Development Director

Mudlark Theater Company; Evanston (IL); On-site; USD 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

The Mudlark Theater Company seeks a Development Director to lead all fundraising and contributed revenue strategies, including annual giving, grants, sponsorships, and events. This role partners with the Executive Director, Board, and committees to set and achieve revenue goals and ensure donor stewardship.

The position oversees donor communications, CRM maintenance, and reporting, while cultivating community and institutional partnerships to support the organization's mission.

Qualifications

• 3 years experience in fundraising.
• Proficiency in managing donor databases or CRMs.
• Strong written and verbal communicator; grant-writing experience preferred.
• Enthusiasm to work on a small passionate team and grow contributed revenue capacity.
• Prior experience working for a youth serving and/or arts organization is beneficial, but not required.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement fundraising strategies to support organizational priorities and growth.
• Lead annual giving, campaigns, and donor relations activities.
• Manage grants portfolio including proposal timelines, reporting deadlines, and funder relationships.
• Plan and oversee fundraising events, including the annual gala and related activities.
• Maintain donor records in the CRM and generate contributed revenue reports for leadership.
• Uphold diversity, equity, and inclusion commitments in all work.

Skills

Fundraising

Donor relations

Grant writing

Communication skills

Team collaboration

Tools

CRM (Neon)

Job description

Summary

The Development Director is responsible for leading and implementing all fundraising and contributedrevenue strategies that support the mission of Mudlark Theater. This position oversees individual andinstitutional giving, donor stewardship, sponsorships, and fundraising events and is also responsible forestablishing and achieving annual contributed revenue budget goals.

The Director of Development serves as a key member of the organization’s leadership team and works closely with the Executive Director, Board of Directors, and the Board Development Committee. They serve as the primary staff liaison to the Board Development Committee and act as a key deputy to the Executive Director in matters related to Board communication, engagement, and fundraising support. This position reports to the Executive Director and may supervise development staff, contractors, interns, and event volunteers.

Key Responsibilities

Fundraising Strategy & Contributed Revenue Leadership

• Develop and implement comprehensive annual and multi-year fundraising strategies to support organizational priorities and growth.
• Establish contributed revenue goals in collaboration with the Executive Director and Boardleadership and maintain accountability for achieving fundraising benchmarks.
• Monitor fundraising progress and provide regular reporting and analysis on campaign performance,donor activity, and revenue projections.
• Develop strategies to diversify and grow contributed revenue streams.
• Represent Mudlark Theater at community events, networking opportunities, donor meetings, andpublic-facing functions.
• Build and maintain relationships with community leaders, funders, sponsors, and institutionalpartners.

Annual Giving, Campaigns, & Donor Relations

• Lead all annual giving efforts, including donor cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, and retentionstrategies.
• Manage donor communications, acknowledgments, and recognition in digital and printed materialsand public remarks at events.
• Support the Executive Director and Board members in donor cultivation and solicitation activities.
• Maintain accurate donor records in the organization's CRM (Neon) and track gifts, pledges, donorinteractions, and fundraising metrics.
• Generate contributed revenue reports for leadership, board members, and funders.
• Ensure compliance with fundraising regulations and ethical standards.

Institutional Giving

• Manage grants portfolio including proposal timelines, reporting deadlines, and funder relationships.
• Lead grant writing and reporting efforts in collaboration with staff.
• Develop sponsorship opportunities and cultivate corporate partnerships aligned with organizationalgoals.

Board Relations & Development Committee

• Attend all Mudlark Board meetings and serve as the primary staff liaison to the Board DevelopmentCommittee.
• Support Board fundraising engagement, donor cultivation efforts, and development-relatedstrategic planning.
• Assist the Executive Director with Board communications and Board meeting materials related tofundraising and advancement.

Events

• Serve as the primary staff lead responsible for planning, coordination, and execution of fundraisingevents in collaboration with the Marketing and Audience Services Director and Executive Director.
• Oversee all fundraising, sponsorship, donor cultivation, logistics, timelines, volunteer coordination,and event management related to the annual gala, Larkabout.
• Collaborate with staff, Board members, event volunteers, and external vendors to ensure successfulexecution of events.

General Mudlark Duties

• Attend weekly staff meetings.
• Attend Mudlark shows and events as needed. Will require occasional evening and weekend hours.
• Uphold company diversity, equity, and inclusion commitments, centering anti-racist, anti-bias, andanti-oppression principles when executing all work.

Qualifications

• 3 years experience in fundraising.
• Proficiency in managing donor databases or CRMs.
• Strong written and verbal communicator. Grant-writing experience preferred.
• Enthusiasm to work on a small passionate team and grow contributed revenue capacity.
• Prior experience working for a youth serving and/or arts organization is beneficial, but not required.