ABOUT THE JOB                                                                                                         

WHAT YOU’LL DO                                                                                                     

• Responsible for an annual strategy to raise $500,000+ annually from individual donors of $50 to $24,999 to The Wallis, and to cultivate new donors at all levels.
• Create well-structured and compelling fundraising messaging that aligns with The Wallis’ mission, fits institutional branding, and demonstrates an understanding of Wallis donors and the broader community that interacts with our organization. Write compelling messages for appeal letters and email appeals, the development website, annual donor benefits brochure and other written materials. Track and manage expenses related to mailings, printed materials, and other expenses related to the individual giving program.
• Collaborate with a graphic designer to create a visual look for email appeals, snail mailings, and printed materials that fits The Wallis’ mission and branding, and speaks to our donor and patron base. Utilize your strong sense of aesthetic design to envision and execute physical and digital donor mailings and other materials;
• Design and oversee mail and email fundraising campaigns, including two major annual physical mailings; monthly or bi-monthly physical and digital renewal mailings; and regular digital acquisition appeals.
• Accountable for accurate acknowledgment letters sent to all individual gifts in a timely manner.
• Monitor ROI for all individual giving campaigns and be able to evaluate ideas on the basis of cost effectiveness, mission alignment, and potential fundraising impact.
• Responsible for accurate data on renewals, lapsed reacquisitions, new acquisitions, and tracked progress for each of these segments. Responsible for the creation of monthly reports on progress of annual fund donations and reconciling individual donations on a regular basis with Finance. Accountable for the Development team’s accurate individual donation tracking.
• Accountable for individual giving data accuracy in Tessitura. Lead the Individual Giving team to accurately track development plans, campaigns, and other data points in the Tessitura database. Accountable for data accuracy and to continuous evaluation of how the database can be used more powerfully for The Wallis.
• Work with Development Director and entire development team to ensure accurate reporting on individual giving in the context of the Comprehensive Campaign.
• Develop and implement of a strategy to make opportunities to donate more visible within the physical building.
• Manage the individual giving pages on The Wallis website and keep them relevant, exciting, and accurate.
• Create and monitor the annual solicitation calendar, including a schedule of direct marketing activities that details timelines copywriting, design, production, mailing, and list selection and segmentation.
• Stewards a personal portfolio of 50-100 individual giving donors, with a specific focus on donors of $500 to $2,500 annually who are loyal followers of The Wallis, who may have the potential to increase their support, and who are outstanding representatives of The Wallis within their personal communities. Collaborate with development team to identify and move major gift prospects toward higher giving levels. Maintain regular communication via phone, email, mail or in person to keep portfolio members engaged in The Wallis and its programs.
• Implement strategies to broaden The Wallis donor base for gifts of $500 and below. Create messaging that emphasizes the important of participation in the arts and the value of gifts of $25, $50, $100, etc.
• Directly supervise the Individual Giving Assistant. Support, coach and mentor the Individual Giving Assistant by communicating clear goals and identifying opportunities for growth.
• Partner with the Associate Director of Development and the entire development team to establish a calendar of cultivation and stewardship activities for individual giving donors.
• Reqularly attend evening and weekend performances and donor events, and staff the David Bohnett Foundation Founders Room, as required.
• Oversee Individual Giving Assistant through the process of creating a Founders Room plan for each performance, as well as for a “Seat Notes” strategy and other ways to thank donors at performances.
• The Wallis is a dynamic working environment in which duties and responsibilities may change. Employees are expected to be flexible and responsive to changes in the scope of their duties, as assigned.

SKILLS & EXPERIENCE NEEDED                                                                               

• Minimum of 3 years, and ideally 5 years, of fundraising experience; or a combination of high-level customer service or sales experience plus fundraising experience.
• Desire and availability to work evenings and weekends during Wallis performances and events;

• Broad knowledge of the principles of fundraising and familiarity with fundraising terminology including LYBUNTs/SYBUNTs, MOVES management, etc.
• Tech-savvy and experienced with digital development platforms such as Tessitura, Raiser’s Edge, and/or other CRMs is required. Must be enthusiastic about staying ahead of trends in digital fundraising, artificial intelligence applications in fundraising, and other technological aspects of the field.
• Experience with direct mail and email campaigns including experience creating themes, writing copy, pulling lists, mailing, and all other aspects. Experience working with designers, printers, and mail houses. Excellent design aesthetic with a sharp eye for creating fundraising campaigns that embody The Wallis’ values of excellence in artistry and adept in creative ways to spread this messaging in person, online, and more.
• Outstanding verbal and written communication and computer skills, with meticulous attention to detail. Use MSWord/Excel/PowerPoint as well as Internet and e-mail programs proficiently. Requires the ability to communicate with simple and intuitive messaging.
• An adept fundraiser who understands the needs and interests of all donors and how to develop relationships between them and The Wallis. Excellent interpersonal skills, and a willingness to personally solicit gifts and to contact donors via a variety of outreach methods, are required.
• Must be committed to learning and growing as a manager, as well as to supporting the career growth of the Individual Giving Assistant and other team members.
• Requires a deep understanding The Wallis’ mission and being a key spokesperson for this mission in front of donors and other stakeholders. An innate passion for, and knowledge of, the performing arts is essential.
• Strong knowledge of Los Angeles and Beverly Hills donor community is desired.

SALARY & BENEFITS                                                                                            

The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to diversity and encourages applicants of any age, national origin, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, political affiliation, or gender.