Development Manager, Special Events & Individual Giving
Brooklyn Youth Chorus (BYC) seeks a full-time Development Manager, Special Events & Individual Giving to join its development team during a time of significant growth and excitement in the organization’s 28-year history. The Special Events & Individual Giving manager is part of a three-person department that is responsible for raising $1.5 million+ in annual support from a variety of funding sources. This position reports to and works in partnership with the Director of Development & Institutional Advancement to raise funds through a series of fundraising and cultivation events and annual appeals.
This individual is expected to play an active role in growing Brooklyn Youth Chorus’s income and donor base, strengthening the overall donor pipeline, and raising the profile of the Chorus through well-planned, innovative fundraising events and appeals. They are the primary contact working with outside event vendors as the Chorus produces cultivation and stewardship events, including the annual Spring Gala. In coordination with the Director, they oversee Individual Giving for donors up to $1,000, which includes the Annual Appeal, Holiday Appeal, and Year End Appeal, as well as any additional giving initiatives.
The Development Manager is a full-time, exempt position, which will report directly to the Director of Development & Institutional Advancement and serves as a supervisor to the Development Assistant.
Responsibilities include but are not limited to:
Event Management
- Manage production of all BYC fundraising events
- In collaboration with the Director, assist in planning event programs and selecting event themes
- Curate and manage all event invitation lists with oversight from the Director
- Lead event invitation design and production and oversee production of all event-related printed materials and creation of ticketing websites
- Manage pre-event and post-event communications
- Communicate and coordinate with all outside staff and vendors
- Oversee accurate data processing of ticket responses and contributions
- Ensure the success of overall event logistics in service of positive donor relations
- Conceive and execute additional income-generating strategies for fundraising events, including gift bags, raffles/auctions, and other event-related in-kind donations
- Oversee online auction for Annual Spring Gala and supervise Development Assistant in procuring exceptional auction lots.
Individual Donor Solicitation & Management
- Manage execution of annual Individual Giving solicitations in both print and digital formats, assisting with conception and design, and overseeing printing and mailing
- Assist Director with all aspects of individual gift solicitations including efforts to identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit, and steward donors
- Effectively execute gift processing, including gift data entry and donor acknowledgement, and ensure gifts are accounted for correctly and reconciled with finance
- Utilize tracking systems to monitor response to mailings and events and maintain clear, complete, and up-to-date records and reports for donors and prospects through Raiser’s Edge database
General Administration
- Work with Director on budget development and income/expense monitoring
- Ensure efficient use of resources by staff and vendors to meet income and expense goals
- Develop cost-efficient, creative, and effective ways of increasing net revenue for events and campaigns
- Monitor and report on progress toward projected goals
- Provide regular assessment/analysis and troubleshooting as needed
- Play an active role as part of the larger Development team to support donor cultivation, special events, and membership sales
- Help strategize new ways to increase revenue
- Perform other development-related duties as directed.
REQUIREMENTS
- Bachelor’s degree
- 2–3 years development experience; prior event planning experience required
- Excellent organizational and donor-relations skills
- Attentiveness to detail while meeting multiple deadlines
- Strong sense of personal accountability and follow-through, with the ability to work independently with little supervision
- Excellent interpersonal skills
- Exceptional email and phone communication skills
- Interest or background in music and/or performing arts preferred
- Proficiency in Raiser’s Edge preferred.
COMPENSATION
Commensurate with experience. Excellent benefits offered, including generous vacation package, medical, dental, and vision insurance.
ABOUT BROOKLYN YOUTH CHORUS
Brooklyn Youth Chorus (BYC) offers exceptional music training and choral performances to enrich the lives of its students and community. Through music study and professional-level performing experiences, BYC unites children of diverse backgrounds and helps them develop into confident and expressive musicians and individuals. BYC strives to advance the artistic role of youth choruses through innovative concert programming, collaborations, and the commissioning of new choral repertoire.
EQUITY & INCLUSION
Brooklyn Youth Chorus is committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion in all areas including artistic and education programs and recruitment of choristers, volunteers, staff, and its Board of Directors.
We stand for absolute respect for each individual; an appreciation and understanding of the broad spectrum of all our differences be they cultural, racial, religious, socio-economic, or based on sexual identity, gender, physical or intellectual ability; and the ability to experience bonds of friendship through the joy of music. We celebrate open-mindedness and critical thinking, and seek to create opportunities for students to explore and embrace these important values together. We recognize that a diverse community is an asset that must be continually cared for, preserved, and enhanced, with constant attention, for the benefit of all its members.
APPLICATION
Please send a resume, cover letter, salary requirements, and at least two professional references to resume@brooklynyouthchorus.org. Resumes without cover letters will not be considered. Only qualified candidates will be contacted. No calls, please. EOE.