Segerstrom Center for the Arts seeks an Executive Vice President, External Relations to raise public awareness of SCFTA and its programs in collaboration with the President and other EVP's while also being a hands-on and deeply involved fundraiser.
DHR, International has been exclusively retained to conduct a search for the Executive Vice President, External Relations for Segerstrom Center for the Arts.
THE COMPANY:
The Segerstrom Center for the Arts (the Center) is the major arts organization in southern California and one of the most active arts presenters and producers in the country. In addition to a successful series of Broadway shows, the Center presents world class dance and ballet, a classical music series, cabaret, and variety acts in its five venues: Segerstrom Hall, a 3,000-seat Broadway/opera house; the 2,000 seat Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall; the Samueli Theater, a 375-seat multi-functional facility, the 250-seat Judy Morr Theater and the 150+ Studio Performance Space. SCFTA also presents numerous community engagement and educational programs and has cooperative programs with school districts and community organizations throughout the region.
The Center is a world-class cultural and educational institution that now faces a pivotal moment of significant opportunity. The diverse community that surrounds it is undergoing significant cultural, social and economic change. The Center, in turn, is acting ambitiously to ensure its continued programmatic excellence and institutional relevance, by establishing itself as a valued civic resource and catalyst for positive change in its community to complement continued growth in its many artistic and education programs.
The Center is launching three strategically integrated projects to ensure its success in realizing this ambitious reimagining of the institution. These include 1.) Transformation of the Arts Plaza into a dynamic town square - (the Julianne and George Argyros Plaza) with programs and amenities fully accessible, and attractive to all of the diverse communities of Orange County with performances that reflects the Center’s enhanced commitment to inclusiveness; 2.) Launch of innovative new “Center without Boundaries” programs - exemplified by innovative civic practice focused partnerships, between the Center and non-arts organizations, focused on meaningful community impact while addressing the needs of an evolving Orange County as defined by those organizations making a difference in their community; and 3.) Establishment of a Center for Dance and Innovation - featuring a new joint venture with the American Ballet Theatre, Gillespie School of Dance (offering need-based scholarships), New School of Dance and Music for Children with Physical and Cognitive Disabilities, and social media/IT based and other innovative community engagement initiatives.
Through these three initiatives, the Center will enhance the quality and scope of its world class artistic programs, ensure all of its programs are fully accessible to the County’s diverse communities, and form innovative partnerships with diverse communities helping address their specific needs while making positive contributions to the future of Orange County.
SCOPE AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
The Executive Vice President will be an executive leader in the organization, capable of placing the needs of the entire organization in the context of his/her departmental demands, while also being a hands on and deeply involved fundraiser. One of the three Executive Vice Presidents reporting directly to the President, the Executive Vice President, External Relations, will work with the Center’s President, Board, and senior management team with a primary focus on leading the Center’s capital campaign, as well as overseeing its annual fund campaigns including all individual, sponsorship corporate, and foundation efforts for both annual operations and designated programming needs. The Executive Vice President will be the leader in the development and implementation of the strategic vision for Center fundraising that will ensure long-term sustainable growth in the Annual Fund, deepening the Center’s relationships with its donors and its community, while helping prepare the organization for a future Endowment Campaign. The Center’s current fundraising goals are to complete the $70 million capital campaign of which $23 million is remaining, and to meet the annual fundraising goal, currently at $10 million, with the objective of growing it to $14 million in five years.
Primary Responsibilities:
The Executive Vice President will have three primary responsibilities:
Ensure the completion of the capital campaign: overseeing the work of the Capital Campaign Director, the campaign consultant and working directly with the Vice President of Development and development team, the President and members of the board, devise and revise a campaign strategy and participate directly in the cultivation of leadership gift prospects and the solicitation of seven figure gifts. The EVP will also balance the needs of the annual fund with the campaign’s completion while setting the stage for future campaigns.
Mentor and develop the talents of his/her department staff that raises funds through:
- Business and corporate sponsorships.
- Philanthropic grant proposal development.
- Major gifts from individuals.
- Various fees or ticketing associated with SCFTA events.
- Restricted giving campaigns.
- Planned giving.
- Extensive support group and membership contributions, matching gifts, direct mail and web-based giving.
Working directly with the President and in collaboration with the marketing department, develop an institutional brand image for the Center, including traditional and social media messaging, consistent with mission.
Key factors contributing to the success of the Executive Vice President will be the ability to collaborate with the EVP Managing Director and the EVP, Producing Director to raise public awareness of SCFTA and its programs, and to develop effective outreach and campaign strategies that connect with individual and institutional donors. As part of that effort, the Executive Vice President will work with his or her team to continually improve fundraising support infrastructure and ensure that the organization can respond quickly, effectively, creatively and contextually to long term financial requirements, short term operating needs and to donor interests and opportunities. Critical to the overall success of the fundraising effort are long term cultivation of individual and institutional donors, ensuring that investment in fundraising infrastructure and events has a high return on investment, and capture and reuse of donor information.
Immediate Priorities:
The Executive Vice President of External Relations’ immediate priorities are to:
Thoroughly understand the Segerstrom Center for the Arts – its history, culture, traditions, programs, performances, personalities, constituencies and governance structure; understand its base of financial support and the short and long-term funding requirements of all segments of the organization; master knowledge of the nature, scope and impact on the community of SCFTA performances and programs, as well as their funding requirements; analyze and contextualize the structure and history of the most recent capital campaign.
Immediately assess the status of the capital campaign and develop a strategy for completing the campaign while understanding the in-process fundraising efforts, including pending individual and institutional giving opportunities; provide support to pending initiatives where appropriate.
Coordinate the institutional brand development with the VP of Marketing, whose public relations and marketing mandate is concentrated on generating earned revenue mainly through ticket sales.
Review and enhance the branding and capital and annual fundraising plan for the Segerstrom Center for the Arts; set objectives for individual and institutional fundraising; assign targets to development team members and collaborate with them to help the organization reach its fundraising goals.
Learn about staff and board leaders that are (or can become) actively involved in fundraising and refine the roles of each; develop a strong relationship with the President of SCFTA, the EVP, Producing Director and the EVP Managing Director and the various members of the Board, members of the senior staff, and with Vice-President and the other staff in the development department. Come to know each person’s strengths, as well as areas where their strengths may be complemented by the strengths of others; identify and bring personal attention to improving areas of weakness; support others within the development group as they build on strengths that are already embedded within the organization.
Establish clear standards for stewardship, donor recognition, and institutional sponsorship, with particular emphasis on the proper use of logos, brands, naming and other recognition opportunities; ensure successful adherence to grant and restricted giving agreements.
Encourage, mentor, evaluate and restructure direct reports and build succession within the departments under his/her purview.
Major Responsibilities:
Counted among the responsibilities of the Executive Vice President of Development will be to:
In collaboration with the President and other senior staff, develop and implement a plan to complete the Center’s Next Act Capital Campaign
In collaboration with the President and the other staff in the development department, define and continually upgrade a systematic fundraising plan that addresses the needs and concerns of each prospective donor, segmented by type (individual, business, nonprofit), level (subscription levels, various major gift levels, planned giving), and restricted for specific purposes, including education initiatives, programming and endowment).
Participate in long-range strategic planning for SCFTA as part of the senior management team - the department must be creative and responsive in crafting focused branding and fundraising plans to raise adequate support for an increasingly ambitious artistic agenda.
Evaluate current processes and systems that support fundraising initiatives and donor recognition; ensure that information systems are scaled to need and are properly maintained and used, including a continued high-level use of the Tessitura data management system.
Provide support of Board Development Committee; working with President, help to set governance policies and practices, and help attract and train new board members.
Recruit, retain and manage a team of development professionals and consultants who possess the appropriate donor cultivation, marketing/sponsorship, individual giving and institutional giving skills and experiences.
Establish work plans, performance objectives, and goals for team members and regularly review performance, professional development and training to achieve those goals.
Oversee the involvement, identification, training and support of Board and other fundraising volunteers; guide the efforts and strategies for volunteers, Board members, community advisors and committees in the solicitation process and support Board development efforts.
Aggressively implement a structured program for major gift and individual fundraising, and for fostering strong relationships with targeted individual and institutional donor constituencies, involving where appropriate the President, Board members, SCFTA personnel, artists and performers.
Assist in the development of materials that tell the new SCFTA story to donors and individual prospects, the community, government leaders, local, national and international influencers.
Collaborate with the President, the financial staff of SCFTA and key staff members of the development group in the preparation of annual operating plans and budgets, incorporating fundraising projections into the budget of the organization.
Advance a unified view of donors and potential donors that incorporates information on ticket buying and giving habits for all SCFTA constituents, and share this view with other members of the management team. Strengthen the stewardship and donor recognition program for individual donors, with the objective of establishing life-long, planned giving and even intergenerational relationships between donors, their families and SCFTA.
Establish long range institutional giving programs for national sponsorships, corporate gifts and regional sponsorships; develop annual special events that boost institutional and individual fundraising efforts.
Develop and implement basic guidelines for sponsorship that will preserve the integrity of the SCFTA brand and enhance its institutional identity as one of the leading performing arts venues in North America.
Engage in direct donor solicitations as appropriate and most effective with the support of other SCFTA staff, the President, and members of the Board.
In conjunction with the Vice President, Development and other development staff, and the programming, production, education and marketing teams as appropriate, develop a comprehensive, strategic plan for all annual special events.
KEY SELECTION CRITERIA:
Candidates should have the following type of experience and qualifications:
Significant nonprofit fundraising experience with a sizable institution that includes, capital campaigns, building and endowment elements; experience soliciting significant major gifts from individuals, foundations, and business sources.
A record of personal success in raising money through major gifts from individuals, businesses, foundations, corporations or the public sector; broad-based knowledge of various development activities including: direct mail, proposal and grant development, planned giving, event planning and management, direct solicitations, leveraging fundraising databases and support systems for donor segmentation, research and volunteer management.
Ability to navigate a complex fundraising environment with nuanced strategies and initiatives, while building an effective group of volunteer fundraisers through board development and annual fund committee activity, and gaining respect of community and business leaders and the board.
A broad knowledge of brand marketing, advertising and public relations with specific experience in image building, and branding; and demonstrated success with establishing sponsorships, stewardship and donor recognition programs that sustain long-term relationships.
A track record as an exceptional communicator, in writing as well as verbally; adept at writing proposals, solicitation letters, donor correspondence, and other materials.
Demonstrated management skills in motivating, directing and managing staff and consultants, and in coordinating and supporting the fundraising activities of others; particular expertise in mentoring others, encouraging the best efforts of each member of the development team, and in modeling active solicitation is important.
PERSONAL / PROFESSIONAL ATTRIBUTES:
The successful candidate should be:
An experienced, proven leader with the ability to project confidence, humility, emotional intelligence, high energy and empathy. A hands-on engaging individual who also possesses the ability to see the entire picture of the organization, its mission, its position in the community and in the arts world.
A mission-driven individual with a belief in and commitment to the mission of SCFTA; a strong interest in, and passion for, the performing arts and the diverse communities of Orange County.
A good listener and strategist; comfortable receiving input from many sources, and able to analyze and formulate disparate information into a sound, well-organized plan.
Determined yet respectful of other’s concerns; someone with the flexibility and creativity needed to find alternative ways to reach funding objectives when barriers arise; a skilled negotiator who does not drive him/her selves or others into a corner.
A charismatic communicator, able to build enthusiasm for the Center, its performances and programs, and for innovative approaches that advance the reputation of SCFTA as a performing arts leader in Southern California; exceptional verbal and written communication skills.
A hard worker with a high energy level; a “doer” with a willingness to work hands-on in developing and executing a variety of development and advancement activities.
Emotionally mature with a very good sense of humor and the flexibility and sensitivity to work with diverse personalities and situations.
Knowledge of the arts, particularly of the performing arts, and the ability to communicate an excitement about the artistic product to donors, are essential.
Please send résumé to:
Phil DeBoer
Associate
DHR, International
pdeboer@dhrinternational.com
(708) 450-4003