Director of Development

NewFest, New York’s leading LGBTQ film and media organization, is seeking a full-time Director of Development to help drive the organization’s financial growth and expand and diversify its contributed revenue streams.

Founded in 1988, NewFest is the largest queer film festival in the United States, and the largest convener of LGBTQ+ audiences in New York City. NewFest’s mission is to give voice and visibility to the full scope of the LGBTQ+ experience through films and programs that entertain, educate, and empower. NewFest presents year-round screenings and events, including

• The New York LGBTQ+ Film Festival, held annually each October
• NewFest Pride, held annually each June
• Queering the Canon, held annually each April

In addition, NewFest currently has three artist development programs, and partners with the NYC Department of Education on a screening series for high school students. NewFest also works with studios, networks, and streamers to present advance screenings of LGBTQ+ content, often accompanied by social events.

NewFest seeks a Director of Development with an energetic, entrepreneurial attitude, a collaborative spirit, and a well-founded dedication to and excitement for the mission of this organization. With a firm knowledge of the arts and LGBTQ+ landscape in New York City and the funding and donor community that supports it, this leader will be a key contributor to the organization’s forward momentum.

Revenue and budget have more than quadrupled to around $2M in the last five years, with more than 60% coming from contributed revenue. At this transitional moment for the organization, this leader will take the work already started to the next level of sustainability and maturity.

The Director of Development will report to the Executive Director and oversee additional part-time or seasonal team members. Responsible for setting and managing an annual fundraising plan, the Director of Development will be a key thought leader, working with the Executive Director, senior staff, and the Board to develop and execute innovative fundraising strategies.

The responsibilities of the role include:

Development Strategy

• Collaborate with the Executive Director to create a holistic, multi-year strategic fundraising plan, which maps the goals for sustaining and growing the organization’s portfolio of contributed income streams through government, foundation, corporate, and individual funding and sponsorships
• Develop and implement long- and short-term development strategies, including the management of NewFest’s annual fundraising calendar
• Support the Executive Director and board of directors with development and stewardship efforts, empowering them to act as key spokespeople and fundraisers for the organization

Individual Giving

• Develop and execute a comprehensive plan for the cultivation and stewardship of individual donors, with the goal of increasing individual giving and ensuring the effective advancement of prospects and donors by arranging, strategizing, and participating in cultivation and solicitation meetings
• Maintain a portfolio of individual prospects to secure major gifts, including support for general operations, artist development programs, education initiatives, and annual events
• Strategize with programming team to identify individual donors and make program-specific funding requests
• Work with marketing team to promote annual memberships, and working to turn members into donors

Corporate Fundraising

• Work with Executive Director to establish and steward relationships with current and new corporate funders and partners, including
  • Sponsorship for NewFest’s flagship festivals
  • Artist development initiatives
  • Tailored Employee Resource Group events
• Secure in-kind sponsorship of events, including alcohol donations and media sponsorships
• Work with Executive Director and Director of Programming team to identify opportunities for sponsored screenings and/or communication with networks, studios and streamers
• Work with sponsors and internal teams to facilitate fulfillment of sponsor benefits

Institutional Fundraising

• Partner with the Executive Director and supervise grant writer to manage and expand NewFest’s portfolio of foundation funders
• Oversee the gathering of information and materials for grant proposals, reports and updates, and ensure grant compliance and delivery of expected grant outcomes
• Partner with the Executive Director to strengthen relationships with government agencies, elected officials, and other public funders

Events

• Oversee NewFest’s fundraising events, including small dinners and cultivation moments at flagship festivals, and ensure maximization of revenue and engagement goals
• Collaborate with NewFest’s programming team to design and execute compelling and financially successful events and donor cultivation opportunities

Board of Directors

• Serve as a primary liaison with NewFest’s board of directors, and guiding and supporting the work of the fundraising committee
• Engage, cultivate, and work with the board to increase its fundraising capacity and ensure robust participation in fundraising activities
• Partner closely with board members and organizational leadership to create and implement strategies for leveraging board members and their networks

Development Infrastructure

• Build and strengthen organizational infrastructure to support the development program, including assessing team structure and expanding the development team as needed to meet goals
• Develop and implement consistent, efficient, and scalable policies and procedures for all aspects of development operations, including fundraising communications, prospect research, moves management, and gift acknowledgements and processing
• Lead the creation of messaging and content for donor materials and communications, including annual reports, funder reports, sponsorship decks, strategic plans, and other organizational materials

Requirements

• 5+ years of fundraising experience, and an approach grounded in traditional fundraising strategies paired with a creative and entrepreneurial mindset for exploring new and innovative fundraising strategies
• Demonstrated ability in building, cultivating, and sustaining relationships over time, and collaborating with senior leadership on relationship management
• Strong track record of creating and cultivating long-term relationships with individual/major donors and board members
• Proven experience in scaling development programs and managing

growth in a nonprofit setting

• Demonstrated success in securing new individual and corporate funding and exceeding ambitious fundraising goals
• Experience building and maintaining fundraising infrastructure, leading teams, and mentoring staff
• Experience with donor management software and CRM systems
• Ability to analyze fundraising data, track progress towards goals, and make data-driven decisions to optimize fundraising efforts
• Flexibility to work at both a strategic level and to manage the day-to-day tasks associated with the implementation of a robust development program at a small organization
• Familiarity with, and active interest in, the film and television industry, as well as the LGBTQ+ community space
• Maturity and polish to serve as a primary representative of the organization to funders and donors
• An excellent communicator and storyteller; ability to make NewFest’s work come alive through superior written materials, stories, and talking points
• A creative self-starter with the ability to work both independently and as a collaborative member of a small and high-energy team