APAP Career Center

Department: Advancement

Title of Immediate Supervisor: Director of Advancement

Salary Range: $75,000-$85,000 per year

Hours: Full-time, Exempt

Best Consideration Date: Monday, July 14, 2025

POSITION INFORMATION

Position Summary/Purpose:

The Advancement team at Washington Performing Arts —a creative and collaborative group of arts professionals—seeks a dynamic, results-driven Major Gifts Officer (MGO) to expand and strengthen our fundraising efforts. The MGO will manage, cultivate, solicit, and steward a portfolio of supporters, including individual philanthropists and corporate partners. 

This is an exciting opportunity for a fundraising/advancement professional to work for a mission-driven organization that champions the unifying power of the arts through transformative performances and impactful arts education programs. Our ideal colleague will value working for a preeminent performing arts institution that produces events in venues ranging from concert halls and clubs to public parks, featuring a range of artists and art forms from the most distinguished orchestras to both renowned and emerging artists in classical music, gospel music, jazz, and other rich traditions from around the world. The candidate will join a staff of dedicated arts professionals, who represent a multiplicity of demographic, generational, and artistic backgrounds. 

The Major Gifts Officer (MGO) will be both a leader and partner in catalyzing support for our programs and organization. The MGO develops and executes strategies to deepen engagement with the individual and corporate philanthropic communities, bringing an entrepreneurial approach and passion for relationship building. It is essential that the candidate has a proven track record of success in meeting or exceeding annual fundraising target, passion for the performing arts, and adaptability in a team environment.

Reporting to the Director of Advancement, the MGO will be a self-motivated, collaborative frontline fundraiser. As such, this candidate will establish effective, strong working relationships with the Advancement team, and will work closely with the President & CEO, President Emeritus, and with members of the Board of Directors, Junior Board, and Management Team, to identifying key prospects for further cultivation.

The MGO will develop a strong understanding of our programs and their impact, and will help craft compelling cases for support through a variety of entry points and opportunities, including:

• Annual Giving - Collaborate with President & CEO, Director of Advancement, and the Manager of Individual Giving to identify, cultivate, and grow our donor base for the annual giving programs, including Friends, the Chairman’s Circle, and the Corporate Fund. 
•  Performance Sponsorships - Secure support for music and dance performances across genres including classical, jazz, gospel, chamber, and contemporary.
• Special Event Sponsorships - Identify and secure sponsorship opportunities such as for a large-scale annual Gala, a variety of special fundraisers surrounding performances and special productions. 
• Mars Arts D.C. – Identify and seek support for our signature, free community engagement initiative that celebrates the vibrancy of our local community and highlights the uniqueness and beauty of our neighborhoods to complement our ticketed performances.
• Arts Education and Lifelong Learning Programs – craft compelling narratives that highlights the impact of our in-school arts education programs that provide instrumental and vocal training as well as promote cultural understanding and appreciation (Embassy Adoption Programs), and lifelong learning initiatives. Strategically align the values of our programs with funders’ giving priority and brand identity.
• Gospel Music Programs – identify funding sources and grow support base for the organization’s robust gospel music program, a season-long immersive experience in vocal music, providing training and performance opportunities for our two resident gospel choirs.
• Washington Performing Arts’s the World in our City initiative - Develop and implement strategies to weave together programs with global focus including featured performances on the annual presenting season, the Embassy Adoption Program (led in partnership with D.C. Public Schools), and Mars Arts D.C. to elevate Washington Performing Arts’s unique connectivity and creativity. 
• Planned Giving - support the Director of Advancement and the Legacy Society Steering Committee in identifying, cultivating, and stewarding members of our planned giving program, the Legacy Society.

Essential Duty #1: Donor Cultivation, Strategy, Solicitation, and Partnerships 

Percentage: 75%

• Donor Portfolio Management & Building – identify, research, manage, and grow a portfolio of combined 70+ active and prospective individual and corporate supporters whose annual budget goals represent approximately $500,000 for annual, special, or multi-year gifts beginning at $5,000 and extending to five and six figures
• Develop Strategies to Increase Individual and Corporate Giving and Engagement – proactively identify, cultivate, develop, and execute personalized solicitation strategies for new and existing individual and corporate donors
• Develop and Pitch Proposals - build a pipeline of prospects; prepare and pitch compelling proposals and presentations tailored to individual and corporate donor’s interest and giving priorities 
•  Strategic Partnership – lead meaningful engagement and relationship-building strategies for corporate, business, diplomatic, and community leaders to support direct fundraising initiatives, often in partnership with the Board, Director of Advancement, and President & CEO.
• Project Reporting - Submit periodic progress and final project reports to fulfill donor compliance expectations, via corporate funding portals
• Creation of Stewardship Materials – Manage promotional deliverables and create stewardship materials in partnership with programmatic and design colleagues to generate impact reports, e-news vehicles, and other collateral as needed
• Special Events Engagement – Manage individual and corporate engagement and participation connected to the Annual Gala and Auction, and other large-scale special events
• Performance Tracking - Monitor and report on metrics such as Key Performance Indicator (KPIs), conversion rates, and donor retention, and revenue generated

Essential Duty #2: Board Pipeline Development  

Percentage: 15%

• Board of Directors/Corporate Donation Cultivation and Stewardship - In close collaboration with the Director of Advancement and President & CEO, serve as primary relationship manager for Washington Performing Arts Board of Directors members who also hold Corporate Board seats, to facilitate corporate donation giving and stewardship 
• Board Prospecting - Work with Board Members to identify and cultivate new individual and corporate Board prospects. Research and qualify prospective Board donors through social events, wealth screening tools, and other sources, and track research activity in our CRM, Tessitura. 
• Board Governance - work closely with the board, Director of Advancement, and President & CEO to support the Governance, Board Engagement, and Equity Committee to identify cultivation opportunities to advance board pipeline development strategies 

Essential Duty #3: Diplomatic Community Engagement 

Percentage: 10%

• Building Meaningful Engagement Opportunities – partnering closely with President & CEO, Director of Advancement, Manager of Individual Giving, Manager of Special Events, and colleagues who manages the Embassy Adoption Program to develop and implement strategies for connecting and engaging the diplomatic community with Washington Performing Arts’s season-long programs and special events, and to coordinate related stewardship and cultivation opportunities
• Identify and Seek Partnerships – identify, prepare, and execute proposals based on joint interests that appeals to diplomatic partners to provide financial and in-kind support to Washington Performing Arts 

Benefits of Working at Washington Performing Arts

At Washington Performing Arts, we believe in the value of building a community and taking care of our people. We offer a generous employee package that includes health, vision, dental, and life insurances, long-term disability insurance, employee assistance program, 403 B retirement saving plan, paid holidays, health & wellness/professional development stipend, and free performances. Join us!

Supervisory Responsibility: N/A

Number of Direct Reports: N/A

Minimum Qualifications and Attributes:

• 5+ years of fundraising experience, preferably in major gifts and/or corporate relations within the performing arts 
• Some college coursework in a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience
•  Proven success in securing individual and corporate gifts at $5,000+ level
• Knowledge of the performing arts, ideally one or more of the key artistic or programmatic areas (classical music, gospel music, arts education) 

Proven ability to:

• Engage and inspire donors through compelling storytelling and relationship-building. 
• Set goals and manage donor strategies. 
• Interact and influence philanthropic leaders
• Work effectively and cross-functionally with internal and external constituents
• Experience managing and partnering with Board members, high-level volunteers, and executive staff

Specific Conditions of Work

• Completion of a satisfactory criminal background check prior to start of employment 
• The Major Gifts Officer is a full-time position with regular office hours from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. and additional duties at performances, events, and activities beyond regular office hours (typically on evenings and weekends)
• Hybrid work schedule: 3 days minimum per week in office/onsite 
• Must be able to staff events on evenings and weekends as well as attend social and networking events on behalf of Washington Performing Arts
• Must have reliable transportation and internet access for remote work

About Washington Performing Arts

About Washington Performing Arts: https://www.washingtonperformingarts.org/?t=1 One of the most established and honored performing arts institutions in America, Washington Performing Arts has engaged for more than half a century with artists, audiences, students, and civic life. The city is truly our stage: for decades, in venues ranging from concert halls and clubs to public parks, we have presented a tremendous range of artists and art forms, from the most distinguished symphony orchestras to both renowned and emerging artists in classical music, gospel music, jazz, culturally specific genres, dance, and more. We also have an ever-expanding artistic and educational presence on the internet, envisioning ongoing opportunities for online connection and community. Washington Performing Arts deeply values its partnerships with local organizations and other arts institutions. Through events online and in myriad performance venues and neighborhoods, we engage international visiting artists in community programs and introduce local artists to wider audiences. We place a premium on establishing artists as a continuing presence in the lives of both young people and adults throug...h residencies and education programs. Our achievements have been recognized with a National Medal of Arts and with three Mayor’s Arts Awards from the DC Government. We have now embarked upon our second half-century, ever inspired by the motto of our founder, Patrick Hayes: “Everybody in, nobody out.” In keeping with our mission and guiding principles, we seek, represent, and welcome a multiplicity of voices in everything we do from programmatic content to the composition of our board and staff. Accordingly, we seek to build a team that reflects and meets the needs of the community we are part of and serve. While we have made important progress, we continue to pursue that goal through intentional, focused learning and action. We strive to make Washington Performing Arts ever more inclusive, and true to our founder’s guiding ethos of “everybody in, nobody out.” To gain the maximum benefit from our team, we wish to make every employee feel welcome and motivated to do their best work. We know that we work better together in service of Washington Performing Arts’ mission, because of our differences, not despite them. Equal Employment Opportunity Statement Washington Performing Arts subscribes to a policy of Equal Employment Opportunity and will not discriminate against any employee or applicant because of race, age, sex, color, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, protected veteran status, religion, ancestry or national origin, marital status, genetic information, political affiliation, and gender identity or expression. In addition, the District of Columbia adds protection for marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, family responsibilities, matriculation, or political affiliation. Washington Performing Arts’ employment decisions are made based on the needs of the organization and qualifications of the applicants and employees.

Show more

Show less

Connections working at Washington Performing Arts