K. Russo Consulting has been retained by the New Jersey Performing Arts Center to identify the Director of Major Gifts.
Career Opportunities
About New Jersey Performing Arts Center:
NJPAC is the anchor cultural institution for the city of Newark and the state of New Jersey. As a nonprofit arts organization, we enhance and transform lives every day. We delight audiences with world-class performances, nurture students through our education programs, and engage our community with free events and festivals across the city. Whoever you are, and wherever you’re from, you’ll find a creative home here. Click to read more.
NJPAC is proud to be the most diverse performing arts center in the nation, from our artists, to our audiences, to our staff and students.
As one of the largest arts education providers in America, NJPAC brings the life-enhancing power of the arts to the children who need it most. Click to read more.
We’ve engaged over 9,500,000 people since our opening in 1997.
Director of Major Gifts
SUMMARY:
Experienced frontline major gifts fundraiser, individual giving strategist, and relationship builder with a track record of success in developing and securing high five, six- and seven-figure gifts. Lead and execute donor and prospecting strategies that compel major donors to invest in NJPAC’s activities and mission. Oversee three-person department responsible for growing the major gifts pipeline at NJPAC, developing and implementing strategies to solicit and/or upgrade major donor prospects and stewarding approximately $3 million in annual renewals. Work closely with the VP of Development and collaborate with senior leaders and partners across the organization. Serve as a senior member of a high-performing, adaptive NJPAC team of fundraising professionals.
ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES:
● Develop and execute a dynamic, sophisticated multi-year individual giving fundraising, engagement and prospecting strategy that nurtures, solicits, and secures major gift contributions and partnerships ($25,000+) that advance NJPAC’s annual fund, programming, campaign, and community development priorities.
● Establish, implement, and oversee a best-in-class engagement and stewardship program that builds and deepens premium relationships, retains and upgrades philanthropic support, creates a seamless and value-driven donor experience that leverages NJPAC’s artistic excellence and advances an institutional narrative focused on impact, outcomes, and access.
● Responsible for progressively increasing year over year revenue from new and existing major donors.
● Thoughtfully engage leading philanthropists and thought leaders around the major pillars of NJPAC’s strategic plan and create energy and demand in the marketplace for major leadership philanthropic investments in NJPAC. Leverage and align NJPAC’s leadership, talent, assets, and values with world class philanthropic partnership opportunities.
● Steward portfolio of approx. 50-75 major individual donors as well as a portfolio of philanthropic advisors / liaisons that support family foundations, donors advised funds, and community foundations. Responsible for personally making solicitations and staffing leadership to make major asks.
● Initiate and lead local, regional, and national fundraising calls and visits, including staffing leadership and colleagues in preparation for meetings.
● Proactively leverage NJPAC Board, Women @ NJPAC board and leadership committees to support and advance prospecting, solicitation and stewardship
● Support trusteeship and the identification of individual prospects for consideration for the NJPAC Board of Directors
● Oversee and implement relationship management systems to advance fundraising and stewardship. Ensure that NJPAC is at the leading edge of industry around data and analytics, wealth screening, reporting and recognition, gift acceptance, and communications.
● Serve as NJPAC ambassador and spokesperson at philanthropic and community events and meetings.
● Manage two-person individual giving team overseeing individual gifts at the $5K-$24,999 level, including the development and execution of strategies to upgrade existing donors and strengthen the pipeline for new gifts at increasing levels and Individual Giving Coordinator handling donor fulfillment, event support, acknowledgements, pledge receivables, reporting and tracking;
● Work with Managing Director of Women@NJPAC to develop new, sustainable strategies to effectively integrate WA donors and prospect pool into regular fundraising efforts
● Work cross-departmentally to craft and implement strategies and fundable projects for individual donors and prospects
PERFORMANCE QUALIFICATIONS:
● 7-10 years of major individual gifts experience, in progressively more senior positions, including ability to solicit and manage gifts.
● Bachelor’s degree required.
● Experienced leader with ability to develop and motivate collaborative teams.
● Proven ability to create new opportunities, manage change, lead entrepreneurial growth and execute innovative, sustainable initiatives.
● Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
● Ability to build relationships and consensus across internal teams.
● Strong financial business acumen.
● Superior organizational and project management skills.
● Familiarity with New Jersey business sector.
● Superior customer service skills.
● Excellent project management with an ability to implement systems and follow-up processes.
● Interest in the arts a plus.
● Strong technology skills, including proficiency in Word and Excel. Experience with customer relation software preferred.
● Analytical and comfort with data and databases.
● Experience with Salesforce or other Fundraising and ticketing software preferred.
● Evening/weekend work required.
ATTRIBUTES:
● Integrity
● Flexibility
● Perseverance
● Curiosity
● Detail orientation
● Maturity
● Diligence
● Transparency
Interested in hearing more, please email your resume and compensation requirements to jwilson@krussoconsulting.com