New York Classical Theatre is seeking a Director of Development and Communications
ABOUT NY CLASSICAL
New York Classical Theatre creates and reinvigorates audiences for the theatre by presenting free productions of popular and forgotten classical plays in public spaces throughout New York City. We are also committed to developing and producing new plays by living playwrights that enrich and expand our understanding of what defines a classic.
Since 2000, NY Classical has presented over 900 free performances for more than 325,000 New Yorkers. We produce extensively in non-traditional settings: outdoors, our Panoramic Theatre productions put audiences in the center of the action in varying locations throughout Central Park, Carl Schurz Park, and Battery Park as we incorporate each of our unique venues to build a total immersive experience. Indoors, our New Visions play development program hosts today’s historically under-represented writers reimagining source material from the past in approachable local landmarks like Brookfield Place, Pearl Studios, and the Tata Innovation Center on Roosevelt Island.
Each season, our programming serves over 7,500 spectators with stimulating professional Off-Broadway performances. For more information about NY Classical, please visit nyclassical.org. Our “Season In Review” annual reports can be found at nyclassical.org/annual-reports.
ABOUT THE ROLE
As part of our strategic direction, the majority of NY Classical’s staff is comprised of historically underrepresented people and reflects the global majority audience we serve in New York City. We encourage candidates who self-identify as Black, Indigenous, Latinx/Latino, Asian, South Asian, Pacific Islander, Indian, MENA/SWANA, and multiracial-American. In addition to ethnicity, we are committed to expanding the representation of gender, body type, and diverse physical abilities in all of our hiring.
NY Classical is looking for a dynamic Director of Development and Communications who will report to and be a strategic partner for the Founding Artistic Director. This role offers significant growth potential with the opportunity to eventually evolve into an Executive Director position for the right candidate. In addition to departmental responsibilities, this position will assist the Founding Artistic Director in shaping the company’s overall leadership, vision, and long-term direction.
The prime responsibility of the Director of Development and Communication will be to oversee critical fundraising and communication functions, leading all revenue-generating activities and marketing efforts. The role is ideal for someone who is excited by the day-to-day details of fundraising and communication for a theatre company, but also committed to a big-picture leadership opportunity.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Fundraising - 70%
- Create and execute an annual fundraising plan for individual contributions, including prospecting, cultivation, acquisition, renewal, and stewardship
- Maintain and grow a robust pipeline of institutional support by writing and submitting grant proposals and required reports, and keeping a calendar of deadlines
- Liaise with the gala benefit producer and spearhead a gala benefit dinner and 2-3 donor-engagement special annually
- Serve as the Board of Directors’ support, presenting on development topics at meetings and facilitating select committees
- Participate in the creation of annual income budgets
Communications - 20%
- Collaborate with the Social Media Manager/Audience Development Coordinator to promote performances to current and prospective donors, prepare quarterly email newsletters, and work with the Founding Artistic Director in managing the freelance Graphic Designer and Publicist
- Oversee audience communications, including: accurate event details and free reservations for performances, creating and deploying digital programs, and coordinating weather cancellations and audience feedback surveys
Operations & Administration (as needed) – 10%
As NY Classical is a small organization, we are seeking someone who values involvement in daily tasks including:, overseeing administrative and house management staff, maintaining donor databases, and other responsibilities as assigned.
QUALIFICATIONS
If you are excited about this role but your experience may not align perfectly with every requirement in the job description, we encourage you to still apply. You may be the right candidate for this or other roles.
- Minimum of 5 years of nonprofit administration education and/or professional experience, preferably in the performing arts, with a proven track record of successfully soliciting donations
- Excellent written communication skills
- Working knowledge of Microsoft Office suite, a fundraising and/or box office CRM, and desktop publishing/mass marketing software is required; Familiarity with Xero, Squarespace, Canva, MailChimp, and AudienceView Professional programs are a bonus
- Strong organizational abilities with attention to detail
- Comfortable working independently and collaboratively in a busy, small non-profit arts environment
- Sincere interest in fulfilling New York Classical Theatre’s mission and commitment to Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) values (http://nyclassical.org/idea-plan-of-action)
For more detailed information, we will be holding two info sessions by Zoom on November 21st and December 4th at 7pm on Zoom. If you wish to attend, please email info@nyclassical.org for the Zoom link.
Application Instructions / Public Contact InformationSubmit a cover letter, writing sample, and resume to: info@nyclassical.org
Application Deadline01/17/2025
