Development Officer

Reports to: Director of Development
FLSA Status: Full-Time, Exempt
Date Posted: October 5, 2026
Salary: $55,000–$70,000 per year, based on experience, plus a comprehensive benefits package
Work Location: Hybrid; primary remote work location in Emmet or Charlevoix County, with regular travel to the Center and throughout Northern Michigan as needed

The Great Lakes Center for the Arts (GLCFA) is a state-of-the-art, 525-seat theater on the shores of Lake Michigan in Bay Harbor. The Center serves as a cultural and social hub throughout Northern Michigan, presenting exceptional experiences across music, dance, comedy, theater, film, and intellectual dialogue, while offering impactful educational opportunities for the region.

GLCFA's mission is to inspire, entertain, educate, and serve all in Northern Michigan year-round by presenting exceptional experiences across the full spectrum of the performing arts and offering meaningful educational opportunities.

This is a newly created position supporting an expanding Development team. As GLCFA continues to grow, we are investing in additional fundraising capacity to deepen relationships with donors, expand corporate partnerships, and increase philanthropic support for the Center's mission.

Development is at the heart of GLCFA's ability to do its work. Philanthropic support generated by the Development team funds approximately 55–60% of the Center's annual expenses, making this department essential to the organization's success and sustainability. The Development team does more than raise money—it builds the relationships and community support that make exceptional performances, educational programs, and experiences possible throughout Northern Michigan.

The Development Officer will join a collaborative, entrepreneurial team at an exciting point in the Center's growth, with the opportunity to make a meaningful and measurable impact.

The Development Officer is a relationship-driven fundraiser responsible for growing philanthropic support from individuals and businesses across Northern Michigan. Reporting to and working closely with the Director of Development, this position manages and executes GLCFA's major gift and Corporate Circle programs.

The Development Officer will manage a portfolio of approximately 125+ individual and household donors and prospects, with a particular focus on relationships in the $1,000–$25,000+ annual giving range. The position will cultivate, solicit, and steward donors; identify and qualify new prospects; develop corporate partnerships; and collaborate with colleagues, board members, volunteers, and organizational leadership to grow contributed revenue.

The successful candidate will be an authentic relationship-builder, passionate advocate for the performing arts, and effective storyteller who can help current and prospective donors understand the impact of their philanthropy on GLCFA and the communities it serves.

This is a hands‑on fundraising position for someone who enjoys building relationships, having meaningful conversations about philanthropy, making asks, and turning those relationships into long‑term support.

This position is designed as a hybrid work arrangement, in part due to limited onsite office space available to the Center's growing team.

The employee's primary remote work location will be a home office in Emmet or Charlevoix County. Because in-person relationship-building is central to successful fundraising, the Development Officer will regularly travel to the Center and other locations throughout Northern Michigan for donor meetings, corporate partner visits, performances, Development events, staff meetings, and other…