Director of Advancement & Audience Strategy

Director of Advancement & Audience Strategy

Position Profile

A New Role for a Future-Facing Strategy

MCC Theater is pleased to be launching a search for a new senior leader dedicated to revenue strategy, relationship building, and the long-term sustainability of the organization. This new role, Director of Advancement & Audience Strategy, will join the organization at an exciting moment of achievement and impact. Charged with overseeing both development and marketing efforts, this strategic leader will report to MCC’s Executive Director and Artistic Directors and be a pivotal member of the MCC team. In addition to having experience and knowledge of the operations of both departments, they will arrive with a passion for fostering the connection between cultivating audiences and donors and building deep circles of support for an organization.

With this new role in place, MCC, with an annual budget between $8-$10 million, will have an experienced manager who can lead, mentor, and inspire high-performing, highly collaborative Marketing and Development teams. Leading both departments, which currently encompasses seven team members and several consultants, they will articulate strategy and oversee the implementation of systems, assess staff structures and needs, and optimize revenue across earned and contributed categories. They will need to use both entrepreneurial and analytical skills to identify and implement opportunities for revenue growth in the near and long-term. Finally, they will act as a key strategic partner to MCC’s General Manager, Director of Finance, Director of Public Engagement & Education, the Executive Director, Artistic Directors, and the Board.

MCC has created this role as a step toward their goals of increased brand awareness, new relationships with external partners (philanthropic or otherwise), and invigorated audience and donor engagement. After opening the state-of-the-art Robert W. Wilson space in 2019 and re-emerging from the pandemic with celebrated productions and sustained programmatic excellence, MCC is in a place to inspire full organizational investment through on-brand community and relationship building. They seek a leader who will drive that across all external constituencies.

Job Description

Essential Responsibilities

Organizational Leadership

• Supervise and manage the teams at MCC dedicated to Marketing (currently two team members) and Fund Development (currently five team members, including support from external partner Donorly), providing guidance, oversight, and mentorship; assess the current staffing structures within those departments and identify optimal operating models for each
• Serve as a member of the senior staff, participating in long-range institutional planning and working with the Executive Director and Artistic Directors to prioritize strategic goals and enact new plans for the organization
• Create an inclusive and supportive environment, which upholds MCC’s commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging
• Foster a culture of philanthropy that fully engages staff, board members, donors and other community members in a deep and meaningful way
• Collaborate with the Executive Director, Director of Finance, and General Manager to forecast both earned and contributed revenue goals, evaluate progress, and ensure that both department’s budgets are maintained in order to support achieving those goals
• Utilize data to understand the success or challenges of tactics being employed to achieve earned and contributed revenue goals, and lead the process of shifting plans or bolstering efforts based on the data
• Understand the current audience experience at MCC and chart out a holistic approach of moving an individual from ticket purchase, through repeat attendance, to commitment of annual support
• Communicate across departments when implementing new initiatives and report back on responses to campaigns to ensure information is being distributed cross-departmentally, and is informing future marketing or fundraising strategies
• Participate in and attend field-wide events, conferences, and roundtables, in order to represent MCC and foster relationships with the theatre community

Fundraising Oversight

• Provide strategic and creative leadership in raising approximately $5-7 million in annual contributed revenue through individual and board giving, foundation, government and corporate support, and special events
• Articulate and lead a clear and comprehensive annual development plan with specific goals, which keeps the department motivated and on track, while also considering long-term goals that will allow MCC to increase contributed revenue year over year
• Construct a compelling and clear case for support for all of MCC’s productions, ongoing programs, artistic initiatives, and the institution as a whole that the staff, leadership and Board can utilize
• In partnership with the Executive Director, act as a leader in the planning and management of an institutional multi-million dollar working capital campaign, in line with the organization’s multi-year strategic plan and building off of the successful campaign mounted to open MCC’s new space
• Build new and bolster existing relationships with foundation and corporate partners, government agencies, donors at various levels, and current and prospective Board members
• Lead the creation of strategic plans around donor engagement that are data-driven and research-based and supervise the Development team to successfully manage donor acquisition and retention successfully and develop increased opportunities to upgrade key prospects to the major donor levels, including the Producer’s Circle Level ($10,000+)
• Ensure the execution of multi-channel donor and patron communications, so a variety of goals can be accomplished
• Manage and steward a portfolio of major individual and institutional funders and prospects
• Understand and advance the strategies behind MCC’s annual Outward Bound Fundraising team in terms of renewals and acquisitions, in partnership with Outward Bound Manager
• Support the Associate Director of Development in their management of MCC’s annual Miscast Gala, and augment MCC’s current approach to this event by devising new opportunities for sponsorship, identifying potential honorees, or soliciting other contributors to this signature event
• Supervise the Development team in the execution of all donor events, including Patron evenings and Opening Nights for each production
• Direct the Manager of Institutional Giving in MCC’s approach to institutional funder relationships; reviewing and approving proposals, reports, and correspondence to institutional funders and stakeholders

Board Engagement

• Direct, manage, or support the Board solicitation process for all annual gifts and event participation
• Collaborate with Board leadership and the Associate Director of Development to ensure the management of the Board of Directors’ fundraising activities, including soliciting prospects for their support through the Patron Program, Annual and Institutional Campaigns, the Miscast Gala, and any additional fundraising events throughout the year
• Oversee and staff Nominating/Board Development and Development Committee meetings and support other Board Committees as needed
• Attend quarterly Board meetings and provide regular reports on fundraising initiatives, progress, and KPIs
• Collaborate with the Executive Director on Board meeting planning and setting engagement, governance, or recruitment goals for the Board
• Articulate and execute tactics that will lead to a greater diversity of Board members and encourage practices on the Board that support MCC’s commitment to equity and inclusion

Institutional Marketing & Communications Strategy

• Collaborate with the Executive Director, Artistic Directors, and all other department heads to ensure that consistent brand and marketing components are utilized throughout MCC materials and communications and meet the highest quality standards
• In partnership with the Director of Marketing, develop all short- and long-term institutional marketing plans and build new strategies that can bolster those plans, as needed; monitor how these plans respond to annual subscription and single ticket goals
• Collaborate with internal departments to maximize opportunities for content creation, and provide opportunities for campaign input where appropriate—particularly with Artistic, Public Engagement, Development, and Audience Services departments
• Regularly examine and realign the marketing mix for MCC campaigns to ensure that reach and overall brand awareness are at a maximum, for both the productions and the company as a whole
• Analyze audience and marketing research to assess audience engagement, understand demographic profiles, and develop and implement appropriate audience development strategies, to continually ensure that MCC’s diverse season of programming is reaching an audience representative and inclusive of NYC
• Represent audience perspective with MCC leadership and with the Board to serve as the senior policy leader with regard to customer service and experience

Qualifications

• An excitement for MCC’s work, mission, values, and history, both through the productions and educational programs, and a passion for and curiosity about theater
• Knowledge of the arts and culture philanthropic community in New York City and an awareness of the local theater and performing arts community
• Ability to facilitate collaboration across multiple teams, inspiring a shared sense of ownership and accomplishment
• Enthusiasm for relationship building, eager to interact and collaborate with fellow senior staff members, team members, and other members of the MCC community
• Excellent oral and written communications skills
• Capable of using analytical skills and data-driven thinking to make decisions and set strategy
• Strong organizational and time management skills; with an ability to set plans, work toward deadlines, and communicate with team members throughout a project’s completion
• Understanding of organizational budgeting processes in order to participate in organizational and departmental planning
• Ready to be a creative problem-solver, idea generator, and self-starter with the capacity to start a project, ask questions, and build consensus as needed
• Commitment to building a trusting, transparent, and friendly workplace atmosphere
• Ability to work effectively under pressure, manage priorities, and meet deadlines
• Comfortability in leading, mentoring, building strong teams

Not sure you meet 100% of our qualifications? Research shows that cis men apply for jobs when they fulfill an average of 60% of the criteria, while others tend only to apply if they meet every requirement. If you believe that you could excel in this role, we encourage you to apply.

We are dedicated to considering a broad array of candidates, including those with diverse workplace experiences and backgrounds. So, whether you're returning to work after a gap in employment, simply looking to transition, or taking the next step in your career path, we will be glad to have you on our radar.

Please use your cover letter to tell us about what you hope to bring to this role.

About MCC Theater

MCC Theater is one of New York’s leading non-profit Off-Broadway companies, driven by a mission to provoke conversations that have never happened and otherwise never would. Founded in 1986 by Bob LuPone (1946-2022) and Bernie Telsey, and later joined by co-Artistic Director Will Cantler, MCC fulfills its mission through the production of world, American, and New York premiere plays and musicals that challenge artists and audiences to confront contemporary personal and social issues. Celebrated MCC Theater productions include Soho Rep's Wolf Play, Kate Nash’s Only Gold; Jocelyn Bioh’s School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play; Robert Askins’ Hand to God (Broadway transfer; five 2015 Tony Award® nominations including Best Play); Neil LaBute’s reasons to be pretty (Broadway transfer, three 2009 Tony Award® nominations, including Best Play); Bryony Lavery’s Frozen (Broadway transfer; four 2004 Tony Award® nominations including Best Play, Tony Award® for Best Featured Actor); Jason Robert Brown and Jonathan Marc Sherman’s The Connector; and many more. MCC’s robust playwright development initiatives foster the next generation of theater artists, and the education initiatives have a deep impact on thousands of students through the innovative MCC Youth Company, school partnerships, and student matinee programs.

In January 2019, MCC Theater took residence in the Robert W. Wilson MCC Theater Space in Hell’s Kitchen. The venue includes two theaters, two rehearsal studios, and additional program and office space. This physical transition was accompanied by a period of significant growth, both in terms of staff and programming, including scaled-up operations in the areas of facilities and audience services and several new initiatives under the umbrella of public engagement.

MCC Core Values

From our early days on 42nd St, through a long residency at the Lucille Lortel Theater in Greenwich Village to the recent move into our current multi-stage facility in Hell’s Kitchen, MCC’s mission has been to provoke conversations that have never happened and otherwise never would. This mission has always meant building space for discussions about new, transformative ideas with a community that is engaged, vibrant and expansive. Along the way we’ve learned about new and better ways to serve the mission both in our productions and in our internal operations.

Fulfilling our mission relies upon a deep understanding of and serious commitment to diversity. Our experiences (both the successes and challenges) have taught us that a fundamental part of our progress is being a company with a workspace where a diverse staff can have productive, honest exchanges. We also have to be a company that promotes talent and topics on stage that invite the entire community into the conversation. In different ways, we have applied this thinking over the years to improve both our internal operations and our productions. But we also know there is more important work to do.

As part of this work and our journey, MCC has articulated a set of values that are a central underpinning of how the organization operates and exists on a daily basis. These values—Artistry, Collaboration Inclusion, Empathy and Accountability—are key to modeling and catalyzing positive change within the theater industry.

Compensation

The salary for this position is $145,000-165,000. MCC provides comprehensive benefits, including providing access to insurance (health, dental, vision, long and short-term disability insurance upon eligibility); offers generous paid time off; the ability to participate in an employee contributed 403 (b) plan, and Transit Benefits. Insurance benefits are effective on the first of the month following the first date of employment.

Non-Discrimination in Employment at MCC: In accordance with our values, we seek to have the best available person in every job. To that end, MCC is an equal opportunity employer and makes employment decisions based on qualifications. We do not allow employment decisions to be made on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, religion, creed, sex, gender, gender identity, transgender status, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, predisposing genetic characteristics, genetic information, sexual orientation, marital status, citizenship status, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical condition, partnership status, unemployment status, domestic violence victim status, veteran status, uniformed service, protected activity (i.e., opposition to prohibited discrimination or participation in proceedings covered by the anti-discrimination statutes) or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local law. All employment-related activities are conducted on a non-discriminatory basis and in full compliance with federal, state and local laws prohibiting discrimination in employment. Violations of this policy are strictly prohibited. Every employee undertakes, through such an employee’s employment, to comply with this policy.

Application Instructions

The Director of Advancement & Audience Strategy search is being conducted on behalf of MCC Theater by Tom O’Connor Consulting Group, a New York-based executive search and consulting firm specializing in the arts and culture industries. The search is being led by Search Consultant Brenna Thomas, in consultation with and support from the TOCG search team.

To apply, visit the online application (https://tinyurl.com/m7hrfxu2) and submit your materials. Your cover letter should include any training or experience relevant to the job profile that you would like to highlight, why you consider yourself a good fit for this opportunity, and anything else you’d like us to know about your qualifications that may not be present in your resume.

The priority application deadline for this search is December 2, 2024. Applications received by this date will receive priority consideration. While we will still accept and consider applications after this date, we encourage you to apply as early as possible for the best chance at being considered for the position. Please note that meeting the priority deadline does not guarantee an interview.