Coordinator, Annual Giving

Lyric Opera of Chicago•Chicago, IL

3d•$40,000 - $45,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Annual Giving team executes direct-response appeals and communications to support the Fund for Lyric, specifically focusing on two key donor societies, the Friends of Lyric ($50-$4,999) and the Patrons of Lyric ($5,000-$24,999). The Coordinator is responsible for helping retain, grow, acquire, and reactivate contributed support by creating regular cultivation, retention, and stewardship communications, serving donors as a general inquiry contact point for donor engagement questions, and providing project management and administrative support for the Annual Giving team.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree in arts management, marketing, or related field.
More than one year or one completed internship with a nonprofit organization.
Customer service experience interfacing with donors or customers, building relationships, handling inquiries, and problem-solving.
Interest in authentic interactions with donors and teammates.
Self-starter with strong project management and organizational competencies with a demonstrated aptitude for multitasking, attention to detail, and meeting overlapping deadlines.
Ability to work independently and as a team member in a collaborative and fast-paced environment.
Interest in building relationships and partnerships with external vendors.
A positive, “can do” approach to work

Nice To Haves

Experience with Tessitura (preferred) or an equivalent CMS platform.
Personal passion for opera, musical theater, or classical music that can be shared in communicating with donors.

Responsibilities

Execute Fund for Lyric email campaigns using Prospect2, Airtable, and Ziflow, ensuring alignment with Lyric’s comprehensive communications calendar and brand standards.
Manage Lyric’s monthly renewal notice appeals in partnership with the mail house vendor, including data preparation and production oversight.
Support quarterly direct mail appeals as part of the Annual Giving team, including data pulls, segmentation, letter drafting, routing creative for approval, and coordination with the mail house vendor.
Design and schedule complementary quarterly social media appeals to reinforce direct mail and email campaigns.
Oversee Lyric’s gift-matching communications program (Double the Donation).
Serve as the primary phone and email contact for the Friends of Lyric donor society, responding to donor inquiries and coordinating timely gift processing with the Donor Records team.
Execute routine stewardship efforts, including gratitude letters, greeting cards, donor impact reports, and daily acknowledgment calls.
Support telefundraising initiatives aimed at acquiring, retaining, and upgrading annual donors.
Steward Lyric’s Name a Seat program, maintaining accurate inventory in the database and coordinating plaque production and installation with vendors and internal partners.
Oversee Development’s dress rehearsal and working rehearsal programs, managing invitations, communications, response tracking, staffing logistics, and day-of coordination.
Attend and assist with department events and donor experiences, including work outside of normal business hours with advance notice when possible.