Director of Development - The Job Plugs

About Beth Morrison Projects:

Beth Morrison Projects (BMP) is one of the foremost creators and producers of new opera-theatre and music theatre, with a fierce commitment to leading the industry into the future, cultivating a new generation of talent, and telling the stories of our time. BMP identifies emerging and established composers who experiment, innovate, and take artistic risks to evolve opera-theatre and music-theatre into the future. With a focus on the cultivation of the next generation and diversification, BMP serves as a launching pad for future artistic leaders in the field. Through the commissioning, development, production, and touring of new works, BMP aims to expose audiences around the world to relevant contemporary American chamber opera and music-theatre works of the highest caliber.

Founded by “contemporary opera mastermind” (LA Times) Beth Morrison, who was honored as one of Musical America's Artists of the Year/Agents of Change in 2020, BMP has grown into “a driving force behind America's thriving opera scene” (Financial Times), with Opera News declaring that the company, “more than any other… has helped propel the art form into the twenty-first century.”

Operating across the US and internationally, with offices in Brooklyn and Los Angeles, BMP's unique model offers living composers the support, guidance, and freedom to experiment, allowing them to create singularly innovative and impactful projects. Since forming in 2006, the company has commissioned, developed, produced and toured over 50 works in 14 countries around the world, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning chamber operas Angel's Bone and p r i s m.

In 2013, BMP co-founded the PROTOTYPE Festival with HERE Arts Center, which has been called “utterly essential” (The New York Times), “indispensable” (The New Yorker), and “one of the world's top festivals of contemporary opera and theater” (Associated Press).

Beth Morrison Projects, one of the industry's leading producers of opera-theatre and music-theatre, seeks a full-time Director of Development to join its team. The Director of Development leads BMP's fundraising efforts (with a particular focus on growing and cultivating BMP's base of individual donors), ensuring that BMP has the necessary resources to pursue its mission of fostering field-wide innovation.

Beth Morrison Projects is a bi-coastal company, headquartered in New York City with a second office in Los Angeles, and tours across the country and world; members of BMP's Board of Directors are based in both cities. The Director of Development will be responsible primarily for fundraising in New York and Los Angeles.

Core Responsibilities: Reporting to BMP's Executive Director, and working closely with BMP's President & Creative Producer, the Director of Development's responsibilities include:

• Development Strategy: In partnership with President/Creative Producer and Executive Director, develop and execute the overall fundraising strategy for BMP and the PROTOTYPE Festival.
• Individual Donor Cultivation:
  • Grow BMP's base of support by identifying, building relationships with board members, current donors, and prospects to grow BMP's base of support by identifying, cultivating, and soliciting mid-level and major gifts.
• Review and refine major and mid-level giving programs, working collaboratively with Executive Director & President/Creative Producer to identify priority funding areas for major gift investment.
• o In partnership with President & Creative Producer, and supported by development team, plan and execute cultivation and stewardship events to build and strengthen BMP's base of supporters.
• · Communications Strategy:
  • Working with BMP's Executive Director, help shape public perception of BMP, expanding awareness of BMP's mission, work, and impact by overseeing the creation and execution of donor communications.
• Create and direct annual development communications plan, identifying opportunities for effective segmentation and targeted messaging to strengthen constituent affinity and grow BMP's audience.
• · Development Operations and Institutional Fundraising:
  • Oversee and manage all development operations for BMP and the PROTOTYPE Festival, including gift acceptance and processing (executed by the Development Manager), CRM and constituent management systems, and donor portfolio management.
• Supported by Development Manager, refine and execute processes for prospect research, donor assessment, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
• Shepherd the grant application process by acting as the liaison between BMP's contracted grant writer, artists, and producing staff with support from the Development Manager.
• Review, refine, and submit grant proposals and reports on behalf of BMP and BMP artists; regularly review institutional funding prospects to identify new potential funders for BMP and PROTOTYPE.
• Department Leadership and Management:
  • Hire, supervise, and mentor direct reports (Development Manager, other position TBD), as well as seasonal direct reports during the PROTOTYPE Festival.
• As a member of BMP's Management team, contribute to overall organizational strategy, policy, operations, and organizational culture.

BMP operates on a hybrid model, with 2-3 days a week of in-person work in BMP's Brooklyn office. The Director of Development must be based in the greater New York City area or willing to relocate. As the Director of Development is expected to travel for donor meetings, events, and BMP performances, especially in BMP's “second home” of Los Angeles, some travel (4-5 times a year) is expected. BMP's standard office hours are 10:30 AM-6:00 PM, Monday-Friday; however, some evening and weekend work is expected for this role.

Qualifications:

• Passion for BMP's Mission: A love of the performing arts (especially contemporary opera, theatre, new music, and/or avant-garde performance), and the ability to inspire others to support that mission.
• Comprehensive Fundraising Expertise: Progressive professional experience in fundraising, with demonstrated success working with annual and/or major donors, acquiring and engaging a donor base, and working with CRM systems. Experience partnering with a Board of Directors in pursuit of fundraising goals and/or managing development operations or a department a plus.
• · Storytelling and Communication Skills: The ability to inspire philanthropic participation by showcasing organizational impact through multiple channels, including one-on-one conversations, events, and both individual and mass emails.
• · Strategic and Innovative Thinking: An ability to think outside the box and come up with actionable plans to navigate structural challenges and achieve goals; an understanding of how to leverage the appropriate organizational resources in pursuit of those goals.
• Relationship Building and Emotional Acuity: An ability to create rapport and build positive relationships with anyone, including organizational and industry colleagues, artists, institutional funders, and high-net-worth individuals.
• Project Management: The ability to see an idea through from idea to planning to execution; comfort and facility with both big-picture thinking and minute attention to detail.
• People Management and Collaboration: The ability to generate alignment around an idea or strategy; the ability to supervise and mentor junior colleagues.

Compensation:

The Director of Development is a full-time, all full-time employees at BMP receive generous paid time off; contributions to health, dental, and vision insurance premiums; and monthly contributions to a 403b retirement account after one year of employment.