Director of Development

Culturalyst Inc.; New Haven, Northern (CT, KY); Hybrid; USD 100,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Four weeks vacation plus holidays

Winter and spring breaks

Enrollment discounts

Free dance and wellness classes

403(b)

Job summary

Neighborhood Music School in New Haven, CT invites applications for Director of Development to lead growth in contributed revenue, major gifts, and campaigns.

The role partners with executive leadership and the Board to build sustainable fundraising infrastructure, expand community partnerships, and drive a transformational capital campaign. This is a full-time, hybrid position on campus with competitive benefits and a start date in 2027.

Qualifications

• Proven success growing contributed revenue and major gifts.
• Experience with capital or comprehensive campaigns.
• Ability to build development systems and infrastructure.
• Strong collaboration with executive leadership and board.

Responsibilities

• Develop and lead a capital campaign strategy.
• Grow annual giving and major gifts.
• Strengthen donor relations and diversify support.
• Oversee development staff and operations.

Skills

Major gifts

Annual giving

Capital campaigns

Institutional fundraising

Donor relations

Job description

**Director of Development**Neighborhood Music School (“NMS”) invites applications for the position of Director of Development.**About Neighborhood Music School**Located in New Haven’s Audubon Arts District, NMS is the largest nonprofit community arts organization in Connecticut and one of the largest in the country. Founded in 1911 as part of the settlement house movement, NMS serves more than 2,000 students annually through music, dance, drama, and film, as well as an arts-integrated preschool and independent, theatre-based middle school.With an FY27 operating budget of approximately $6 million, NMS is a financially strong and thriving organization with a deep commitment to access and community. At its core, NMS is more than a school: it is a cultural center that believes in the power of the arts to deepen the human experience, build connections, and bring people together across differences.**The Opportunity**The Director of Development will join NMS at an exciting moment in its 115-year history. The School is poised for significant growth in both its reach and impact, with plans developing to expand community partnerships and programming alongside a significant expansion of its physical campus. A capital campaign is beginning to take shape around this vision.Working in close partnership with the Executive Director, the Board of Directors, and a highly collaborative Administrative Leadership Team, the Director of Development will build the infrastructure and relationships necessary to significantly grow contributed revenue. The successful candidate will strengthen NMS’s development capacity, grow individual and major giving, diversify institutional support, prepare for and help lead a transformational campaign, and engage the Board and organizational leadership as active partners in philanthropy.For a development leader energized by building, this is a rare opportunity to join a beloved, financially healthy institution with strong leadership, significant unrealized philanthropic potential, and big ideas about what’s next.**What We Are Looking For**NMS is seeking an experienced, relational, and highly collaborative development professional who listens deeply, builds trust, and connects easily with people across NMS’s extraordinarily diverse community. The successful candidate will understand that at NMS, the arts are both an end in themselves and a vehicle for something larger: learning, belonging, human connection, and opportunity. They will value and cultivate donors at every level while bringing the confidence and experience to pursue significant gifts and transformational investment in NMS’s future.The ideal candidate will bring demonstrated success growing contributed revenue, annual giving, and major gifts; experience with capital or comprehensive campaigns and institutional fundraising; and the ability to build the systems and infrastructure of an effective development operation. They will be a self-directed builder and strategic partner who can drive the development work while effectively leveraging the expertise, relationships, and involvement of the Executive Director, Board, and broader NMS community.**Please click** **here** **to view the full position profile outlining the responsibilities and qualifications in detail.****Position Details**This is a full-time, salaried, exempt position based primarily on NMS’s campus in New Haven, Connecticut, with some work-from-home flexibility for focused work and to accommodate the varied schedule of development activities. The Director of Development reports to the Executive Director; supervises the part-time Development Manager and Development Associate; oversees a development consultant; and works closely with senior staff and the Development Committee of the Board. The salary range is $100,000–$110,000, with benefits including health insurance, four weeks of vacation plus holidays, winter and spring breaks, enrollment discounts, free dance and wellness classes, and a 403(b). The desired start date is January 2027.**To Apply**Neighborhood Music School has engaged LJN Advisory LLC to partner with them in hiring for this important role. Please email a cover letter and resume to **[e-mail]** **by October 9**. Cover letters should be responsive to the mission and values of Neighborhood Music School and to the Areas of Focus outlined in the full Position Profile. Review of applications will begin immediately so early application is strongly encouraged. All applications will be personally acknowledged and reviewed.**Equal Opportunity**Neighborhood Music School is an equal opportunity employer. In accordance with anti-discrimination law, it is the purpose of this policy to effectuate these principles and mandates. NMS prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type and affords equal employment opportunities to employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. NMS conforms to the spirit as well as to the letter of all applicable laws and regulations.