To apply, please send your cover letter and resume to jobs@storycatcherstheatre.org with the position title in the subject line.
Position Summary.
Reporting to the Executive Director, the Director of Development will serve as a key leadership team member and an active participant in making strategic decisions affecting Storycatchers. In partnership with the Executive Director, this position is responsible for all fundraising and development activities. The successful candidate will help forge new relationships to build Storycatchers’ visibility, impact, and financial resources. The Director of Development, in partnership with the Executive Director, will also design and implement a comprehensive plan for developing key external alliances by cultivating individual and institutional philanthropic support.
The Director of Development will collaborate with the Executive Director to establish and implement the infrastructure needed to grow a $1.8M budget through the solicitation of major gifts, individual giving, federal and state grants, special events, and corporate and foundation support. This position will collaborate with the Executive Director to expand and diversify the Storycatchers donor base/pipeline and work closely with other team members to secure funding for new initiatives. In addition, the Director of Development will coordinate fundraising initiatives with the Development Committee while working closely with the board of directors to support members as they take on a more active fundraising role. This position will also serve on the leadership team of the organization and join board meetings on a regular basis.
This is a full-time position working an average of 40 hours per week at our admin headquarters with the possibility of remote work several days a week. This individual must work successfully with all persons in the organization without regard to ethnicity, religion, age, national origin, physical challenge, sexual orientation, or gender.
Who Should Apply.
This is a unique opportunity for a mission-driven, experienced development professional to assume ownership of a philanthropic sector with enormous potential for growth. The applicant should be comfortable taking ownership of a development strategy and working with the Executive Director and Board to execute this strategy.
Responsibilities.
Major Gifts and Grants
- Qualify, develop, and maintain year-round relationships with all donors and/or prospects to grow immediate and long-term funding strategy.
- Coordinate with Grants Manager and Office Administrator to maintain donor records and ensure prompt acknowledgment and consistent appreciation of support.
- Serve as a primary out-the-door fundraiser along with Executive Director, building donor relationships through face-to-face cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
- Create individual engagement, stewardship plans and giving goals for each donor based on giving history, relationship, and the organization’s knowledge of the donor’s giving potential.
- Work with the Grants Manager to develop a Case Statement to be used in donor solicitation meetings.
- Manage Executive Director’s major gift portfolio and partner with Executive Director to move cultivation strategies forward.
- Collaborate with the Executive Director to lead the organization’s process of setting goals and priorities for fund development and agency strategic planning.
- Collaborate with the Grants Manager to seek and secure funding to maintain income in these areas: foundation, corporate, government, grants, and events. Oversee the required reporting with the Grants Manager.
- Manage and facilitate relationships with current and potential individual donors as well as increase major donor base. This includes but is not limited to donor research, ongoing and personalized communications, direct asks for support and follow-through on communicating the ongoing results due to the donor’s support partnership.
- Coordinate with program and finance team members to monitor, evaluate, and prepare reports for corporate, government and foundation grants.
Annual Fund Campaigns and Special Events
- With support from development and communications conceptualize and implement an annual fall appeal campaign in coordination with the Board of Directors to leverage their personal outreach
- With support from development and communications conceptualize and implement a minimum of two special events annually – a donor cultivation event with a focus on relationships, and a benefit.
- Represent Storycatchers at community events hosted by stakeholders and potential stakeholders, such as private and public foundations and corporate foundations.
Board Engagement
- Collaborate with Board Development Committee chair and Executive Director to develop annual fundraising plans, in line with organizational growth plan. Provide oversight and direction to the Development Committee.
- Support individual board members to create and implement their annual board pledges and fundraising plans.
Essential Skills and Qualifications.
- Bachelor’s degree and/or equivalent work experience
- Excellent oral and written communication skills
- Collaborative work ethic with strong interpersonal, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills
- 5-7 years fundraising and development experience required
- Demonstrated ability to facilitate donor solicitations and successful donor pipeline management
- Experience working in DonorPerfect or similar CRM platform preferred
- Strong passion for arts education and/or social justice
General Required Availability.
- Full-time: 40 hours/week
- Remote work and flexible work hours available
- Weekly hours to be established with flexibility required to support development initiatives
during some evenings and weekends.
Benefits.
- Group Health, Dental, and Vision insurance offered.
- 403(b) Retirement Plans available.
- 43 days of PTO each year that includes a winter holiday break, flexible personal time, and all federal holidays.
- Paid professional development opportunities.
About Storycatchers Theatre.
Storycatchers Theatre guides young people to transform their traumatic experiences into powerful musical theatre, developing the courage and vision to become leaders and mentors. By creating support for youth within the criminal justice system, Storycatchers prepares them to change their lives and emerge successfully from court involvement. We dedicate all our resources to meeting the complex needs of adolescents and young adults who are impacted by the criminal justice system. We have worked with young people in the Illinois juvenile justice system since 1990, developing and refining a nationally recognized, award-winning, trauma-informed creative youth development methodology. We conduct year-round residential programs in three separate
juvenile justice facilities and offer a post-release performing arts jobs program, Changing Voices,
to young people navigating reentry to Chicago.
We are dedicated to amplifying and elevating the voices of young people impacted by the carceral state. We implement a uniquely effective creative youth development model that helps a marginalized population develop the capacity to envision and pursue meaningful futures. We believe in second chances.
Our Core Values.
- We commit to each other.
We hold strong to our own integrity, beliefs, and actions. We care for each other, acknowledging our traumas and joys, challenges, and celebrations. We show up in the face of adversity; and with our shared trust, inspire others to realize the true measure of bravery in moving forward together. - We commit to our community.
We strive to create a place of safety and resource for young people. We do this by connecting with allies who share our values and understand what can be accomplished with a network of support. Through this collaborative vision, we provide young people with the stability that is necessary for meaningful growth. - We respect that everyone has a unique story.
We see each person’s story as a remarkable gift. We value the diversity of our staff and youth’s unique perspectives and their impact on our collaborative process. This allows us to expand boundaries and create innovative solutions to address challenges that often seem unconquerable. - We believe that youth can be the authors of their own lives.
By letting the youth voices guide our work, we develop a common language, build trust, and give them tools to unlock their potential. We affirm their lived experience and use the power of applause, positive reinforcement, and public acknowledgment to create a lasting sense of personal value for our entire Storycatchers community. - We are innovative.
We believe that paired together, creativity and purpose are the keys to tackling the complex challenges confronting youth. We explore and play, using our values to test boundaries and discover solutions that transcend traditional ideas and rules. We combine ingenuity and resources in extraordinary ways to develop art and the facility to make real change.