Development Operations Manager

Barbershop Harmony Society

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Job Summary

Development Operations Manager

Overview: The Barbershop Harmony Society (also known as “SPEBSQSA”, “the Society”, and “BHS”) is the largest singing organization in North America, and thought to be the largest in the world, with approximately 17,000 members and more than 87,000 identified enthusiasts, in nearly 2,500 active local singing communities and performing groups.

Founded in 1938 as the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America, Inc., the Society preserves and extends the reach of barbershop music, a unique part of America’s cultural heritage. Barbershop is a close harmony choral singing form which has its roots in African-American communities.

The Society sprang up in the 1930s and expanded rapidly until the late 80s, as a hobbyist organization primarily of white middle class males who sang together for pure joy and fellowship. It then stagnated for two decades as modern times changed how people participated with music and in affinity groups. In the last decade, BHS has enjoyed a resurgence of energy and excitement and the professionalization of its leadership and governing structures.

Headquartered in Nashville, TN, with a staff of 44, thousands of volunteers, and a $7 million annual budget, we: publish thousands of barbershop arrangements; teach barbershop via our Harmony University schools and online courses; produce local, regional and international conventions and contests; conduct outreach into K-12 school programs; produce and post video content of barbershop performances captured in the digital age to a YouTube channel with 135,000 subscribers and 6 million annual views; and, energize a network now estimated at over 90,000 singers and enthusiasts, in thousands of singing communities. Barbershop has, indeed, been preserved as a living, thriving, ever-evolving music that influences many other musics.

The art form itself has advanced to a genre that is now widely recognized by the choral world for superb artistic quality and merit. This is evidenced, for example, by our partnership with the American Choral Directors Association, which regularly features our groups on its concert stages.

Our strategic vision — “Everyone In Harmony” — now points us to a future of exponential growth, radical inclusion and the use of singing as a powerful tool for social impact. In short, our world view has evolved from men singing for their own enjoyment, to everyone singing, because singing improves lives and communities.

For several decades, BHS’s individual philanthropy work was conducted by Harmony Foundation, International (HFI) a related organization tied to BHS through a trust agreement. HFI has raised approximately $2.5 to $3 million annually from a portfolio of several thousand BHS members who express their generosity towards BHS via gifts to HFI, which in turns grants a portion of funds raised to BHS programs, chapters and districts. In 2018, BHS began to directly pursue institutional funders (NEA, NEH, private foundations). In 2020, in consideration of long-held concerns about the efficiency of HFI and a divergence in the missions of the two related organizations, the Society Board of Directors made the decision to build an internal operation for individual philanthropy. This decision has been controversial within BHS and HFI communities. The BHS Development Team was launched on July 1, 2020.

BHS is now seeking staff to join the team in key leadership roles. This is a unique, and will be a very challenging, opportunity to build a first class development operation from the ground up.

Job Responsibilities

The Development Operations Manager runs all back-of-the-house operations for the individual donor efforts of Barbershop Harmony Society’s (BHS) Development Team in Nashville, TN. This key role ensures that our direct individual donor fundraising efforts are well-targeted, efficient and effective, in order to achieve the highest possible revenue production by our direct fundraisers. The Development Operations Manager orchestrates every step in the development process, beginning with donor/prospect discovery and research and extending all the way through to ongoing donor recognition and appreciation.

Reports To: Chief Development Officer

Roles and Responsibilities

Discovery and Research

• Identify and research prospects and manage donor/prospect lists.
• Perform research and analysis of individual high level donors and prospects to build prospect profiles including wealth, capacity, giving patterns, areas of interest and affinities within barbershop world.

Portfolio Management

• Develop and maintain professional relationship with all donors.
• For each high level portfolio member/prospect, work with Relationship Manager to create and monitor a plan for advancing the prospect’s charitable aims.
• Manage the grant proposal and reporting calendars, and track activities in fundraising database and hard-copy filing system.
• Works collaboratively across departments to compile the necessary information for applications and reports.

Cultivate, Steward and Ask

• Develop gift proposals that reflect accurate project details, including budgets, timelines, and the impact projects will have on our organizational purpose.
• Prepare templates for all proposals and donor reports.
• Assist in preparing gift and stewardship reports to donors.
• Track each step of the donor pipeline including: identification; qualification through research; cultivation; briefing; request for support; and prompt follow up, stewardship, and recognition.

Donor Database Administration

• Manage all donor functions with Salesforce.
• Manage systems and software to track and cultivate donors and prospects, including our donor database and wealth screening tools.
• Perform regular database maintenance, including system backups and duplicate management. With customer service and CRM team, ensure database integrity.
• Track and report on data for fundraising and grants; assists in the creation of event revenue reports.

Development Operations

• Manage all aspects of the classy.org donation platform and campaigns.
• Maintain accountability and ensure compliance with all regulations and laws, as well as the code of ethics for fundraising professionals.
• Manage acknowledgement and fulfillments of gifts and pledges.
• Plan and execute key fundraising events.
• Support relationship managers and Board members with scheduling donor meetings, documenting outcomes, and following up on meeting outcomes.

Donor Relations

• Manage the donor recognition and stewardship program.
• Lead annual giving appeals, utilizing assets and resources from the Marketing Team.
• Attend events as assigned.
• Maintains detailed records of all donor contact, history and moves; ensure timely and personal appreciation and recognition is completed.
• Support the ED/CEO’s personal outreach for recognition and stewardship of major gift donors.
• Work with the Marketing Team to develop and enhance promotion and recognition tools aimed at individual donors (website, print pieces, email content, story/pic/video library, frames).

Marketing

• Work collaboratively with the Marketing Team to execute an annual schedule of marketing driven campaigns, including annual campaigns, blue ocean campaigns, program-targeted campaigns, and integration of gifts into business transactions.

Reporting

• Create monthly reports that summarize contact and fundraising activity

Strategy

• Participate with the CDO and senior management to plan the organization’s fund development course and programs.

Qualifications

The Development Operations Manager will be a meticulous multi-tasker capable of organizing and managing the operational back-end of BHS’s start-up Development Team. (S)he will be a mid-to-senior level development manager or administrator with a minimum of a bachelor’s degree and 5-7 years of experience in development, advancement, or fundraising. A background of engagement and success within the Barbershop Harmony Society community, whether as a singer, chapter or district leader, volunteer or staff member, is desirable, but not required.

The ideal candidate for this position will possess the following qualities and attributes:

• Ability to organize and complete multiple tasks simultaneously, with close attention to detail and prioritization to meet deadlines;
• Ability to set goals strategically and oversee execution;
• Ability to work cross-functionally with various internal and external constituents;
• Excellent written and verbal communication and presentation skills;
• Comfort in a fast paced, rapidly shifting and evolving workplace;
• Demonstrated excellence in organizational and managerial skills;
• High level of discretion and ethical approach to fundraising;
• Proficiency in donor database software and CRM management (preferably Salesforce), Google Suite, and other computer skills, as required;
• Proficiency with prospect research and wealth screening tools;
• Experience developing compelling sales/marketing presentations;
• Experience in Database management; and
• Fluency with Microsoft Office and/or Google products including Word, Excel, and Powerpoint.

Additional Information

Benefits

How to Apply

Interested Parties: Please submit your application, cover letter and resume here.

Application deadline: August 25, 2020

As a key component of our vision of Everyone in Harmony, the Barbershop Harmony Society is committed to building a team with a variety of backgrounds, experiences, perspectives, and skills. We believe that employees who feel valued and encouraged to share their ideas are empowered to foster innovation that leads to both personal and professional growth.

The Barbershop Harmony Society is an Equal Opportunity Employer. This company does not and will not discriminate in employment and personnel practices on the basis of race, sex, age, handicap, religion, national origin or any other basis prohibited by applicable law.

Details

• Date Posted: July 27, 2020
• Type: Full-Time
• Job Function: Executive Leadership
• Service Area: Philanthropy / CSR
• Working Hours: 40 hrs week/ Mon-Fri 8:00-5:00