Director of Advancement & Audience Strategy

Nov 14

Anticipated Start Date: N/A

Description

A New Role for a Future-Facing Strategy MCC Theater is pleased to be launching a search for a new senior leader dedicated to revenue strategy, relationship building, and the long-term sustainability of the organization. This new role, Director of Advancement & Audience Strategy, will join the organization at an exciting moment of achievement and impact. Charged with overseeing both development and marketing efforts, this strategic leader will report to MCC’s Executive Director and Artistic Directors and be a pivotal member of the MCC team.

In addition to having experience and knowledge of the operations of both departments, they will arrive with a passion for fostering the connection between cultivating audiences and donors and building deep circles of support for an organization. With this new role in place, MCC, with an annual budget between $8-$10 million, will have an experienced manager who can lead, mentor, and inspire high-performing, highly collaborative Marketing and Development teams. Leading both departments, which currently encompasses seven team members and several consultants, they will articulate strategy and oversee the implementation of systems, assess staff structures and needs, and optimize revenue across earned and contributed categories.

They will need to use both entrepreneurial and analytical skills to identify and implement opportunities for revenue growth in the near and long-term. Finally, they will act as a key strategic partner to MCC’s General Manager, Director of Finance, Director of Public Engagement & Education, the Executive Director, Artistic Directors, and the Board. MCC has created this role as a step toward their goals of increased brand awareness, new relationships with external partners (philanthropic or otherwise), and invigorated audience and donor engagement. After opening the state-of-the-art Robert W. Wilson space in 2019 and re-emerging from the pandemic with celebrated productions and sustained programmatic excellence, MCC is in a place to inspire full organizational investment through on-brand community and relationship building. They seek a leader who will drive that across all external constituencies.

Responsibilities

Organizational Leadership

Supervise and manage the teams at MCC dedicated to Marketing (currently two team members) and Fund Development (currently five team members, including support from external partner Donorly), providing guidance, oversight, and mentorship; assess the current staffing structures within those departments and identify optimal operating models for each
Serve as a member of the senior staff, participating in long-range institutional planning and working with the Executive Director and Artistic Directors to prioritize strategic goals and enact new plans for the organization
Create an inclusive and supportive environment, which upholds MCC’s commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging
Foster a culture of philanthropy that fully engages staff, board members, donors and other community members in a deep and meaningful way
Collaborate with the Executive Director, Director of Finance, and General Manager to forecast both earned and contributed revenue goals, evaluate progress, and ensure that both department’s budgets are maintained in order to support achieving those goals • Utilize data to understand the success or challenges of tactics being employed to achieve earned and contributed revenue goals, and lead the process of shifting plans or bolstering efforts based on the data
Understand the current audience experience at MCC and chart out a holistic approach of moving an individual from ticket purchase, through repeat attendance, to commitment of annual support
Communicate across departments when implementing new initiatives and report back on responses to campaigns to ensure information is being distributed cross-departmentally, and is informing future marketing or fundraising strategies
Participate in and attend field-wide events, conferences, and roundtables, in order to represent MCC and foster relationships with the theatre community

Fundraising Oversight

Provide strategic and creative leadership in raising approximately $5-7 million in annual contributed revenue through individual and board giving, foundation, government and corporate support, and special events
Articulate and lead a clear and comprehensive annual development plan with specific goals, which keeps the department motivated and on track, while also considering long-term goals that will allow MCC to increase contributed revenue year over year
Construct a compelling and clear case for support for all of MCC’s productions, ongoing programs, artistic initiatives, and the institution as a whole that the staff, leadership and Board can utilize
In partnership with the Executive Director, act as a leader in the planning and management of an institutional multi-million dollar working capital campaign, in line with the organization’s multi-year strategic plan and building off of the successful campaign mounted to open MCC’s new space
Build new and bolster existing relationships with foundation and corporate partners, government agencies, donors at various levels, and current and prospective Board members
Lead the creation of strategic plans around donor engagement that are data-driven and research-based and supervise the Development team to successfully manage donor acquisition and retention successfully and develop increased opportunities to upgrade key prospects to the major donor levels, including the Producer’s Circle Level ($10,000+)
Ensure the execution of multi-channel donor and patron communications, so a variety of goals can be accomplished
Manage and steward a portfolio of major individual and institutional funders and prospects
Understand and advance the strategies behind MCC’s annual Outward Bound Fundraising team in terms of renewals and acquisitions, in partnership with Outward Bound Manager
Support the Associate Director of Development in their management of MCC’s annual Miscast Gala, and augment MCC’s current approach to this event by devising new opportunities for sponsorship, identifying potential honorees, or soliciting other contributors to this signature event
Supervise the Development team in the execution of all donor events, including Patron evenings and Opening Nights for each production
Direct the Manager of Institutional Giving in MCC’s approach to institutional funder relationships; reviewing and approving proposals, reports, and correspondence to institutional funders and stakeholders

Board Engagement

Direct, manage, or support the Board solicitation process for all annual gifts and event participation
Collaborate with Board leadership and the Associate Director of Development to ensure the management of the Board of Directors’ fundraising activities, including soliciting prospects for their support through the Patron Program, Annual and Institutional Campaigns, the Miscast Gala, and any additional fundraising events throughout the year
Oversee and staff Nominating/Board Development and Development Committee meetings and support other Board Committees as needed
Attend quarterly Board meetings and provide regular reports on fundraising initiatives, progress, and KPIs
Collaborate with the Executive Director on Board meeting planning and setting engagement, governance, or recruitment goals for the Board
Articulate and execute tactics that will lead to a greater diversity of Board members and encourage practices on the Board that support MCC’s commitment to equity and inclusion

Institutional Marketing & Communications Strategy

Collaborate with the Executive Director, Artistic Directors, and all other department heads to ensure that consistent brand and marketing components are utilized throughout MCC materials and communications and meet the highest quality standards
In partnership with the Director of Marketing, develop all short- and long-term institutional marketing plans and build new strategies that can bolster those plans, as needed; monitor how these plans respond to annual subscription and single ticket goals
Collaborate with internal departments to maximize opportunities for content creation, and provide opportunities for campaign input where appropriate—particularly with Artistic, Public Engagement, Development, and Audience Services departments
Regularly examine and realign the marketing mix for MCC campaigns to ensure that reach and overall brand awareness are at a maximum, for both the productions and the company as a whole
Analyze audience and marketing research to assess audience engagement, understand demographic profiles, and develop and implement appropriate audience development strategies, to continually ensure that MCC’s diverse season of programming is reaching an audience representative and inclusive of NYC
Represent audience perspective with MCC leadership and with the Board to serve as the senior policy leader with regard to customer service and experience

Requirements

An excitement for MCC’s work, mission, values, and history, both through the productions and educational programs, and a passion for and curiosity about theater
Knowledge of the arts and culture philanthropic community in New York City and an awareness of the local theater and performing arts community
Ability to facilitate collaboration across multiple teams, inspiring a shared sense of ownership and accomplishment
Enthusiasm for relationship building, eager to interact and collaborate with fellow senior staff members, team members, and other members of the MCC community
Excellent oral and written communications skills
Capable of using analytical skills and data-driven thinking to make decisions and set strategy
Strong organizational and time management skills; with an ability to set plans, work toward deadlines, and communicate with team members throughout a project’s completion
Understanding of organizational budgeting processes in order to participate in organizational and departmental planning
Ready to be a creative problem-solver, idea generator, and self-starter with the capacity to start a project, ask questions, and build consensus as needed
Commitment to building a trusting, transparent, and friendly workplace atmosphere
Ability to work effectively under pressure, manage priorities, and meet deadlines
Comfortability in leading, mentoring, building strong teams

Salary Range and Employee Benefits

$145,000-165,000

How to Apply for this Job

Apply Now

About the Organization

For over more than 30 years, MCC Theater has established itself as a leading and award-winning off-Broadway theater company. MCC’s mission to provoke conversations that have never happened and otherwise never would is achieved across four program areas: annual productions of new plays and musicals; development of new work by artists with bold voices; deep and enriching public engagement initiatives; and intensive in-school and after-school programs that foster in high school students that desire to be heard and speak out.

In January 2019, MCC opened its new $20 million state-of-the-art theater complex, The Robert W. Wilson MCC Theater Space, which houses all productions, programming, and administrative operations under one roof.

Recent productions include School Girls; or The African Mean Girls Play, BLKS, All the Natalie Portmans, The Wrong Man, Alice by Heart, The Legend of Georgia McBride, and Hand to God, among others.

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