Chief Development Officer

Job Description

Reporting to the Artistic Director and serving on the senior leadership team, the Chief Development Officer (CDO) is responsible for creating and implementing the American Repertory Theater at Harvard University’s fundraising strategy and leading a comprehensive development program that ranges from membership levels to 8‑figure capital gifts. The CDO is a key thought partner to the Artistic Director, Managing Director, Board Chair, and committee chairs of the boards for fundraising and organization‑wide philanthropic strategy.

Under Terrie and Bradley Bloom Artistic Director Diane Paulus and Managing Director Anna Fitzloff, the A.R.T. is poised to raise unprecedented funding support to serve the A.R.T.’s mission to expand the boundaries of theater. The CDO will partner strategically with the Harvard University Development Office to steward university and alumni donor relationships and promote A.R.T.’s interests.

The CDO manages a development team charged with increasing annual contributed support beyond $6 million to meet operational needs and completing an initial $185 million+ capital campaign for the new David E. and Stacey L. Goel Center for Creativity & Performance on Harvard’s campus in Allston which will be the future home of the A.R.T. Endowment funds will also need to be raised to support operations in the new center.

The CDO will conceptualize and manage all aspects of the philanthropic portfolio, including individual giving, institutional giving, major gifts, annual funds and membership, planned giving, stewardship and solicitation, development operations, board recruitment, volunteer management and campaign planning. The CDO will lead and supervise the Development team in consistent collaboration with the senior Artistic team to generate fundraising support for all programming, including aspirational strategic initiatives.

The CDO will foster a culture of community, trust, respect, professional excellence, and accountability.

The Chief Development Officer will strategically and thoughtfully lead a development team currently consisting of the following roles:

• Associate Director, Institutional Giving
• Associate Director, Principal Gifts
• Associate Director, Development Operations & Donor Relations
• Associate Director, Stewardship & Major Gifts
• Individual Giving Associate
• Senior Development Coordinator

• The CDO is an enthusiastic ambassador for the A.R.T. and the University and fosters catalytic philanthropic growth, developing and deepening critical engagements with partners and driving broader awareness and philanthropic support for the organization and its mission.
• The CDO leads the Development team’s efforts to implement a comprehensive development program to significantly grow the A.R.T.’s contributed revenue from a broad base of supporters, including individuals, corporations, foundations, government entities, and community organizations.
• The CDO and the Development team are responsible for developing a compelling case for support that aligns with the artistic vision, University strategic plans, and sustainability of the organization.
• This position develops and implements solicitation strategies for high‑capacity individual, corporate, and foundation donors while working with staff and other University partners to support a comprehensive, multi‑phased development effort. The CDO, personally and with its key stakeholders, identifies, cultivates, solicits, and stewards annual and major gifts from individual and institutional donors at the level of six to seven‑figures and greater.
• The position has direct budgetary and financial responsibilities and is expected to set and meet annual contributed revenue targets.
• Work with the Artistic Director, key leaders, and constituents to prepare strategic philanthropic goals for development using forward thinking data gathering strategies to drive decision making.
• Together with key staff members, the CDO initiates sophisticated prospect research with the objective of identifying and qualifying prospects as well as conducting due diligence.
• The CDO creates and implements new programs and campaigns to…