Director of Development

The Organization

The Young People’s Chorus of New York City (YPC) is a multicultural youth chorus internationally renowned for its superb virtuosity, brilliant showmanship, and innovative model of diversity. Founded by Artistic Director Francisco J. Núñez, a MacArthur Fellow and Musical America’s 2018 Educator of the Year, YPC’s mission and values are rooted in providing children of all cultural and economic backgrounds with a unique music education program and choral performance opportunities. YPC is committed to empowering our youth and providing pathways to success through the arts so that each child, regardless of race, gender, socioeconomic background, or religion, can reach their full potential.

Position Overview

The organization seeks a strategic and resourceful Director of Development (DoD) to lead YPC’s philanthropic efforts and guide the growth of its fundraising programs. The DoD will design and implement a comprehensive fundraising strategy with the goal of expanding and diversifying philanthropic income sources, including a focus on scaling YPC’s major gifts program. Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer and overseeing six full- and part-time team members, the successful DoD will build deep, collaborative relationships across the organization, Board of Directors, alumni, and external stakeholders to achieve YPC’s fundraising goals and expand its revenue sources. This is an excellent opportunity for a strategic operator with excellent instincts to join a dynamic team and expand the impact of one of New York’s most respected youth arts and education organizations.

Responsibilities:

Lead the Development function and serve as a front-line fundraiser:

• Create a comprehensive annual fundraising plan that is regularly communicated to senior leadership and Board, tracked closely, and executed effectively. Our budget is currently $6.5M with a growth goal of 30% over the next 3-5 years.
• Explore and identify opportunities across varied funding streams, including government grants, corporate giving, institutional and foundation funding, major gifts, small-dollar giving, planned giving, and capital and endowment campaigns.
• Grow and significantly expand YPC’s major gifts program; serve as primary relationship manager for new major donors, owning a mid-sized portfolio.
• Work with the COO and senior leadership to create plans for long-term funding goals; create funding campaigns to support new initiatives.
• Drive prospect research; identify, research, qualify, brief, and solicit individuals, foundations, and corporations.
• Oversee comprehensive donor recognition and stewardship plan, including event invitations, personalized outreach, timely reporting, acknowledgement, and correspondence.
• Originate and drive the planning and execution of fundraising and donor cultivation events.
• Identify creative ways for donors to engage with gift planning and various planned giving vehicles.
• Serve as development liaison to Board committees, including Development, Corporate, and Gala committees.

Activate leadership and organization in development efforts:

• Strategically engage the Artistic Director, senior colleagues, and members of the Board in public outreach and fundraising activities, providing meaningful engagement opportunities and effective support.
• Work closely with Board committees and individual members of the Board to elevate their role in development.
• Foster a culture of philanthropy within the organization and Board.

Drive donor communications and development operations:

• Work with the Artistic Director, COO, and Artistic and Marketing teams to craft inspiring language and materials that clearly and effectively deliver YPC’s impact and vision; ensure regular, meaningful communications to supporters.
• Prepare regular income forecasts, cash flow projections, and other development-related financial reports for the finance team, senior management, and Board.
• Develop the department’s annual forecast and budget with guidance from the COO and finance team.
• Lead the continued maturation of YPC’s development program by creating and implementing systems and processes to optimize fundraising operations.
• Collaborate with finance and data teams to ensure data and reporting integrity within and across departments.

Qualifications and Competencies:

• Experience leading, implementing, and integrating a full range of development programs, including annual fundraising campaigns and project-based initiatives.
• A strong, proven track record of successfully cultivating individual donors and securing new grants from multiple sources such as institutional and corporate entities; history of managing one’s own portfolio and making asks.
• Deep familiarity with core development concepts and best practices, including across small-dollar fundraising, major gifts, and institutional giving; knowledge of government grants and corporate philanthropy a plus.
• Proven application of effective, relationship-based fundraising and moves management with an intentional focus on cultivation, stewardship, and building personal relationships.
• Strong organizational skills, with ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects, people, and teams simultaneously to meet deadlines and ensure quality; ability to develop long-term plans, set objectives, and track progress towards achieving goals.
• Big-picture strategic thinker; able to formulate a comprehensive strategy as well as the tactical plan to reach results.
• Persuasive writer and public speaker, with the ability to communicate effectively with donors, Board members, volunteers, staff and the general public across all channels.
• Mature, collaborative problem-solver, with an entrepreneurial, can-do approach, demonstrating sound judgment and discretion.
• Knowledge of the NYC philanthropic landscape and/or the world of NYC arts funding a strong plus.
• Comfortable fluency with numbers and financial forecasts.
• Growth mindset, with intellectual curiosity and excitement around the opportunity to help a growing nonprofit mature and enhance its approach to development.
• Exceptional ability to lead, develop, and inspire individuals and teams.
• Commitment to the mission of the Young People’s Chorus of New York City.

The Young People's Chorus of New York City is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace and is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. Applicants from populations underrepresented in the development and arts fields are strongly encouraged to apply. All qualified applications will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, familial status, sexual orientation, national origin, ability, age, or veteran status.

Compensation:

YPC offers an annual compensation package between $120,000-$150,000 depending on experience; benefits include health insurance with partial subsidy, access to a 401(k), pre-tax transit benefits, and a PTO package that includes vacation, sick, and personal days, summer Fridays and an annual company-wide shutdown for the winter holidays.

To Apply:

Please send your cover letter, resume, and two writing samples to:

DOD-MC@ypc.org

For additional information on the organization visit: www.ypc.org