Careers

STATUS: Full-time, Permanent, some weekends and evenings required

REPORTING: reports to the General Manager

Persephone Theatre is looking for a talented and creative development professional with a passion for the arts and a track record of securing funds by fulfilling the interests and passions of donors. Their pursuit in this is aided by a personal charisma and an ease at telling the stories of Persephone in a creative manner that ignites people’s desire to get involved. The candidate must have demonstrated proficiency in building relationships that create trust, leading to increased revenue generation. This position will coordinate with our Marketing & Outreach department’s efforts in fulfilling our annual fundraising goals. Join a team where you can be a leader, and where you can pursue the aspirations of an already substantial career, in a position where you will make a difference.

Persephone Theatre is looking for an individual who can strategically and personally enact these responsibilities:

Working collaboratively with the Board, General Manager, and Director of Marketing:

• Assist in creating, implementing, and monitoring for success, fundraising and stewardship plans and their corollary materials (e.g., stewardship reports, thank you letters, correspondence, and naming opportunity descriptions, etc.) to secure and keep, major gift donors.
• Secure a targeted amount of gifts & sponsorships identified in the fundraising plan.
• Coordinate face to face solicitations.
• Ensure recognition and stewardship obligations outlined in gift agreements are included in customized stewardship plans and tracked through our Theatre Manager software. Coordinate annual fund statements to donors and sponsors.
• Strategize, lead and coordinate (in association with the Director of Marketing) all gift announcements and events for donors.
• Assist in creating and implementing our donor recognition program, including giving societies and guidelines for annual giving, mid-level, major and planned giving donors.
• Liaise and coordinate with our volunteer Fund Cabinet in the pursuit of donation and sponsorship prospects.
• Optimize and update our Theatre Manager database, in coordination with our Box Office Manager, as a tool for documenting, implementing and executing cultivation and stewardship plans.
• Manage our donor naming approvals through the approved Board processes, and inventory the naming opportunities along with the coordination and updating of donor signage, plaquing or website recognition.
• Manage our sponsorship recognition, in concert with the Director of Marketing & Outreach.
• Willingness to increase personal development in fundraising industry best practices in donor and sponsorship relations for all programs and make recommendations for implementation.
• Other projects as mutually agreed are required. The Development Officer is primarily accountable to the General Manager – in consultation with the Artistic Director – in managing the fund development goals and achievements of the organization in concert with the theatre’s Organizational Statements (Mandate, Mission, Vision, Values & Strategic Priorities), ensuring the theatre remains a resilient and sustainable organization. This entails working with the staff team and Board leadership and leading the implementation of a strategic Fund Development plan for financial goals and, once approved by management, communicate the strategies and tactics to staff and the board, ensuring all are knowledgeable.

Qualifications and skills:

Essential

• Minimum 1-3 years of progressive experience in a fundraising or donor relations capacity;
• Personable with strong customer service skills
• Demonstrated ability to draft materials such as solicitation letters, impact reports, etc.;
• Excellent communication skills, both oral and written;
• Knowledge of fundraising/database software (Theatre Manager specifically would be an asset);
• Strategic thinker with a collaborative bent;
• Experience with relationship management;

Desirable

• Passion for theatre;
• Good research skills;
• Great sense of humour; Key competencies include:
• Personal Accountability – a self-motivated sense of purpose and direction that supports reliability and accountability for personal and professional actions.
• Customer Focus – the commitment to patron, donor, supporter and prospect satisfaction.
• Planning, Organizing, and Managing Time and Priorities – the ability to ascertain top priorities, forecast while anticipating outcomes and risks, and establishing appropriate courses of action.
• Professional deportment – the position may require the candidate to become one of the public “faces” of the organization.

Salary and Benefits:

Salary will be $50-60K, commensurate with skills and experience. Company Benefit Plan available after 3 month probation period. Three weeks of vacation after first year.

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Persephone Theatre is an equal-opportunity employer and strongly supports and values diversity in the workplace. Applications from all qualified candidates are welcome. Persephone gratefully acknowledges its location at River Landing in Saskatoon, on Treaty 6 land, traditional territory of the Cree and homeland of the Métis.

We thank all those who apply for the position. Please note that only those selected for an interview will be contacted.