Donor Relations Associate

Stagetime Inc.; Pittsburgh (Allegheny County); Hybrid; USD 52,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Pittsburgh Opera is seeking a Donor Relations Associate to join the development team. The role supports individual giving initiatives, donor engagement, and event planning in partnership with the Senior Manager of Individual Giving, handling gift procedures and data management.

Responsibilities include creating campaigns, managing donor benefits, coordinating cultivation events, and ensuring timely acknowledgments, with collaboration across artistic, education, and community teams to advance

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field.
• Two or more years of fundraising experience in the arts, particularly in opera or classical music.
• Candidates must have a valid driver's license, a personal vehicle, and be available to work nights and weekends.

Responsibilities

• Develop donor engagement campaigns and manage donor recognition.
• Plan and oversee cultivation and donor engagement events.
• Coordinate fundraising appeals and input donor data into the database.
• Collaborate with opera teams to highlight initiatives and build partnerships.
• Support other duties and special projects as assigned.

Skills

Donor engagement

Communication skills

Organizational skills

Attention to detail

Time management

Content creation

Tech-savvy

Initiative

Opera knowledge

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Tessitura

HubSpot

Raiser's Edge

Microsoft Office

Adobe Express

Video editing software

Job description

The Donor Relations Associate for Pittsburgh Opera is a key development team member, involved in individual giving fundraising initiatives, gift procedures, and event planning in partnership with the Senior Manager of Individual Giving. This position supports donor engagement through creative campaigns and benefit administration, event planning and logistics, and data management.

1. Donor Engagement:

• Work with the Senior Manager of Individual Giving to build engagement and digital warming campaigns at all levels of the donor experience, creating copy, content, and messaging themes.
• Manage donor benefit administration - communicate benefits to individual donors, staff donor recognition events, assist in preparation of donor listings.
• Provide support for technology and software to ensure that the donor experience is seamless through all aspects of gift making, from contribution through recognition.
• Prepare prompt acknowledgement for Pittsburgh Opera donors and event supporters.

2. Events:

• Plan and oversee select cultivation and donor engagement events.

3. Fundraising:

• In partnership with the Senior Manager of Individual Giving, coordinate and execute fundraising appeals to secure gifts of less than $1,000, including but not limited to direct-mail, digital campaigns, mobile giving, social media, telefunding, and on-site presence during events.
• Manage and input donor gift data into the database accurately and efficiently, ensuring proper acknowledgment and tracking of contributions
• Ensure deployment of monthly renewal letter series to individual giving donors.

4. Opera Community Engagement:

• Collaborate with artistic, education, and community engagement teams to highlight opera initiatives and create awareness content.
• Represent the opera company at cultural events, engage with patrons, and develop partnerships within the opera and arts communities.

Secondary Duties

• 1. Other duties and special projects as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• 1. Possess a positive, donor-centric approach to interfacing with donors and event volunteers.
• 2. Superior written and verbal communication skills, as well as organizational and time management skills.
• 3. Exceptional attention to detail, skills and understanding of how details effect, and are a part of, donor cultivation strategies and organizational goals and processes.
• 4. Proficiency in donor/customer relationship management software, such as Tessitura (preferred), HubSpot, or Raiser's Edge and Microsoft Office (Outlook, Excel, Word and PowerPoint).
• 5. Proficiency in basic content creation software, such as Adobe Express and video editing software.
• 6. Professional and resourceful. Possess the ability to take initiative, and to manage multiple tasks independently and to thrive in an open, fast-paced office environment.
• 7. Familiarity with and appreciation of opera/classical music; high energy and passion for Pittsburgh Opera's mission.
• 8. Knowledge of the opera industry, including an understanding of production costs and artistic funding needs.

Experience and Education Requirements

• 1. Bachelor's degree in a relevant field.
• 2. Two of more years' experience in fundraising within the arts, particularly in opera or classical music.
• 3. Candidates must have a valid drivers' license, a personal vehicle, and be available to work nights and weekends.