Director of Development

Bramble Theatre Company, an ensemble theatre based in Andersonville’s Bramble Arts Loft, is seeking a driven and strategic Director of Development.

Bramble’s mission is to create powerful new theatre that both nourishes and challenges our community to explore the question of what it is to be Human. By fostering an Artist-first culture that inspires hope and innovation, we strive to be a leading voice in this emerging era of American Theatre.

Bramble produces a season of three theatrical events: a smaller scale production in late winter/early spring, our summer Festival of Unfinished Work that presents 6 staged scenes from plays-in-progress, and a full-scale show in the fall. Additionally, we produce staged readings throughout the year, primarily through our Parlor Reading Series, and host various fundraising and community-building events in between our major productions.

Reporting directly to the Managing Director, the Director of Development is responsible for planning, developing, organizing, and directing all Bramble Theatre Company fundraising. The Director of Development’s work will ensure that Bramble continues to meet its core artistic mission.

Bramble Theatre Company is committed to ongoing anti-racist workshops and training for our staff and ensemble members. The Director of Development will be included to participate in this work with the rest of our company members.

• Create and direct the fundraising program by expanding Bramble Theatre Company donor base (corporate, individual, foundation, and government)
• Build and cultivate donor relationships
• Create procedures to track and maintain donor records
• Track and report all fundraising income
• Collaborate with the Managing Director to set fundraising goals and manage the annual development budget
• Plan and execute all fundraising events, with assistance from Bramble staff, board, and ensemble
• Craft strategies to leverage Bramble Theatre Company’s current programs, activities, and events to promote greater donor and sponsor participation
• Collaborate with Marketing Director for effective communication to donors
• Seek to secure funding in these areas: foundation, corporate, government, grants, and events, and work in collaboration with staff members and/or board members to identify and apply for these opportunities
• Management of Grant Calendar
• Assist artistic leadership with developing the Board of Directors, including identifying and recruiting ideal candidates

• Experience in fundraising and development, ideally within a nonprofit or arts/cultural organization, including planning and executing fundraising events such as galas and other donor cultivation activities.
• Demonstrated success soliciting gifts from individual donors, corporations, foundations, and government sources.
• Strong relationship-building and interpersonal skills.
• Comfortable working both collaboratively on a team and independently.
• Strong grant-writing and grant-management skills, including experience maintaining a grant calendar and meeting Final date to receive applicationss.
• Interest in and knowledge of theatre and the Chicago theatre community.
• Strong attention to detail, organizational skills, strategic planning, and creativity.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Proficiency with Google Suite.
• Artists are encouraged to apply!

This is a contractor position with a starting stipend of $450/month for approximately 20 hours/month on average (more during fundraising pushes, less in slow season). Bramble has an ethical commitment to increasing compensation over time as our budget grows.