Director of Community Advancement

California Center for the Arts•Escondido, CA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

As a member of the senior management team and in partnership with the Chief Executive Officer and Board of Trustees, the Director of Community Advancement is responsible for developing, delivering, and measuring the success of marketing, communications, and philanthropic strategies for the organization, demonstrating a commitment to building the financial stability and sustainability of CCAEF. The Director of Development will oversee the charitable giving efforts of California Center for the Arts Foundation—meeting or exceeding revenue goals in all areas including individual giving, monthly giving, major gifts, community campaigns, grants, philanthropic partnerships, corporate sponsorships, and special events. The Director of Community Advancement will lead major gifts efforts, meeting a minimum personal goal of at least double their salary each year in individual gifts, as well as ensuring the team goal is achieved. This includes meeting the organization's 2026-2027 anticipated goal of $1,819,400. The Director of Community Advancement will develop new and existing marketing strategies to diversify and promote the organization’s revenue base and will oversee the implementation of philanthropic and marketing best practices with regards to strategic planning, structure and processes. The Director of Community Advancement will represent California Center for the Arts Foundation in events across the community, and actively engage in public speaking. The position works with other departments to create a message and design appropriate tools and materials that will attract clients to the Center’s venue and events.

Requirements

Results-driven professional with an ability to work independently and lead a team.
Demonstrated success in meeting fundraising goals.
Ability to effectively engage board members, direct reports, colleagues, and community volunteers in fundraising.
Exceptional interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills and interest in building relationships with people in our community.
Strong analytical, planning, goal setting, as well as implementation/tactical skills.
Maintaining a positive attitude, adapting, and finding creative solutions.
Availability to work some evenings and weekends for special events.
Extensive knowledge and commitment to development principles, fundraising ethics, and laws and regulations concerning charitable contributions.
A bachelor's degree in Marketing, Communications, Non-profit Management, or a related field
Minimum of at least five years of professional experience in major gift fundraising and marketing within a nonprofit organization, with a proven track record of success in major gifts, planned giving, and grant writing.
Minimum two years’ experience managing professional staff.
Familiarity with fundraising software, CRM systems, and other tools used in non-profit development.
Excellent organizational and project management skills, with the ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects simultaneously.
Experience managing budgets and working collaboratively with staff and volunteers to achieve organizational goals.

Nice To Haves

Patron Manager/Salesforce experience is preferred.
CFRE certification and Google Suite experience are a plus.

Responsibilities

Takes a leadership role in collaborating with Senior Staff from all departments to infuse our mission and donors into activities as often as possible.
Supervise, train, and lead Community Advancement staff members as well as contractors, interns, and volunteers to ensure the successful execution of events, communications, and initiatives.
Develop, monitor, and achieve revenue targets by providing coaching on best practices in prospect qualification, solicitation strategy, and cultivation techniques to staff, board, and volunteers as necessary.
Manage budgets, projections, and ensure that resources are allocated appropriately to achieve organizational goals.
Cultivate and strengthen meaningful donor relationships through consistent engagement, stewardship, and strategic fundraising initiatives that support the organization’s long-term growth and mission.
Creates department plans and revenue forecasts, ensuring the integrity of fundraising methods.
Develops annual philanthropy plan including goals, campaigns, solicitation methods, budget and calendar of events and communications.
Tracks progress and prepares status reports for various audiences regularly.
Ensures goals are met by overseeing staff managing membership, grant writing, sponsorships, and special events.
Continuously works to improve quality while increasing efficiency.
Re-examine our current major gift request strategies that focus on organizational needs and developing a case for support tailored to the specific interests and capacity of individual prospects; personally, solicit donors regularly
Execute and maintain prospect strategies, continually tracking touches, and coordinating with executive staff, board members, and volunteers as appropriate to establish and strengthen relationships with major donors.
Works collaboratively with other departments to ensure consistent messaging and effective communication across all channels, including social media, email, and print materials.
Analyze and report on the effectiveness of marketing and fundraising efforts to adjust strategies and tactics as needed.
Develop and implement strategic planned giving initiatives that grow support for the organization’s Charitable Trust and fund at the San Diego Community Foundation for unique giving opportunities.
Proactively research and identify major gift prospects.
Work with board members to mine networks and expand the reach of the organization.
Attend Board Meetings as requested, providing Community Advancement reports including budget to actuals, donor retention rate, upgraded prospects, new memberships, new donors, proposals, and percent of total portfolio goals reached.
Manage and expand our philanthropic efforts, including donor cultivation and stewardship, major gift fundraising, planned giving, and grant writing.
Work closely with the Senior Staff to create compelling donor events, activities, outreach, and communications for the purpose of enhancing the donor experience and effectively cultivating high-potential prospects.
Manages fulfillment reports, including creating impact reports to acknowledge and engage donors.
Manage a portfolio of major donors through the gift life-cycle of qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies in an organized and documented fashion.
Build and maintain relationships with donors, stakeholders, and community partners to advance the organization’s mission and support our fundraising efforts.
Developing, implementing, and scaling a comprehensive fundraising plan to achieve short-term and long-term financial goals, with direct responsibility for soliciting annual and major gifts ($5,000-$50,000), as well as oversight of membership, grants, sponsorships, and special event fundraising.
Builds a culture of philanthropy with new and existing donors to support the mission of the Center through Philanthropy.
Oversee the planning and coordination of all special fundraising events, North County Arts Awards, member/donor events, including contracts, budgets, all event details, follow-up, and fulfillment.
Other special projects as they arise to support organizational goals
Oversee the development of fundraising materials, including proposals, annual reports, and donor communications.
Oversee the membership programs and initiatives.
Develop and implement marketing strategies and campaigns that increase awareness of our organization, engage the community, and attract new supporters.
Recommending short- and long-term marketing goals and objectives to the CEO.
Supervise all marketing staff and oversee the implementation of the marketing strategy and public relations of both events and institutional marketing on all platforms, digital and print.
Supporting and facilitating the development and execution of marketing plans.
Meet the personal fundraising goal in the 2026-2027 fiscal year, as well as department goals.
Identify and cultivate new major gift prospects, with the goal of securing at least 5 new gifts of $5,000 or more.
Work with existing major donors to increase their individual giving by 10% each year.
Develop and implement a planned giving program to secure at least $100,000 in new planned gifts.
Identify and secure at least 3 new grants.
Work collaboratively with other members of the department to plan and execute successful fundraising events that generate at least $100,000 in revenue.
Increase donor retention rate by 5%; this means that the Director of Community Advancement should work to ensure that 5% more donors continue to give to the organization year after year.
Increase average gift size by 10%; this means that the Director of Community Advancement should work to secure larger donations from existing donors and to attract new donors who are capable of making larger gifts.
Utilize your team to increase community engagement by 10%, working to build strong relationships with community members and stakeholders, increase participation in events and programs, and improve the organization’s visibility and reputation in the community.
The Director of Community Advancement should actively seek out new grant opportunities, oversee strong grant proposals, and build relationships with grantmakers to increase the likelihood of receiving funds.
Other duties may be deemed necessary by the direct supervisor.