Major And Planned Gifts Officer

The Huntington | Major And Planned Gifts Officer | Boston, MA

About The Huntington

Since opening its doors in 1982, The Huntington has been inspiring, entertaining and engaging audiences with theatrical productions that range from the classics to new works; supporting the next generation of theatre artists and emerging playwrights; providing arts education programs that promote life-long learning to a diverse community; and celebrating the essential power of the theatre to illuminate our common humanity. The storied Theatre stands in the heart of Boston at the gateway to the Avenue of the Arts, a historic cultural corridor through Boston that links Symphony Hall, the New England Conservatory, MassArt, the Museum of Fine Arts, and the nearby Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.Since July, 2022, Loretta Greco, Norma Jean Calderwood Artistic Director, has been at the helm of The Huntington's creative direction, with her passion for championing groundbreaking artists whose work asks robust questions about our shared humanity. Joined in 2023 by new Executive Director Chris Mannelli, they are leading a time of transformation for one of Boston's flagship cultural organizations. Among innovative new programming is the Ufot Family Cycle, an unprecedented two-year city-wide festival where theatres and arts organizations around Greater Boston will join to produce nationally acclaimed playwright Mfoniso Udofia's cycle of plays in partnership with universities, social organizations, non-profits, and a host of community activation partners, continuing this winter through spring 2026.Beyond its captivating theatrical performances, The Huntington's teaching artists and education staff work with thousands of young people annually to develop their own singular voices as writers, speakers, and collaborators. Students learn to be creative thinkers and compassionate communicators, building their emotional intelligence and honing life skills that extend far beyond the arts. The Huntington currently invites students throughout the Greater Boston area to attend the theatre at little to no cost, often providing their first or only opportunity to see live professional theatre.In addition, The Huntington Community Membership Initiative (HCMI) works with more than 250 organizations in Greater Boston neighborhoods to reduce economic impediments to theatre and build an audience better reflecting Boston's diversity. Members access all performances for $20 a ticket and are invited to participate in pre-show receptions with artists. The HCMI has grown to 3,500 members since its founding in 2011, helping to increase the diversity of audiences exponentially. In its 42 years, The Huntington has played to an audience of over 3.5 million, presented more than 200 plays (18 of which went on to Broadway or Off Broadway), and served more than half a million students, community members, and other cultural organizations at two signature venues — The Huntington Theatre and Calderwood Pavilion.For more information about The Huntington, please visit https://www.huntingtontheatre.org/

About Philanthropy at The Huntington

Building on the successful revitalization of the historic theatre completed in 2022, The Huntington will be expanding its physical and cultural footprint through an ambitious East Wing project that will add 14,000 square feet of space, offering portals to engage with artmaking, community creation, culinary experiences, and education for all ages. The Huntington's commitment to bold, artistic innovation will be grounded by a strategic financial plan that relies on increased earned, contributed, and endowment income. Continued robust philanthropy will be a cornerstone of the organization's sustainable future.The Huntington is at an exciting, pivotal juncture. The organization is expanding its role in Boston's cultural ecosystem, amplifying its commitment as a public good, and investing in ambitious seasons guided by a bold vision. The Huntington has met this moment by:Deepening loyal audiences, with subscriptions nearing pre-pandemic levels (85%)Building new audiences and relationships, with over 8,400 new, first-time ticket buying households drawn to the magic of The Huntington stage and warmth of the community this past seasonReaching more students and educators, serving over 30,000 school students yearly across in-school and theatre-based programs, and offering high demand necessitated additional student matinee performances, with over 3,600 students from 86 schools participating in the 23/24 season Amidst this great momentum and opportunity, The Huntington has successfully grown the organization's annual fund year over year to reach $6M+ in FY24. To build upon this individual giving success, The Huntington is investing in a Major and Planned Gifts Officer to be able to connect with the expanding community, including annual fund donors, season ticket holders, and major donors.

About the Position

The Major and Planned Gifts Officer (MPGO) will join The Huntington at a landmark moment for the organization and will play a vital role in the evolution of the major and planned giving programs, as well as in Phase II of the Campaign for the New Huntington, an important initiative to expand the campus on Huntington Avenue and support growth of the endowment. With a robust group of loyal and generous donors, as well as a new list of potential prospects for the team to engage, the MPGO will develop deep and authentic relationships across The Huntington's vibrant and enthusiastic community. The key focus of the MPGO position will be to collaborate with development colleagues to ensure continued growth and success in the organization's annual fund effort.The ideal MPGO candidate is a self-driven, goal oriented, front-line fundraiser responsible for cultivating and soliciting a robust portfolio of major donors. This role conducts prospect identification, cultivation, one-on-one solicitations, stewardship, and direct appeals to support annual operations, capital campaigns, endowment, legacy, and special programs. Reporting to the Director of Development and collaborating with the entire Development Team, this position will work closely with the Director and Chief Development Officer to strategize on individual major giving, bring best practices and industry knowledge to broaden and deepen individual philanthropy, and support the expansion of the planned giving program. Due to the interpersonal nature of this role and interaction with staff across the organization, the majority of this role will require in-person presence in the office and in the Boston community.

Key Responsibilities:

• Manage a portfolio of 150+ active individuals through the process of identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship; utilize an entrepreneurial approach to acquire, renew, and upgrade donors, increasing major gift support year over year
• Develop annual plans for the portfolio and successfully close gifts to support operations, education and community programs, capital campaigns, planned giving, and endowment
• Independently secure contributions representing roughly 10-15% of the departmental Annual Fund goal (currently $6M)
• Partner with board and staff leaders to secure 6- and 7-figure gift commitments to the campaign and endowment
• Collaborate with the Director of Development, Chief Development Officer and Associate Director of Individual Giving on "big picture" thinking regarding the Individual Giving program, strategizing on new major donors and board prospects, planned giving approaches, and other initiatives
• Report on and measure progress, re-evaluating plans each quarter to ensure progress is tracking for success and budgeted goals, keeping the DoD and CDO apprised and informed regularly
• Serve as principal fundraiser and stewardship officer for the Board of Advisors, who are advocates and ambassadors of The Huntington and who provide essential support for the theatre's programs and productions
• Actively participate in the work of the Nominating & Governance Committee, identifying and cultivating new board prospects and supporting committee members as they do the same
• Diligently track all donor interactions and research in database
• Act as a leader within the Development team and serve as a public facing representative at Huntington events and activities

Key Qualifications:

• 5+ years of demonstrated frontline, individual fundraising experience, preferably in the arts and culture field, with proven success closing 6+ figure gifts
• Confident solicitor with a proven track record securing major gifts and stewarding donors with a respectful demeanor, withs success initiating, building, and sustaining relationships with high-net-worth individuals over time
• Excellent organizational, interpersonal, presenting, and networking skills with large and small groups and in 1:1 meetings
• Planned giving experience and demonstrated success securing legacy commitments
• Talented in written and oral communications, with an ability to write and speak in clear and compelling ways to articulate the goals, mission, vision, and values of The Huntington
• Ability to take initiative, proactively managing multiple projects and priorities with concurrent and changing deadlines and work effectively both independently and collaboratively as part of a team
• Possess diplomacy and discretion to foster trust and confidence of Board and staff leadership, donors, other stakeholder, maintaining confidentiality
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, including Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams, SharePoint, and PowerPoint, as well as knowledge of research tools; Tessitura or similar relational database experience is preferred
• Knowledge of the Boston funding community is strongly preferred
• Bachelor's degree required

Compensation:

The salary range for this position begins at $110,000 per year, commensurate with experience.The Huntington is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by law.To express interest, please submit your cover letter and resume in confidence here (https://www.developmentguild.com/current-searches/major-gift-officer-huntington-theatre/) For more information, please visit www.developmentguild.com.

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