Director of Philanthropy: Opera Philadelphia

Bryn Mawr College; Bryn Mawr (PA); On-site; GBP 68,000 - 106,000; Full time

Job summary

Opera Philadelphia is seeking a Director of Philanthropy to lead the major gifts program within the Philanthropy Department. This role engages with high‑level individual donors, manages a portfolio of 100+ prospects, and reports to the Chief Philanthropy Officer.

The director will supervise two staff members and drive personalized outreach to secure significant funding. Key responsibilities include creating compelling funding proposals, coordinating donor recognition, and maintaining donor

Qualifications

• 7–10 years of nonprofit fundraising experience with focus on major gifts

Responsibilities

• Actively manage a portfolio of 100+ individual donors and major donor prospects.
• Supervise two positions on the Individual Giving team.
• Develop and maintain relationships with major donors through personalized engagement strategies.
• Identify, qualify, and solicit major gift prospects and create targeted solicitation proposals.
• Collaborate with leadership, artistic staff, and philanthropy colleagues to craft funding proposals and impact reports.
• Ensure donor recognition and exclusive experiences per policy; coordinate with donor programs.
• Maintain donor records and gift documentation in Tessitura for tracking and reporting.
• Staff special events, performances, and committee meetings as required.

Skills

Major gifts

Donor cultivation

Relationship building

Events planning

Communication

Project management

Tools

Tessitura

Raiser’s Edge

Salesforce

Job description

The Director of Philanthropy is a key member of the leadership team of Opera Philadelphia’s (OP) Philanthropy Department responsible for a comprehensive program focusing on maximizing contributed support from Individuals—both existing and new.

The Director of Philanthropy will manage special major gift initiatives as needed and work with the Chief Philanthropy Officer to manage underwriting opportunities for mainstage artists, creative teams, productions, and community programs at the $25,000 level and above.

The Director of Philanthropy supervises two positions – Associate Director of Individual Giving, and Philanthropy Officer. The Associate Director of Individual Giving is responsible for managing donor retention and acquisition efforts, renewal processes, and the Individual Giving end-of-calendar year and end-of-fiscal year campaigns. The Philanthropy Officer is specifically focused on identifying new likely donors, in-person qualifying their likelihood and ability to contribute, building relationships with them, and soliciting their support.

The Director of Philanthropy will support OP’s 5-yearOpera, But Differentcampaign.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Actively manage a portfolio of approximately 100+ individual donors and major donor prospects to Opera Philadelphia.

Supervise two positions on the Individual Giving team, Associate Director of Individual Giving, and Philanthropy Officer.

Develop and maintain strong relationships with major donors, patrons and prospective supporters through personalized engagement strategies, including one-on-one meetings, events, and communication outreach.

Identify, qualify, and solicit major gift prospects with the capacity to make significant financial contributions to Opera Philadelphia. Create targeted solicitation strategies and proposals to secure major gifts in support of OP’s fundraising priorities.

Collaborate with the Philanthropy team, senior leadership, and artistic staff to create compelling funding proposals, impact report, and case statements that articulate OP’s mission, vision, and funding needs to major donors.

Ensure that major donors receive appropriate recognition, stewardship, and benefits in accordance with OP’s donor acknowledgment policies. Coordinate exclusive experiences for major donors and prospects to deepen their engagement with the company.

Maintain accurate donor records and gift documentation in Tessitura, OP’s donor database, to track donor interactions, solicitations, and gift commitments.

Staff special events, performances, and committee meetings as required.

Preferred Related Experience:

7-10 years working on a nonprofit fundraising team (performing arts preferred) with a focus on major gifts and individual giving

Proven track record of soliciting and closing major gifts of $25,000 or more from individual donors.

Successful Experience in supervising fundraising professionals.

Knowledge of fundraising best practices, donor cultivation strategies, and moves management techniques.

Excellent project management capability

Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to articulate OP’s mission, programs and impact to diverse audiences.

Proficiency in donor management software and CRM systems (e.g., Tessitura, Raiser’s Edge, Salesforce) for donor tracking, reporting and analysis

Strong interpersonal skills including active listening and an empathic approach to the specific interests of varied audiences

Ability to work evening and weekend hours