Senior Director, Advancement, Stratford Festival

Stratford Festival
Senior Director, Advancement

Application Deadline: November 26, 2024

The Opportunity

The Stratford Festival is seeking a highly strategic, experienced fundraiser to be our next Senior Director, Advancement. A collaborative and dynamic leader of people and projects, the Senior Director will have the opportunity to make a significant impact on the largest theatre company in North America and arguably one of the most important arts organizations in the English-speaking world.

Reporting to the Executive Director and working closely with the Artistic Director, the new Senior Director will manage a committed staff team of 11 and work in partnership with the Advancement Committee Chair, along with a group of dedicated senior volunteers to manage donor relations and systematically increase support for the Festival.

Leveraging a passion for the performing arts along with proven fundraising acumen, the Senior Director will work collaboratively and diligently to build the donor and prospect pipeline and key revenue streams including major gifts, special appeals, membership, special events and our endowment. Balancing a strategic lens with tactical agility, the Senior Director will be able to quickly assess resources and opportunities to build and implement high-return campaigns, fundraising programs, systems, and activities in a timely manner.

A skilled and highly motivated relationship builder, the Senior Director will use their networking and communication experience to authentically convey the joy and value of theatre to increase engagement and greater support for the Festival. A natural facilitator and people leader, the Senior Director will be able to quickly build trust with colleagues and volunteers while developing productive relationships with donors and prospects in Canada and the U.S.

This is an exciting time to join the Stratford Festival as chart a path toward greater revenue diversification and growth. As part of this journey, our new Senior Director will need to embed themselves in our picturesque, artistic community, living within a reasonable commute to ensure Advancement goals can be met during the high season and throughout the year. In addition to the competitive salary and benefits package, relocation support is available to assist the new Senior Director should they require relocation.

About the Stratford Festival

The Stratford Festival is one of the world’s foremost repertory theatre companies. It operates year-round, presenting a season of about a dozen plays each year between April and November, a rich stream of digital content and hundreds of Forum events, designed to deepen understanding of the plays. For every person a theatregoer sees on stage, there are seven people working behind the scenes supporting our incredible experience of theatre.

Embracing an over 70-year heritage of tradition and innovation, the Stratford Festival seeks to bring theatre alive for increasingly diverse audiences, pursue new artistic avenues, and expand the scope and reach of work beyond the stage itself.

By attracting the finest talent from Canada and around the world and by providing the conditions and training that enable artists to achieve their most courageous work, the Festival immerses audiences in a theatregoing experience that is innovative, entertaining, and unsurpassed anywhere in the world, one that is deeply relevant to, and reflective of, our lives and communities.

Qualifications & Competencies

• Progressive experience in senior fundraising roles, including experience successfully securing gifts at the six- and seven-figure level through diverse revenue streams.
• Current or past experience working in arts and culture is a definite asset.
• Demonstrated passion for the arts and for the Stratford Festival’s mission.
• Proven track record of setting and reaching financial goals with excellent organizational and administrative skills along with the proven ability to manage multiple programs, revenue streams and data.
• Solid and diverse campaign experience including participation in significant campaigns.
• Experience in staff management and strategic leadership roles along with experience operating as part of a cross-functional senior leadership team.
• Proven history building and leading high-performing staff teams.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills with a demonstrated ability to build, manage, and maintain meaningful relationships with donors, prospects, volunteers and other supporters.
• Experience in managing and advancing a complex portfolio of prospects at various stages of development.
• Experience in working with prospects, donors, and senior volunteers from both Canada and the United States.
• Experience with both Canadian and American fundraising models, trends, and techniques. Knowledge of differing approaches and attitudes toward giving in each country and multi-generational approaches to philanthropy.
• Highly developed written and verbal communication skills and excellent public speaking skills.
• Results-oriented personality with a collegial management approach and a high level of integrity.
• Experience with the financial oversight of a department or program and building and managing budgets and annual plans.
• Able to work independently, strategically and be “hands-on” as required.
• Excellent attention to detail with the ability to manage complex situations and events.
• History of imaginative and innovative approaches to the development of new giving opportunities with experience working with diverse donor audiences that reflect changing practices, preferences, and demographics.
• Experience working cross-functionally with Marketing to develop successful donor communications.
• A practical, calm, and creative problem-solver with excellent judgement and decision-making skills.
• The ability to work respectfully and inclusively with diverse populations and community members.
• Post-secondary education in a related field/equivalent work-related experience.

For More Information

KCI Search + Talent has been retained to conduct this search on behalf of the Stratford Festival. For more information about this opportunity please contact Samantha David and Jill Anderson by email at StratfordFestival@kcitalent.com

Interested candidates should send their resume and a letter of interest to the email address listed above by November 26, 2024. All inquiries and applications will be held in strict confidence.

The target salary range for this position is $172,023 – $206,428 plus a comprehensive benefits package.

The Stratford Festival is working diligently toward a safe and healthy workplace for everyone. We welcome applicants of every identity and encourage applications from Indigenous, Black, People of Colour, Deaf, disabled and 2SLGBTQ+ folks. We are committed to accommodating people with disabilities throughout the recruitment process and beyond. If you require accommodation (including, but not limited to, an accessible interview site, alternate format documents, ASL Interpreter, or Assistive Technology) during the recruitment and selection process, please advise the Search Consultants.

Stratford Festival
55 Queen Street
Stratford, ON N5A 4M9
www.stratfordfestival.ca

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