Job Description
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Campaign Director
Baltimore, MD
About The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
For over a century, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) has been recognized as one of America’s leading orchestras and one of Maryland’s most significant cultural institutions. The orchestra is internationally renowned and locally admired for its performances, recordings, community, and educational initiatives including OrchKids.
The only major American orchestra to have been founded as a part of its municipality, the BSO is also the only American orchestra with year-round venues in two distinct metropolitan areas, both specifically designed with the orchestra in mind: the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall in Baltimore, and the Music Center at Strathmore in North Bethesda. 2020 marked the beginning of a new era of innovation, stability, and digital accessibility, including the launch of the virtual platform BSO OffStage and a groundbreaking docu-concert series BSO Sessions.
In July 2022, the BSO once again made musical history with its announcement that Jonathon Heyward would succeed Music Director Laureate and OrchKids Founder Marin Alsop as the Orchestra’s next Music Director. Maestro Heyward began his five-year contract in the 2023-24 season.
Position Summary
The Campaign Director leads the implementation and successful completion of a comprehensive fundraising campaign. This position is both strategic and tactical, with responsibility for the day-to-day planning, coordination, and management of a multi-year campaign (from quiet phase through to public launch) that garners outright and/or planned gifts from individuals, foundations, and corporations across multiple types of capital: endowment, facility, change (bridge dollars as well as seed dollars for innovation), and working (annual fund). The Director will work closely with BSO executives, Advancement colleagues, senior leadership across all departments (in particular, Communications, Artistic, Orchestra Personnel, Education, Events & Engagement, and Marketing), as well as key volunteer leaders including a campaign executive committee, the board of directors, and endowment trustees.
Essential Duties
Prospect Research and Donor Pipeline
- Leverage the CRM (Tessitura), people, publicly available sources, and systems (MarketSmart, Wealth Engine, etc.) to proactively identify prospects across all campaign divisions
- Perform prospect research to gather detailed information on prospect background, giving history, and potential philanthropic interests to inform campaign request strategies
- Support the SVP & CAO in bi-weekly Prospect Management Group meetings with giving
- officers to coordinate the right time/right ask/right solicitor plans for all portfolio accounts across the quiet phase of the comprehensive campaign
Cultivation, Solicitation and Stewardship
- Collaborate with the SVP & CAO, colleagues, and volunteers to manage, update, and implement a strategic plan for the campaign
- Support senior staff and campaign volunteer solicitation success by preparing briefing and solicitation materials, providing strategic guidance, and assisting with donor communications and scheduling
- Manage campaign committees by assisting in volunteer recruitment, coordinating meetings, setting strategic agendas, and training volunteers on campaign best practices
- Plan and coordinate campaign cultivation and recognition events and meetings
- Directly solicit campaign gifts where appropriate, maintaining an active personal portfolio of
- campaign prospects at any time
- Develop donor-facing correspondence, including letters, gift agreements, acknowledgments, and other stewardship mailings (print and digital)
- Oversee the writing and development of campaign print and electronic collateral and coordinate their design and production
- Support the development and execution of a campaign communications plan, lifting campaign milestones for ongoing publications and public relations outreach, providing talking points for the media, and advising on a comprehensive public launch and engagement strategy
- Ensure donor acknowledgment and public recognition
Data Management, Reporting, and Tracking
- Maintain accurate, up-to-date, and readily available information and record-keeping on campaign goals, progress, prospects, donors, and gift decisions
- Maintain a comprehensive campaign timeline and organize the pipeline of prospective donors to ensure timely activity and progress toward campaign benchmarks
- Regularly evaluate progress towards goals and benchmarks, prepare timely progress reports, and recommend revisions to the campaign plan and timeline, as needed
- Serve as a subject matter expert on the BSO’s gift acceptance policy, campaign policies, and overall prospect management best practices
- Regularly staff concerts including donor lounge duty for BSO concerts at the Meyerhoff, Strathmore, and other run-out locations
Core Competencies
- A high level of integrity and extraordinary work ethic
- A superior communicator, able to work effectively and respectfully with donors, board members, volunteers, and colleagues
- Comfort in asking individuals to commit their funds, time, and/or talents to support the mission of an organization
- Proficiency with office technology and donor information systems
- Passion for the mission of the BSO
- Energetic, self-motivated, flexible, and adaptable; able to multi-task and work independently in a hands-on work environment
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree
- A minimum of five years professional experience in fundraising with a proven record of success in meeting fundraising goals and managing volunteer solicitors, with specific experience in capital campaigns and/or major gifts
- A track record of closing five and six-figure gifts
- Demonstrated experience in producing highly polished and persuasive solicitation and campaign materials
- Proven ability to exercise sound judgment in making independent decisions on matters of significance to the BSO’s ability to effectively execute its campaign fundraising plan
- Experience with CRM, preferably Tessitura
- Knowledge of the philanthropic community that supports the BSO (preferred)
Compensation
Compensation for the Campaign Director is $95,000 - $115,000.00 commensurate with experience, expertise, and other qualifying factors.
The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factors.
ThinkingAhead Executive Search is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to a work environment that supports, inspires and respects all individuals. Personnel processes are merit-based and applied without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, age, disability, national or ethnic ancestry, military service status, citizenship, or other protected characteristic. This applies to every aspect of employment including hiring, training, advancement and termination. The firm is committed to creating a just culture of diversity, equity and inclusion by practicing, within the company and the marketplace we serve, intentional strategies that serve marginalized individuals and groups.
Job Tags
Contract work, Work at office, Remote work, Flexible hours,