Summary
The Daisy Wilson Artist Community, Inc. dba August Wilson House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation whose mission is to promote the literary and social legacy of August Wilson through the restoration of his boyhood home at 1727 Bedford Avenue, an arts center to nurture the historic Hill District community and arts practitioners and scholars influenced by his work. We intend to transform the August Wilson Home into studio space for the fine arts, music and literature; to explore the cultural narrative of the plays of August Wilson through seminars, readings, receptions, exhibits and performances; to inspire a creative environment by providing interdisciplinary programs in an urban setting; and to encourage and support educational and artistic activities that enrich the Hill District and surrounding community.
In order to be a home for an artistic community, August Wilson House will be a compelling and inspired place of cultural celebration, of nurturing future artists and of rehabilitating in body and soul a community celebrated in Wilson’s spiritually challenging works. As the home where he lived his first 13 years, it is at the core of the community and life experience that he spun into the gold of his 10-play American Century Cycle. The August Wilson House and the surrounding Hill District are doubly inspirational, central not only to his life experience but also the specific location and content of the plays. The Hill District community that August was born into was a multiethnic community bustling with Jewish, Italian and Black cultures. In the late 1960’s, the neighborhood had transitioned to one of the nation’s most vibrant Black neighborhoods, home to legendary jazz musicians, elite baseball teams and black cultural chroniclers. August Wilson House celebrates the rich store of personal memory and community history and extend his legacy by advancing the art and culture of the African diaspora and impacting the cultural landscape of the Hill and beyond.
The Director of Fund Development is a high-performing, dynamic and assertive leader in creating and co-stewarding relationships and partnerships for August Wilson House that result in sustained and increased contributed funding streams. The Director of Fund Development will be a visible community champion and advocate for August Wilson House’s growth; and will be adept at seeding and cultivating lasting partnerships. The Director of Fund Development will have a keen awareness of the local, regional and national funding landscape, with intimate knowledge of cultural, commercial, education, programming and other high-level focus areas that best position August Wilson House to garner and maintain support.
Key Responsibilities
Fundraising Strategy
- Manage a portfolio of donors and prospects and supports the Executive Director and Board of Directors in cultivating and stewarding funder partnerships.
- Supports the development of concepts, themes and platforms for major events that engage supporters, increase brand awareness and grow revenue.
- Develop and adjust fundraising targets to meet goals for revenue as established each year by the Board and Executive Director to support specific portions of the AWH annual operating budget.
- Design compelling and innovative donor cultivation strategies that ensure donor information exchange and high levels of engagement.
- Shape cultivation programs for institutional, public/government, major donors, and entry level donors that target donor objectives and desires, and best positions August Wilson House to attract supporters at each level
- Ensure operational policies and procedures (are in place for) for partnerships, donors and fundraising campaigns
- Determine the staff and consulting support required to execute campaigns, events and other special activities
- Stay up to date with best practices in non-profit fundraising, including emerging trends, regulations, and compliance requirements, including knowledge of tax planning principles and techniques that favor charitable giving.
Strategic Planning
- Support institutional discussion and decision-making about long-term objectives for institutional growth and expansion
- Develop formal presentations of fundraising plans and fundraising performance metrics to the Board of Directors and the Executive Director to ensure that fundraising activities are aligned with the organization’s overall strategic plan.
- Benchmark, evaluate and refine strategies for earnings, programmatic reach, network expansion, audience diversity and collaborations
Board Relations & Governance
- Help to identify and cultivate new board members whose talents and resources will advance AWH’s mission and artistic development
- Foster productive relationships with all board members via open communication and responsiveness to issues affecting AWH’s strategic direction and operating health
- Serve as liaison to the Board for all major donor events and cultivation opportunities
- Design and steward cultivation events for Board participation
Fund Development
- Support the Executive Director, staff, and board of directors to create, execute and regularly monitor an aggressive fundraising plan
- Establish and maintain highly collaborative relationships with the existing cohort of funders and leverage their support to expand the base
- Identify, cultivate and build a base of individual donors
Required Experience and Skills
Ideal Experience
The ideal candidate will have deep knowledge of and commitment to the literary and performing arts, the works of August Wilson, and literary artists of color. They must have a deep knowledge of developing fundraising and revenue-generating models for non-profit organizations with a strong understanding of the arts and cultural sector and the local and national funding landscape. They should have the following experience and qualifications:
- A Bachelor’s degree; MA/MBA/MFA preferred.
- Strong project management skills, with the ability to oversee multiple projects and meet deadlines.
- Highly organized and detail oriented, with the ability to record and manage donor information and charitable giving milestones effectively.
- Confident ability to develop a team with strong performance management and instinct to motivate and inspire others to build a strong foundation for AWH’s growth
- Proven track record in cultivating new and stewarding existing regional and national institutional donors
- Charismatic in encountering and engaging individual and major donor prospects
- An extensive “rolodex” and network of prospective supporters across donor sectors
- Demonstrated results establishing creative partnerships and negotiating win-win sponsorship partnerships
- Expert oral and written communication skill essential for engaging and collaborating with a multidisciplinary, diverse, and dynamic team
- Collaborative and innovative, with a sharp focus on crafting the AWH story and developing new ways to engage new supporters and partners
- Ability to adapt and cooperate with various stakeholders, including staff, volunteers, and board members, to meet fundraising objectives.
- Personal qualities of integrity, credibility, and a commitment to and passion for AWH’s mission
Personal Characteristics
The ideal candidate will be:
- A persuasive advocate on behalf of Black culture and communities, who thinks globally and is able to connect with a broad spectrum of people in meaningful ways;
- An inspiring and dedicated individual able to drive toward a common purpose and who believes in engaging community members and partners to uplift a common goal
- Entrepreneurial and strategic, with the ability to transform concepts into practice and capitalize on opportunities
- An ethical individual who garners trust and personifies integrity
- A bold, risk-taker who is able to look for new ways to work with external partners
- A believer in joy and well-being in the workplace
- An accessible and gracious figure, has a good sense of people and humor
Salary Range
$75,000 - $90,000
How to Apply
To apply for this position, please forward a resume, portfolio, and cover letter, by May 10, 2024, outlining your interests and qualifications via e-mail to: info@augustwilsonhouse.org
Equal employment opportunity and an inclusive and representative staff are fundamental at August Wilson House where employment and promotional opportunities are based upon individual capabilities and qualifications without regard to race, color, religion, gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation/preference, political position, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic as established under law.