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ABOUT THE ARMORY Part American palace, part industrial shed, Park Avenue Armory is dedicated to supporting unconventional works in the visual and performing arts that need non-traditional spaces for their full realization, enabling artists to create, students to explore and audiences to experience epic and adventurous presentations that cannot be mounted elsewhere in New York City. Park Avenue Armory provides opportunities for employees to enrich and develop their love of the arts while contributing their specific skills, expertise, and talents. www.armoryonpark.org
POSITION SUMMARY
The Director of Individual Giving is a front-line fundraiser who oversees the Armory’s membership-based donor groups: the Artistic Council, Chairman’s Circle, Avant-Garde, and the general membership program. This position manages all aspects of the high-level giving programs, including prospect identification, cultivation, one-on-one solicitation, stewardship activities, and appeals to support annual operations and programs. Reporting to and working closely with the Director of Development, the Director of Individual Giving oversees the Individual fundraising team and stewards a portfolio of high-level donors.
Due to the nature of this role and interaction with staff across the organization, this is a fully on-site and in-person role.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Manage the department's Individual Giving Program and develop strategies to support prospecting campaigns and donor engagement.
Principal fundraiser for the Artistic Council, a special invitation-only major gifts group that provides essential support towards the Armory's programs and productions. This role is directly responsible for solicitations, renewals, and the development of bespoke events for this unique group, which includes event planning, concierge ticketing service, and acknowledgments of gifts.
Act as a front-line fundraiser, soliciting high-level gifts from individuals.
Regularly collaborate with the Director of Development and Chief Development Officer on “big picture” thinking regarding the Individual Giving portfolio, including identifying board prospects, new major donors, and other large-scale initiatives.
Oversee Chairman’s Circle, Avant-Garde, and the general membership programs, with the support of the Individual Giving Team, which includes ensuring concierge ticketing service, premium stewardship, and benefit fulfillment. As the strategist for the overall Individual Giving team, this will include developing a calendar of events, correspondence, and regular analysis for upgrades and solicitation management.
Perform requisite maintenance of donor records and answering donor inquiries.
Develop cultivation strategies and identify new leads for support of artistic initiatives, education programs, and general operations.
Be a leader and team member of the wider Development department, which requires ongoing activities like working events and other duties as needed.
Oversee the Individual Giving Team, providing relevant training, feedback, and guidance and ensuring compliance with and comprehension of the Armory's policies and procedures. Participate in the recruitment for select open positions.
Performs any other duties reasonably related to the functions described above.
SKILLS & QUALIFICATIONS
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential function to a high professional standard. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. A successful candidate will meet many of these requirements and have the desire and capacity to learn the rest on the job.
Experience in writing effective donor communications and knowledge of the New York City funding community.
Proven record of securing high-level gifts and stewardship of fundraising relationships.
Strong communication skills, written and verbal, with the ability to form clear, structured, articulate, and persuasive proposals.
Demonstrated ability to take initiative, and proactively manage multiple projects and priorities with concurrent and changing deadlines.
Experience using research resources to identify prospects and funding opportunities.
Entrepreneurial skills in developing cultivation strategies and presentation materials.
Excellent administrative and organizational skills, with strong attention to detail.
Understanding of database management, knowledge of Tessitura, or similar database knowledge a plus.
Strong proficiency in the Microsoft Office suite, including Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams/Sharepoint, and PowerPoint, as well as in internet research.
Must be available to work some evenings and weekends as required.
Armory employees work onsite during weekday office hours.
COVID guidelines: The health and safety of our community is the highest priority. As such, Park Avenue Armory requires all newly hired staff members and freelancers to be fully vaccinated with an FDA-authorized and/or approved COVID-19 vaccine, including a booster when eligible. Requests for reasonable accommodations for medical, religious, or other reasons will be considered in accordance with applicable law.
EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE
7+ years of experience in fundraising, with a preferred background in individual giving and major gifts at a cultural institution, preferably a performing and/or visual arts organization. A personal interest in arts and culture a plus.
A bachelor’s degree is desirable or the equivalent combination of experience sufficient to successfully perform essential functions of the job.
Part palace, part industrial shed, Park Avenue Armory fills a critical void in the cultural ecology of New York, supporting unconventional works in the performing and visual arts that cannot be fully realized in a traditional proscenium theater, concert hall, or white wall gallery. With its soaring 55,000-square-foot Wade Thompson Drill Hall and an array of exuberant period rooms, the Armory enables a diverse range of artists to create, students to explore, and audiences to experience epic, adventurous, relevant work that cannot be done elsewhere in New York.
