
The Nashville Shakespeare Festival
Development Manager
The Nashville Shakespeare Festival
Job Summary
OUR MISSION: The mission of the Nashville Shakespeare Festival is to educate and entertain the Mid-South community through professional theatrical experiences. The Festival enriches and unifies our community with bold, innovative, and relevant productions along with empowering, participatory educational programs, setting the community standard of excellence in educational outreach and performances of Shakespeare’s plays.
ABOUT THE NASHVILLE SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL: Since 1988, the Nashville Shakespeare Festival (NSF) has provided professional, free, accessible, outdoor theatre each summer that has served audiences from all economic backgrounds, employing hundreds of theatre artists, and engaging thousands of patrons and volunteers. NSF also has robust educational programs that reach into schools around Tennessee with performances, workshops, and other educational opportunities. In continuous efforts toward equity and diversity, we seek to create excellent theatre that reflects the rich diversity of our community and creates a culture of acceptance and unity.
Job Description for Development Manager
Position: Development Manager
Reports to: Executive Director
Wage Classification: Part-time
Compensation: $20/hr
Start Date: March 2025 preferred
Position Summary: The Development Manager plays a pivotal role in supporting the fundraising efforts of the Nashville Shakespeare Festival (NSF). This position involves database management, donor stewardship, event coordination, and collaboration on fundraising strategy. Working closely with the Executive Director, the Development Manager ensures the seamless execution of development activities, fostering relationships with supporters and advancing the organization’s mission.
Job Responsibilities
Essential Functions and Responsibilities:
Data Entry and Database Management
- Maintain and update the customer relationship management (CRM) database (Salesforce), ensuring accurate and timely entry of gifts, pledges, and donor information.
- Generate donor reports, mailing lists, and dashboards to support fundraising campaigns, events, stewardship efforts, and board engagement.
- Oversee mailing campaigns such as Spring and End-of-Year appeals, annual tax letters, monthly renewal letters, Midsummer Night invitations, and donor benefit notifications.
- Produce donor listings for programs, marketing materials, and the NSF website.
Fundraising Strategy and Donors Stewardship
- Track and assign stewardship and solicitation tasks within Salesforce.
- Assist with donor stewardship activities, including thank-you calls and acknowledgments for entry- and mid-level donors.
- Collaborate with the Executive Director on fundraising strategy.
Event Coordination
- Support the planning and execution of fundraising events, including Midsummer Night, Royal Packages, rehearsal viewings, and donor appreciation events.
- Assist with staffing for performances and events as needed.
- Work with staff to ensure donor recognition and engagement at events.
General Responsibilities
- Coordinate with the Grants Manager to ensure alignment between development and grant-related activities.
- Provide administrative support for fundraising initiatives, including preparing materials for board members and donors.
- Pulling lists from CRM software for select email campaigns.
- Doing data cleanup within CRM software.
- Perform other duties as assigned by the Executive Director.
Qualifications
Education: Bachelor’s degree in arts administration, business, performing arts, or similar field OR equivalent relevant experience.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
- Passion for the art form of theatre and the work of Shakespeare.
- Maintain a proactive, solutions-oriented attitude.
- Possess a near-100% level of accuracy.
- Possess desire and ability to self-check work.
- Regularly demonstrate sound judgment and discretion with confidential information.
- High attention to detail and editing skills.
- Outstanding organizational and time management skills.
- Ability to deliver great customer service and comfort with speaking to donors and patrons.
- Commitment to fostering an inclusive environment and integrating diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility principles into the role.
- High proficiency and comfort using CRM software. Experience with Salesforce is a huge plus.
- High proficiency with Google Suite and Microsoft Office, specifically Google Sheets, Google Drive, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft Word (especially the mail merge feature).
- Experience with Emma or other email marketing software as well as Agile Tickets or other ticketing software is a plus, but not required.
- Being bilingual is a plus, but not required.
Experience: 1-2 years in an administrative role, fundraising role, or other relevant work experience. Performing arts and/or nonprofit experience preferred.
Equipment: Standard office equipment including computer and software, phone, copier, etc. High proficiency with smartphones is required.
Physical Demands: The physical demands described here are a non-exhaustive list of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to handle, feel, talk, and hear. The employee is frequently required to stand, walk, and reach with hands and arms above the shoulder. The employee is frequently required to sit and occasionally stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must regularly lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.
Work Environment: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the noise level in the work environment is usually low to moderate. Most of the work throughout the year is done in an indoor, open-office environment. This position requires work on some nights and weekends. When performances take place outside in the summer, the employee may encounter noise that is moderate and weather conditions such as heat or rain.
The Nashville Shakespeare Festival is a casual and low-key work environment with hybrid options to work from home when duties/responsibilities allow, however in-person attendance at some meetings and performances is required for this role.
Disclaimer Statement: This is not necessarily an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, skills, duties, requirements, efforts, or working conditions associated with the job. While this document is intended to be an accurate description of the current job, circumstances may require that other, or different tasks be performed (e.g., emergencies, changes in personnel, workload, rush jobs, or technological developments).
Additional Information
Benefits
Why Work With Us?
- Opportunity to contribute to a mission-driven organization that makes theatre accessible to all with a rich history and an exciting future.
- Relaxed and fun work environment.
- Staff is a small, close-knit team that brings the spirit of theatre and a sense of humor to everything we do.
- Most of the work of this role can be accomplished remotely (some in-person office time, attendance at meetings, and attendance at performances/events required).
- Professional development opportunities.
- Perks such as comp tickets, merchandise discounts, occasional industry discounts at other local performing arts companies, and more.
The compensation is $20/hr. This role will work appx. 10-20 hours a week, with the average week being between 15-18 hours.
How to Apply
Send a cover letter and resume with the subject line “Development Manager” to isabel@nashvilleshakes.org. No phone calls or mail, please.
Details
- Date Posted: January 29, 2025
- Type: Part-Time
- Job Function: Fundraising / Revenue Development
- Service Area: Arts / Culture
- Salary Range: $20/hr