Marketing and Advancement Director

Theater Alliance•Washington, DC

4d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Director of Marketing & Advancement is Theater Alliance's senior leader for marketing, communications, fundraising infrastructure, and audience development — and a key member of the leadership team as the organization steps into its permanent home and enters a major growth phase. This role owns the strategy and systems that grow Theater Alliance's community of donors, audiences, and civic partners, and supervises the team that executes that work day to day. Theater Alliance's Executive Artistic Director is the primary frontline fundraiser; the Director of Marketing & Advancement designs and manages the infrastructure that makes that fundraising possible, expands earned revenue and audience reach, and ensures the organization's story is told compellingly across all channels. This is a builder role for someone who is strategic, systems-minded, and energized by the challenge of growing a mission-driven organization at a pivotal moment. The Director of Marketing & Advancement works in close partnership with the EAD and supervises the Advancement & Strategic Growth Manager and the Hospitality & Engagement Manager. Theater Alliance is a service organization. The Director of Marketing & Advancement understands that every donor relationship, every marketing campaign, every audience development strategy exists to support artists and serve community — and brings that ethic to everything they do.

Requirements

Demonstrated experience in nonprofit marketing, development, or a closely related field
Strong systems-building and strategic planning skills
Experience supervising staff or managing a team
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including donor communications, grant narrative support, and public-facing copy
Experience with CRM systems — EvolvArts, Salesforce, or comparable
Ability to manage multiple priorities, meet deadlines, and work proactively
Commitment to Theater Alliance's justice-driven, community-rooted mission and values
A genuine team orientation and spirit of partnership with internal colleagues, partners, and external stakeholders
Commitment to the idea that theater is a service industry, and that the work we do exists to serve our community, our artists, and the world around us
Experience in both marketing/communications and development functions
Familiarity with audience development strategies and patron pipeline building
Experience with press and media relations
Knowledge of the DC philanthropic and arts funding landscape
Experience working in or with a performing arts organization

Responsibilities

Manage Theater Alliance's marketing and communications strategy: brand, messaging, audience development, and organizational storytelling across all channels
Set the creative and strategic direction for all marketing campaigns, season launches, and public communications in close collaboration with the EAD and Associate AD
Oversee press and media relations: cultivate journalist relationships, coordinate press releases, and build Theater Alliance's visibility locally, regionally, and nationally
Supervise the Hospitality & Engagement Manager on day-to-day marketing execution: social media scheduling, email blasts, website updates, and patron communications
Build and track audience development metrics: first-time attendee conversion, patron retention, demographic data, and earned revenue growth
Build regular feedback loops — surveys, post-show input, community listening — that inform programming, hospitality, and outreach
Design and manage the fundraising infrastructure that supports the EAD's frontline donor work: systems, calendars, tracking, and follow-through
Supervise the Advancement & Strategic Growth Manager on donor engagement strategy, major donor stewardship, and development events
Oversee grant management: pipeline tracking, reporting calendars, and support of the grant writer
Lead corporate and government sponsorship strategy: identify prospects, develop proposals, and manage relationships
Oversee board support functions in coordination with the EAD and Chief of Staff
Develop and implement strategies to grow Theater Alliance's audience across all programs — mainstage, HotHouse, civic engagement, and arts center events
Develop group sales and community partnership strategies that bring new audiences into the TA fold
Oversee patron experience strategy in coordination with the Hospitality & Engagement Manager and Venue Manager
Build a patron pipeline: from first-timer to repeat attendee to member to donor
Supervise, develop, and support the Advancement & Strategic Growth Manager and Hospitality & Engagement Manager
Manage and develop Advancement interns and entry-level staff
Set clear expectations, provide regular feedback, and invest in the professional growth of the Advancement team
Build a collaborative, mission-aligned Advancement pod culture
Show up as a welcoming, knowledgeable, and energizing presence for everyone who interacts with Theater Alliance; theater is a service industry and every member of the team is a representative of the organization
Participate actively in staff meetings, organizational planning, company events, opening nights, and all-hands gatherings
Contribute to organizational culture, process improvement, and institutional knowledge-building
Align your work with the Root & Rise Strategic Action Plan: know the goals, understand how your work serves them, and actively lead your team toward them
A portion of this role is floating and cross-functional, available for organizational needs as assigned by the Executive Artistic Director
Perform other duties as assigned