Description

Associate Director, Engagement Events

Development Department

Stewardship & Events

ORGANIZATIONAL PROFILE

The San Francisco Symphony is widely considered to be among the most artistically adventurous and innovative arts institutions in the United States, celebrated for its artistic excellence, creative performance concepts, active touring, award-winning recordings, and standard-setting education programs. In the 2020–21 season, the San Francisco Symphony welcomed conductor and composer Esa-Pekka Salonen as its twelfth Music Director and embarked on a new vision for the present and future of the orchestral landscape. This exciting artistic future builds on the remarkable 25-year tenure of Michael Tilson Thomas as the San Francisco Symphony’s Music Director. Tilson Thomas continues his rich relationship with the Symphony as its first Music Director Laureate. In their inaugural season together, Esa-Pekka Salonen and the San Francisco Symphony have introduced a groundbreaking artistic leadership model anchored by eight Collaborative Partners from a variety of cultural disciplines: Nicholas Britell, Julia Bullock, Claire Chase, Bryce Dessner, Pekka Kuusisto, Nico Muhly, Carol Reiley, and Esperanza Spalding. This group of visionary artists, thinkers, and doers joins with Salonen and the San Francisco Symphony to chart a new course of experimentation by collaborating on new ideas, breaking conventional rules, and creating unique and powerful experiences. The San Francisco Symphony presents more than 220 concerts and presentations annually for an audience of nearly 450,000 in its home of Davies Symphony Hall and through its national and international touring. A cornerstone of the organization's mission, the San Francisco Symphony's education programs are the most extensive offered by any American orchestra today, providing free comprehensive music education to every first- through fifth- grade student in the San Francisco public schools, and serving more than 75,000 children, students, educators, and families annually.

The San Francisco Symphony’s recordings have won such awards as France's Grand Prix du Disque and Britain's Gramophone Award, as well as 16 Grammy Awards. San Francisco Symphony radio broadcasts, the first in the nation to feature symphonic music when they began in 1926, today carry the Orchestra's concerts across the country. In 2004, the SFS launched the multimedia Keeping Score on PBS-TV and online and in 2014, the San Francisco Symphony inaugurated SoundBox, an experimental performance venue and music series located backstage at Davies Symphony Hall. February 2021 saw the launch of SFSymphony+, the San Francisco Symphony’s on-demand video streaming service. For more information, visit sfsymphony.org.

JOB SUMMARY

The Associate Director, Engagement Events (ADEE) leads the San Francisco Symphony’s (SFS) Development Engagement Events Team and reports to the Director, Stewardship, Events and Development Communications (DSE). The ADEE will work collaboratively across the Development Team and organization-wide to create best-in-class donor engagement opportunities. In response to each season’s repertoire and in alignment with the Symphony’s strategic plan, the ADEE is responsible for developing and executing a dynamic, thoughtful, and strategic roster of cultivation, engagement and stewardship events leading to increased philanthropic support. Additionally, the ADEE and team will lead all Campaign events and activities. Finally, as a part of the larger Development Events group, the Engagement Events team will provide support, as needed, leading up to fundraising events.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Work closely and collaboratively with members of the Development Team and larger Symphony organization to create and implement a best-in-class events program that engages current and potential donors.

• In partnership with the DSE, curate and execute thoughtful and strategic annual plans for donor engagement events, centered in the following:

• The upcoming SFS season, ensuring events honor and reflect the year’s themes and repertoire, creating a cohesive and inspiring SFS experience for donors

• Excellent stewardship, making donors feel valued for their contributions to the organization and deepening these relationships

• Strong communications, ensuring clarity and timely outreach in donor-facing materials

• Fiscal responsibility, seeking creative ways to preserve funds without diminishing donor impact

• Efficiency and sustainability in volume, scope/scale, and scheduling of events, ensuring the annual plan is realistic and doable with given resources, both human and financial

• Manage all components of engagement events including but not limited to:

• Event briefings, run of show/timelines, and staffing plans

• Invitation list development and RSVP management with Gift Officers, Stewardship and Development Operations colleagues

• Event communications including briefings, invitations, RSVPs, presentations, acknowledgments, and all other materials, ensuring they fulfill strategic objectives

• With the Assistant Director, Development Communications, remarks and talking points for event hosts and leadership board/staff at all events, as well as the Prospect Research team to develop briefings

• Event budgets, tracking, and reconciling all expenses in a timely manner

• Engagement, liaising, and inclusion of SFS musicians, guest artists, visiting conductors and orchestras, event hosts, board and committee members, and leadership staff in engagement events, providing donors direct access and insight

• Collaboration with operational colleagues on the coordination and development of all engagement events, including their implementation and execution

• Leverage Development colleagues and especially gift officers in engagement events; utilize them for defining donor strategies to guide each event and deepen their donor relationships.

• Maintain strong relationships with SFS musicians, the Music Director, and guest artists/conductors.

• With support from the CPO and DSE, liaise with SFS leadership, Board, and Volunteers/Volunteer Committees in supporting the success of donor engagement events.

• Maintain the overall Engagement Events budget, and act as lead resource for event budgeting.

• Maintain working knowledge of the Symphony’s donor database, Tessitura, to provide exceptional customer service to donors and patrons when questions arise.

• Manage and execute cultivation and stewardship events for the forthcoming Campaign

• Manage SoundBox concert series Front of House operations including furniture vendor negotiation and coordination, stage crew furniture installation, concessionaire offerings and scheduling, usher staffing, and night-of front of house support.

• Oversee Events Specialist and their portfolio of responsibilities.

• Provide additional support as needed for Opening Night, Lunar New Year, and Deck the Hall fundraising events, which includes day-of event support.

• Manage other special projects as assigned.

• Conduct job functions and activities in alignment with the principles of the SFS’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) work, and support the organization’s DEI work through participation in working groups and other initiatives as possible

• Regularly attend concerts and events.

• Perform additional duties as assigned by the San Francisco Symphony.

Qualifications

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• 5-7 years of experience in fundraising and/or event management, preferably in the performing arts.

• Proven experience in cultivation and stewardship events, preferably in performing arts organizations.

• Strong leadership and management skills, with the ability to lead and mentor.

• Excellent communication skills, written and verbal.

• Strong organizational skills, with ability to work independently and manage highly detailed tasks.

• Ability to handle multiple tasks and priorities, and meet deadlines in a high-volume, fast-paced environment.

• Strong strategic thinking and problem-solving skills.

• Ability to professionally and diplomatically communicate and interact with a wide variety of internal and external stakeholders.

• Ability to collaborate effectively in a team environment.

• Familiarity with and/or passion for orchestral music a plus.

• Experience with Tessitura or other fundraising database platform (i.e., Raisers Edge, Millennium) and Wordfly preferred; Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint required.

• Willing to attend concerts and events, regularly on nights and weekends.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

Direct supervision of:

• Event Specialist, Engagement Events

EEO STATEMENT

In alignment with the values statement above, the San Francisco Symphony celebrates diversity and is committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy (including childbirth, lactation and related medical conditions), national origin, age, physical and mental disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information (including characteristics and testing), military and veteran status, and any other characteristic protected by applicable law. The San Francisco Symphony believes that diversity and inclusion among our employees is critical to our success, and we seek to recruit, develop and retain the most talented people from a diverse candidate pool.

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, the San Francisco Symphony will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.