Director of Development

Organizational Background

The Yard is a 51-year-old nonprofit organization on Martha’s Vineyard that serves as a performance platform for dance artists, musicians, and other artists from around the globe, by providing paid artist residencies, public performances, education programs, and year-round community engagement activities. 

The heart of The Yard’s mission is to support diverse, contemporary choreographers and other performing artists in creating new work, while enriching our Island community through the arts. As one of the oldest nonprofits on Martha’s Vineyard, The Yard provides intergenerational community engagement programs and classes, on and off our picturesque campus, as well as dance and creativity-centered education programs in schools throughout the Island’s six rural towns. 

The Yard was founded in 1973 by the late choreographer Patricia N. Nanon, who envisioned The Yard as "a playground without walls, a place to explore, to experiment, construct..." The Yard has supported thousands of national and international artists, taking a leadership role in the performing arts field through commissioning and providing artist residencies for research, development, and presentation.  

The Yard is an inclusive and welcoming community with an expressed commitment to anti-racism, cultural exploration, and the cultivation of diverse forms of expression. Residencies enable and amplify the work of artists by providing financial stipends, access to rehearsal and performance spaces, teaching opportunities, support in technical production, and marketing. Community engagement with the residents of and visitors to the island includes public performances; free community pop-ups; partnerships with farms, libraries, wildlife preserves, and other community services; and intergenerational dance classes and workshops.

Job Summary

The Director of Development provides the vision, leadership, strategy, and direction of fundraising to support The Yard’s performances, programs, and operations. The Director is responsible for institutional funding, individual giving, corporate sponsorship, special events, donor communication, and Board fundraising. 

A member of the senior management team, reporting to the Executive Director, the Director of Development is a high energy, seasoned development professional with a passion for The Yard’s mission, and a proven track record in building strong relationships with current and prospective donors. Working closely with the Executive Director, other senior staff, and the Board, the Director of Development will be the catalyst for helping The Yard achieve its financial goals.  They will be an integral part of the management team and a key player in the growth and expansion of The Yard, as it undertakes a major $12M-$16M capital campaign.

Responsibilities

Strategy, Planning & Administration

• Conceptualizes, leads, implements, and monitors annual resource development strategy/plan
• Creates and monitors annual fundraising income and expense budgets
• Constantly evaluates progress toward fundraising goals, and is accountable to and works with the Executive Director to adjust strategies
• Develops and implements plans for cultivating, retaining and upgrading donors at all levels
• Ensures the integrity of the fundraising database (Spektrix), as well as online giving, gift processing, recording and acknowledgement
• Coordinates fiscal management and income tracking with finance and administrative staff
• Works with the Executive Director and Programing Director to ensure all teams’ work is coordinated, strategic, and meets donor communication goals
• Supervises contract Grant Writer, as well as additional consultants, interns, and volunteers

Messaging & Donor Communication

• Thoroughly understands our mission, culture, values, history, key stakeholders, programs and finances and is able to articulate them to diverse audiences
• Develops creative strategies for expanding funding base through online campaigns, social media, including peer-to-peer fundraising, and web visibility, working in conjunction with communications and marketing staff
• Drafts text for annual reports, direct mail appeals, e-news, and other print and online communications and publications; supervises design and publication of printed fundraising materials, in collaboration with Marketing staff

Institutional Giving

• Manages public and foundation giving campaign and relationships with institutional funders, ensuring timely submission of proposals and reports
• Works with Executive Director and Grant Writer on proposal design, writing, and reporting
• Identifies prospective corporate, foundation and public donors

Individual & Planned Giving

• Plans and oversees individual giving program to engage donors at all levels, including monthly giving
• Oversees and implements major donor program, including prospect identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship; supports Executive Director in solicitation of major gifts, including meeting preparation and follow-up
• Develops and implements strategies to build bequests and increase donor designations
• Conducts individual prospect research and ensures donor information storage
• Works with senior staff and the Board Development Committee to ensure Board Members succeed in their fundraising responsibilities

Special Events

• Plans and manages donor cultivation events, artist events, behind-the-scenes donor experiences, and fundraising events.

Capital Campaign

• Moving forward, the Development Director will work closely with the Executive Director to oversee The Yard’s upcoming Capital Campaign, to support renovations on our Martha’s Vineyard campus. The Director will be responsible for aligning campaign strategies with annual fundraising goals, as well as providing oversight and supervision for campaign staff and consultants, stewardship and support for Campaign Committee and its activities, and other activities. 

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will have the following experience and qualifications:

• A minimum of five years of progressive experience in multifaceted development work;
• An organized and strategic approach to fundraising with experience in managing, developing and coordinating successful fundraising efforts;
• Demonstrated success in major gift cultivation, solicitation and stewardship, direct response, foundation, government and corporate funding;
• Demonstrated ability to conceptualize and describe funding needs in a way that is compelling and comprehensive to the potential donor;
• Leadership and strategic qualities to manage volunteers and to direct day-to-day activities and operations;
• Experience developing solid working relationships with Board Members and donors;
• Demonstrated experience in developing and managing budgets; knowledge of the most up-to-date donor tracking systems;
• Inspirational communicator with excellent writing skills; 
• A track record as an effective communicator who is articulate and persuasive in written and verbal communications; adept at crafting proposals, donor correspondence and other kinds of materials and making presentations to a variety of audiences; 
• A passion for enriching community through the arts;
• A strong commitment to social justice; and,
• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college/university preferred, but not required.

Compensation

This is a flexible hybrid position requiring 2-3 months spent on Martha’s Vineyard for our summer performance season, educational and community engagement programs, and patron events including artist events, behind-the-scenes donor experiences, cultivation, and fundraising events. Many Yard staff members work remotely throughout the rest of the year, though preference will be given to candidates based-in the Northeastern U.S. Estimated 20-30% travel for off-island candidates, including summer residency.

Annual salary ranges from $80,000-$85,000, based on experience. 

The Yard recognizes the challenges of Martha’s Vineyard’s housing market and provides support through shared, seasonal staff housing and/or housing stipends. Additional benefits include: health and dental insurance; paid time off/vacation; retirement plan. 

How to Apply

The Yard is committed to fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and welcome applications from all qualified individuals. 

The Yard supports a culture of learning and professional growth. Those who meet many but not all of the qualifications are still encouraged to apply.

Application Deadline: Resumes accepted until position is filled. 

Qualified applicants should email a cover letter and resume to jobs@wingo.nyc. Cover letters should include the website name where you found the posting and be labeled “Last Name – Cover Letter,” and resumes should be labeled “Last Name – Resume”. No phone calls, please.