performances.
• Computer fluency in MS Office and standard office equipment required. Proficiency in Tessitura or other constituent relationship management/fundraising software strongly preferred.
• Experience with project management; ability to establish and monitor priorities, remain flexible, and meet deadlines.
• Demonstrated commitment to valuing diversity and contributing to an inclusive working and learning environment.
• High level of discretion when interacting with sensitive and/or confidential donor information.
• Alignment with A.C.T.'s Mission, Values and commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Superior interpersonal, oral, and written communication and presentation skills with the ability to represent A.C.T.'s mission to a diverse group of people.
• Ability to handle calmly and efficiently situations ranging from the routine to highly complex; excellent customer service skills.
• Demonstrated ability to multi-task and work successfully in a fast-paced environment with a high degree of attention to detail and minimum supervision.
• Ability to initiate, analyze, monitor, evaluate and alter strategic development plans.
• Demonstrated skill in understanding of cultural differences.
• Ability to cultivate and develop inclusive and equitable working relationships with A.C.T. colleagues and stakeholders.
• A "can-do" spirit and sense of humor highly desirable.

Diversity makes us stronger. If you'd like to learn more about A.C.T. EDI values, Mission, Vision and culture go to Mission, Values, and EDI | American Conservatory Theater (act-sf.org) ACT is committed to diversity in its programming and creating an inclusive work culture and environment. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, age, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law.