Director of Development, Meadows School of the Arts
Southern Methodist University Inc

Dallas, Texas

This job has expired.


Description

The Meadows School of the Arts

What is now the Meadows School of the Arts began as the School of Music in 1917. It became the School of the Arts in 1964, incorporating studies in art and theatre. In 1969, through the generosity of Algur H. Meadows, his family and The Meadows Foundation, the school was named the Algur H. Meadows School of the Arts. Today, the Meadows School has achieved prominence as one of the foremost arts education institutions in the United States and offers training in an unusual mix of the arts - visual (art and art history), performing (dance, music and theatre) and communications (advertising, cinema-television, corporate communications and public affairs, and journalism) - as well as a preeminent program in arts administration. To this day, the legacy of the school remains linked to important names of the past.

The Meadows Museum is one of the most important chapters of the Meadows school story. After Algur Meadows made a gift of his Spanish art collection to SMU, it became one of the most significant academic resources of the University and is now considered one of the finest and most comprehensive collections of Spanish art outside of Spain. Housed in the Owen Arts Center for over thirty years, it now resides in its own building prominently located on Bishop Boulevard at the entrance to the campus. Inaugurated by His Majesty Juan Carlos and Her Majesty Sofia of Spain, the Meadows Museum was reopened with great fanfare in 2001. It remains an important cultural and educational institution and one of the Meadows School's and SMU's most important assets.

The Meadows School is led by Dr. Samuel S. Holland, Algur H. Meadows Dean and an award-winning professor of music. A champion of the transformational power of arts and communication, Dr. Holland leads a team that has raised over $145 million in new funding for the Meadows School. In addition to artistic and programmatic excellence, his leadership has helped the Meadows School become nationally recognized for innovative curricula, sustainable community engagement, and its entrepreneurial approach to arts education. A performance student of John Perry and Abbey Simon, Dr. Holland earned his Ph.D. in music education with an emphasis in piano pedagogy from the University of Oklahoma.

The Opportunity

Responsibilities

Reporting to the Assistant Vice President, School and Project Development, the Director of Development (DOD) serves as the chief development strategist to the Dean of The Meadows School and his leadership team. This individual is responsible for the development and overall fundraising program of the school, including annual, capital, and endowment giving. The DOD will lead fundraising efforts at the $100,000-level and above and create and implement fundraising strategies for key funding priorities while serving as the primary liaison with prospect research, national major giving, annual and planned giving, corporate and foundation relations, stewardship and events, marketing, public relations, and related external affairs functions. The DOD works closely with the Assistant Vice President for School and Project Development, the Dean's office, and senior staff to set the development agenda for the executive board and related groups. Specifically, this individual will:

Cultivation and Solicitation:

  • Manage and assure growth in annual fund and planned giving while working with Development and External Affairs (DEA) and school/unit leadership and staff to strategize, develop, cultivate, and successfully solicit 12 to 16 gifts at the $100,000-level or above annually.
  • Manage a portfolio of 100 to 120 active prospects with responsibility for making a minimum of 100 visits annually.
  • Collaborate with Annual Giving and Alumni Relations department on leadership gifts less than $100,000.
  • Collaborate closely with the AVP and DEA leadership to ensure assignments and activities are communicated throughout the division.
  • Oversee all fundraising-related activities including events, correspondence, and tracking.
  • Benchmark fundraising results with established goals and advise DEA leadership towards ongoing progress.
Leadership and Strategy:
  • Set objectives for major gift and annual fundraising while collaborating with DEA and the Dean to establish development priorities for the school/unit.
  • Integrate the school's stewardship and external activities with DEA, including volunteer engagement, alumni programming and events, stewardship programs and events, marketing, public relations, and other external functions.
  • In preparation for SMU's campaign, the Director of Development will retain responsibility for staffing the Dean and managing a volunteer committee.
Management:
  • Provide strong leadership for fundraising professionals, staff, and volunteers working on behalf of the school.
  • In close collaboration with the Dean and senior staff, the Director of Development will establish and implement a strategic development agenda for volunteers, the executive board, and related groups.
The Ideal Candidate

Leadership

An innovative leader able to execute actionable fundraising strategies.

A strategic thinker with the ability to translate a concept into action as part of building and inspiring a strong team of staff.

A leader capable of cultivating a professional and open environment in which information is readily shared with a variety of constituents, and integrity and collaboration are essential attributes.

A hardworking, self-motivated individual who fully dedicates energy to a cause and is willing to "go beyond the job description", including extending extra effort when necessary to see projects to successful conclusions.

A service-oriented person who engenders support among colleagues, staff, and the community through knowledge, experience, creativity, vision, and dedication to the mission of SMU.

Qualifications

Education and Experience

Bachelor's degree is required. Master's preferred.

A minimum of seven (7) years of professional experience in major gifts fundraising, with demonstrated success creating strategy, cultivating and soliciting prospects, closing asks, and stewarding donors.

A minimum of three (3) years of supervisory experience is required, with additional experience in volunteer and/or advisory board management preferred.

Experience working closely with organizational leadership and effectively managing and engaging volunteers.

Experience successfully developing, articulating, and executing long-and short-term funding and project strategies.

Experience in an academic/higher education setting preferred, ideally including in campaigns.

Familiarity with fundraising in the arts community preferred, ideally in Dallas and/or other major Texas cities.

Skills & Knowledge

An in-depth understanding of all facets of major gifts fundraising, including how major gifts portfolio management dovetails with other facets of university advancement such as leadership annual giving and planned giving.

The ability to build consensus within a complex organization such as SMU.

Highly developed relationship management skills grounded in superb communication and effective listening.

Written communication skills and the ability to prepare proposals, reports, and correspondence.

A functionally fluent leader with the ability to provide focus and motivation to a professional staff in a goal-driven, fast-paced, and changing environment.

An insightful, articulate, accomplished, and persuasive leader committed to the support of university advancement.

Strong proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint) is required.

Proficiency with Blackbaud Enterprise or other constituent records database(s) is preferred.

Personal Characteristics

A motivated self-starter who takes initiative, anticipates, challenges, and follows through to deliver results.

A personable and engaging individual with a consistently professional appearance when interacting with internal and external constituents.

A positive individual possessing high levels of initiative and comfort working with teams or as an independent practitioner.

Ability to move comfortably in a wide variety of social settings, including among people of substantial influence and wealth, and the ability to forge solid personal relationships.

An individual who embraces diversity and fosters inclusion in all aspects of life.

Intuitive, perceptive, and skilled at reading both people and situations as well as flexible and willing to adapt, especially when advancing multiple projects and priorities.

An individual who balances a sense of urgency in addressing needs with the patience required of a team-oriented environment

Other Considerations

Compensation: Competitive with comparable organizations, and commensurate with capability, experience, and prevailing market trends

Location: Dallas, Texas

Travel: Occasional travel is required to attend University-related functions and visits with prospects and donors

After Hours: This position requires frequent work during the evenings and on weekends

Website: https://www.smu.edu/

The position is open until filled.

Assisting the University in this search is Peña Search Consulting. For information nominations, applications and inquiries contact:

Carlos Peña

Email address | carlos@penasearch.com

Travis Hillier

Email address | travis@penasearch.com

Peña Search
www.penasearch.com
214-775-0903


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