Development Manager

Arts Admin Jobs; Philadelphia (Philadelphia County); Hybrid; USD 46,000 - 49,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental benefits

Job summary

Pig Iron Theatre Company is seeking a Development Manager to design and implement fundraising strategies supporting its artistry and MFA/Certificate program. You’ll collaborate with leadership to cultivate donors, manage campaigns, and coordinate major events, reporting to the Managing Director.

The role requires grant writing, donor communications, and strong organization, with occasional remote work and weekday hours at the Pig Iron office in Philadelphia.

Qualifications

• Experience in nonprofit fundraising and donor relations.
• Proven success in grant writing and reporting.
• Experience with fundraising campaigns and donor solicitations.
• Strong organizational and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Raise funds for the company’s artistry and MFA/Certificate program.
• Manage donor cultivation, reporting, and relations with Board liaison.
• Plan and coordinate major events and campaigns, including annual appeals.
• Oversee grants processes: research, tracking, proposals, and reporting.
• Provide executive support to Managing and Artistic Directors as needed.

Skills

Nonprofit fundraising

Donor relations

Grant writing

Campaign management

Excellent communication

Tools

Donor Dock

Job description

Position: Development Manager
Reports to: Managing Director
Classification: Full-time, exempt
Salary range: $46-49K, with benefits including health and dental
Start date: December 1, 2026

The OBIE Award-winning Pig Iron Theatre Company seeks a Development Manager with experience in nonprofit fundraising and donor relations. Pig Iron is an incubator and producer of experimental performance work and also runs a 2.5-year MFA program in devised theatre, in partnership with Rowan University. The Development Manager, in collaboration with the Managing Director, will be responsible for designing and implementing a strategy for fundraising that will allow Pig Iron to bring alive its mission: “to expand what is possible in performance by creating rigorous and unusual ensemble-devised works; by training the next generation of daring, innovative theatre artists; and by consistently asking the hardest questions, both in our art and in its relation to the world around us.”

Position Summary and Essential Duties

Reporting to the Managing Director and working in collaboration with Pig Iron’s Co-Artistic Directors and Board, the Development Manager will work to raise funds for the continued advancement of the company’s artistry and its MFA/Certificate program, support Pig Iron’s executive leaders, and serve as Board liaison. Responsibilities include grant writing and reporting, fundraising campaigns and appeals, solicitations for individual and major gifts, and special events. In general, hours are weekdays 9am-5pm at the Pig Iron office at 1417 N. 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA, with opportunity for some supervisor-approved remote work. This position requires occasional night and weekend hours for special events.

Primary Responsibilities

FUNDRAISING AND CAMPAIGN MANAGEMENT

• Maintain effective development systems and record-keeping procedures to track current and prospective donors and accurately report all fundraising income.
• Maintain and refine systems for gift cultivation, donor solicitation, and acknowledgement.
• Track fundraising goals for project-based campaigns and the overall annual individual giving target.
• Along with the Marketing and Recruitment Coordinator, manage the design and production of fundraising campaigns, including Pig Iron’s annual Holiday Appeal and Spring Appeal campaigns.
• Attend all Pig Iron meetings as determined by Managing Director, including weekly staff meetings and check-ins. Report key fundraising updates and metrics at staff and board meetings.

DONOR/BOARD CULTIVATION AND STEWARDSHIP

• Connect donors to the unique culture of Pig Iron Theatre Company through individual meetings, group engagement opportunities, and large-scale fundraising events.
• Maintain and strengthen a network of contacts in the community to build Pig Iron’s funding base, with regular communications by phone and email with key supporters.
• Provide executive and donor cultivation support to the Managing and Artistic Directors through calendar and correspondence management.
• Ensure accurate and organized record-keeping of Board-related documents, resolutions, and policies, including biographic and contact information, terms, and committee assignments.

FUNDRAISING EVENTS COORDINATION

• With support from the Managing Director and Co-Artistic Directors, lead the planning, execution, and logistical management of major fundraising events, particularly Pig Iron’s annual benefit, which includes coordination of the Board’s Benefit Committee.
• Plan and execute donor-related events related to Pig Iron and Pig Iron School productions, including opening night celebrations, artist receptions, and cultivation gatherings.

GRANTS MANAGEMENT AND REPORTING

• Manage foundation and government grant processes: grant research, and grant tracking to ensure successful review, submission of applications, and reports.
• Contribute to the writing and editing of grant proposals and funder reports.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will be outgoing, detail-oriented, and entrepreneurial, with a passion for raising money for the arts. We seek a person who is comfortable thinking and communicating about ambitious ideas, managing through uncertainty with diplomacy and tact, and who enjoys engaging with a wide range of people to build effective partnerships and mobilize artistic and social resources to advance the organization.

• Be highly organized, flexible, collaborative, and a fast learner.
• Have strong interpersonal skills, and the ability to deliver an “elevator speech” with confidence and authenticity.
• Have demonstrated success in nonprofit fundraising, with a track record of building donor relationships, managing budgets, and working collaboratively and strategically. Arts organization experience preferred.
• Communicate clearly and professionally in oral and written forms.
• Have working knowledge of Donor Dock or experience with similar CRM, donor management, and database systems.
• Be trustworthy with sensitive, confidential information.
• Be self-motivated, thoughtful, and composed.

Pig Iron Theatre Company is an equal opportunity employer. We value a diverse work force and an inclusive culture. We encourage applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, or veteran status. Pig Iron Theatre is a 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization.

ABOUT PIG IRON THEATRE COMPANY

Pig Iron began as a “dance-clown-theatre” ensemble in 1995, and their innovative productions garnered rave reviews at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and then in the burgeoning arts scene of their hometown of Philadelphia. Now, over 30 years later, Pig Iron has emerged as part of a movement of alternative theatre makers who seek to resituate how audiences encounter performance. The company is at the forefront of the “devised” theatre movement, a practice of performance-making in which an ensemble of actor-creators begins its work in the studio rather than from a script. Pig Iron has developed a method of co-authorship that springs from focused improvisation, discussion and innovative collaborations. Pig Iron engages in collaborations with visionary artists who push the ensemble in new directions. Collaborators have included: legendary director Joseph Chaikin; playwright Toshiki Okada; designers Mimi Lien (Macarthur “Genius”) and Machine Dazzle; the Grammy-winning choir The Crossing, indie rock outfit Dr. Dog, and filmmaker Josephine Decker. Pig Iron has toured to 15 countries on four continents with notable appearances at the Public Theater, La Jolla Playhouse, the Humana Festival, TR Warszawa, and TPAM (Tokyo), among others. The company has won two OBIE Awards (NYC) and 14 Barrymore Awards, with over 60 nominations in Philadelphia. Learn more at pigiron.org.