Development Director

Classification: Regular Full-Time, Exempt

Location: Snowmass Village, CO

OUR DREAM

Anderson Ranch seeks a strategic and detail-oriented development leader who enjoys being at the center of a successful fundraising team. They understand that philanthropy is a team effort that requires strategy and a well executed game plan. They are a planner and an organizer that understands success is in the details of relationships from planning, to execution, to follow-up. A successful candidate will have demonstrated success in the day-to-day management and administration of a department. Will oversee both short and long-term strategies, systems, processes and timelines, and assure each member has the support and resources to steward their relationship portfolio. The successful team leader will have both a business mind and enjoy building one-on-one relationships with internal stakeholders and key volunteers who serve as event hosts, fundraising chairs, and help feed an active pipeline of new prospects. They are growth-driven and enjoy executing the steps toward achieving ambitious goals that result in real impact.

About:

Anderson Ranch Arts Center is a year-round visual-arts not-for-profit, tax-exempt organization with a 55-year history of providing transformative experiences that celebrate artists, art-making and creative dialog, at the intersection of craft and the global contemporary art world. Anderson Ranch brings together both aspiring and internationally renowned artists who come from across the country and around the world to test new ideas, explore new disciplines and techniques, hone their art-making skills, engage in meaningful dialog and connect with thought leaders in the artistic community.

Anderson Ranch’s campus is an artistic community nestled among the pristine peaks of the Rocky Mountains. The Ranch campus consists of 14 buildings providing 55,000 square feet of facilities including eight studio buildings, a gallery, a lecture hall, café, store, administrative offices, a student dormitory, as well as residential apartments and cabins. State-of-the-art equipment allows cross-disciplinary experimentation within the mediums of ceramics, woodworking, photography, digital fabrication, painting, sculpture and printmaking. The campus is an oasis of renovated 19th-century cabins and barns that sit alongside contemporary designed buildings, all within the renowned cultural and recreation communities of Aspen/Snowmass, CO, and the Roaring Fork Valley.

Anderson Ranch cultivates a culture of experimentation and collaboration, offering world-class art-making facilities and equipment across diverse mediums, experienced visiting faculty and access to the highest quality staff.

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Mission:

Anderson Ranch’s mission is to enrich lives with art, inspiration and community.

We achieve this by offering:

Workshops: Providing intensive 1-3-week workshops for artists of all levels and all ages that both improve technical art-making skills and provide transformative experiences for art makers.
Advanced Mentoring Programs: Offering three-year mentoring programs that advance artistic practice and careers in the arts.
Artist Residencies: Providing 5 and 10-week long juried Artists-in-Residence programs, which give emerging and mid-career professional artists the time, space and resources to develop new work using our world-class facilities.
Visiting Artist Experiences: Providing flexible and unique curated experiences to support established national and international artists seeking a retreat to experiment in new mediums or with new techniques and ideas, supported by our staff.
Anderson Ranch Editions: Artists are invited to work with our professional staff in our studios to make prints or multiples in traditional and cutting-edge processes.
Community Engagement: Hosting lectures, discussions, seminars and special events which build a community that appreciates, understands and supports art-making within the global contemporary art world and the human experience for both Anderson Ranch guests and the local community.

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Work Culture:

Changing Lives and Changing the World Through Art: We care about people and helping them improve their lives. We enable people to learn and grow, personally and professionally, in a challenging and supportive environment. We meet people where they are and help them reach their goals.
Culture of Diversity & Inclusion: We learn from diversity and it makes us stronger. At the center of our mission is helping people find their whole selves in their artistic practice. We strive to live the same values in our professional lives. That includes actively embracing diversity of age, race, class, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical or mental ability, as well as background and experience. We approach our work thoughtfully, learn from each other and share a commitment to inclusivity.
Rigor & Excellence: We provide the best possible experience for our community of guests, including faculty, interns, students, residents, visiting artists, volunteers, supporters and staff. We demand the best from ourselves and each other.
Culture of Critique: We believe in a “Culture of Critique” where we offer and receive honest feedback and support each other in learning and improving.
Culture of Results, Connectivity and Flexibility: We believe overachieving is better than overworking. We prioritize Anderson Ranch and get the job done 110% by being available when needed, by being open, working collaboratively, welcoming feedback and getting work done efficiently, effectively and on time. Once this is achieved, we enjoy the flexibility of where and when we work; we can pursue our passions, be it art-making, hobbies or special interests.

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Position Summary:

The Development Director is the strategic and operational leader of the Development team, playing a key role in forward-facing fundraising activities while also managing and facilitating stewardship strategy, operational activities, communication and events. This person will join the senior leadership team and work collaboratively with other departments to execute exceptional cultivation and stewardship of supporters while at the same time managing the Development team, mentoring and growing a strong team. Essential functions of this role include overall Department Leadership and Management, Fundraising and Cultivation Events, Endowment and Restricted Gift oversight, Foundation & Corporate Giving programs, Leadership Portfolio Support, and Major Giving Team Leadership.

Core Responsibilities:

Development Department Management & Leadership: Oversee a solid business function and plan for a department responsible for raising $4-6M annually. This includes managing 2-3 direct reports as well as building cooperative relationships with senior colleagues and their relationship portfolios. To be successful the department needs organizational structure, timelines, and execution plans that continually deliver high quality interactions and revenue growth for the organization. They will also oversee department database functionality, scheduled follow-up and gift reporting are critical to department success. Managing, motivating, training and supporting team member growth.
Fundraising and Cultivation Events: Responsible for the strategy, planning, and execution of donor fundraising, stewardship and cultivation events throughout the year. Ensure high-quality, unique events and experiences that are offered to top supporters and prospects by working closely with the National Council chairs, trustees, leadership and events execution team. Events are expected to be of the highest service level and communicate the Ranch’s unique mission.
Individual Philanthropy Program: Oversee the team’s unrestricted annual giving cultivation through the National Council program, including membership recruitment, stewardship, and engagement in Ranch events and activities. They focus the team on nurturing a pipeline of prospects, as well as identifying current annual giving supporters to cultivate for major gifts and/or joining the Board of Trustees.
Endowment & Restricted Gifts Tracking, Use, and Reporting: Lead team’s creation of robust reports to supporters on major and special gifts, scholarships, and endowment support driven by the understanding that creative and consistent follow-up inspires repeat and increased giving. Actively tracking gift agreement requirements for the team to ensure delivery of proposed outcomes.
Corporate & Foundation Giving Program: Lead the strategy and execution of corporate sponsorship program, assuring advanced planning, consistent benefits, exposure offerings, and securing formal written agreements that ensure the consistent delivery of benefits. Serve as the primary point of contact for corporate sponsors in order to steward successful experiences. In addition, oversee both local grant proposals and manage the relationship with the external grants consultant who focuses on national granting opportunities. Coordinate regular meetings for the team to assure the consultant has information and timelines needed to succeed.
Leadership Portfolio Support: The Development Director works closely with the President, Vice Presidents, and Trustees to facilitate strategic relationship development on behalf of the organization. The Director is responsible for shadow managing the President’s Relationship Portfolio of Trustee giving, Trustee prospects, and principal gift proposals. Supporting efforts by drafting individual philanthropic strategies, drafting messaging and communications, planning and tracking actions, and assisting with follow-up to assure relationships and proposals move forward.
Major Gifts Team Leader: The Development Director serves as a central organizer of the Major Gifts team. They serve as the central advisor on messaging and strategy for the spectrum of support needs and various vehicles for support between annual, restricted, and endowment support tracking and reporting on overall team activity. The Development Director serves as a team lead in the design and execution of mini and major campaigns that advance the Ranch and assure its long-term stability.

Core Expectations:

Donor-Centric Approach: Anderson Ranch takes the approach that our supporters are partners who share our values and goals. We aim to steward their engagement and philanthropic impact. Our goal is to get to know them and their interests, show them the impact the Ranch can have and work with them to reach ‘yes’.
Organizational Representative: This role is critical in representing Anderson Ranch’s reputation and interests in the community at the highest level, exhibiting extreme discretion and professionalism at all times.
Data-Driven Strategy: Using data to make decisions along with recording interactions and and next steps is critical to our work as a team now and our long-term organizational success. This position is expected to have a strong understanding of the database and how to use it to identify prospects, set strategies for relationship cultivation and build a full team engagement with supporters.
Goal Setting and Benchmarking: It is critical that this role maintain a focus on setting goals, benchmarking progress and communicating trends to ensure optimal planning and execution across the organization.
Organizational Engagement: As a representative of the organization and our activities to this important group of supporters, it is essential that this individual attend talks, visit workshops and actively engage in the Ranch events. They should help facilitate connections between team members and supporters that deepen connections across the community.
Mentoring Colleagues: With a belief that “Everyone is in Development” from the receptionist to the artistic team, to the operations and business unit teams. This position plays an important cooperative role as a facilitator and mentor of all colleagues in identifying, cultivating and supporting organizational relationships across the team.

Expected Skills & Qualifications:

Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to articulate this organization’s mission and impact to diverse audiences.
Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
Strong relationship-building and interpersonal skills.
Ability to work independently, manage multiple tasks and meet deadlines.
Thorough understanding of or ability to quickly learn donor management systems, database and administrative software.
Ability to prepare and oversee departmental budget.
Passion for and commitment to the organization’s mission and values.
Ability to keep confidential information secure and private.

Education and Experience:

Bachelor’s degree in a related field (e.g., nonprofit management, communications, business) or equivalent work experience.
At least eight years of professional experience in fundraising and non-profit organizations.
Proven track record in non profit fundraising, with experience in donor cultivation and major gift solicitation.

Staff Community Responsibilities:

Community Outreach Leader: All staff members are expected to build and lead partnerships with community organizations as they relate to their area of responsibility, and to actively support the outreach efforts of other team members.
Engaged & Supportive Team Member: All staff are expected to support colleagues and engage in the programs and events of the Ranch by attending lectures, artist talks, fundraising events, and community wide events and being available to jump in and help make them a success.
Support Major Fundraising & Community Events: All staff are expected to support the major annual events that engage the public and fundraisers. These are “all hands on deck” efforts and all staff are expected to participate in ways outside their normal professional functions to make them a success from set-up, to execution, to tear down.
Professional & Personal Development: Continuing to learn and improve is a job requirement of all staff. Team members are expected to be growing, learning, and improving in their artistic and professional lives.
Brand Ambassador: All team members are expected to comport themselves in a manner that is fitting with the organization; represent the Ranch both on and off-campus, as well as online and on social media, keeping in mind that positivity and professionalism are respected and appreciated.

Physical Requirements:

Sedentary work that primarily involves sitting/standing.
Light work that includes moving objects up to 30 pounds.
The employee frequently is required to stand, walk and reach with hands and arms.
Typical tasks as required to actively teach and supervise art studios/facilities in a historic building space with uneven surfaces, stairs, gravel walkways, etc.

Other Duties:

The descriptions above are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed in this role. They are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of the role.
All personnel are required to perform duties outside of their normal responsibilities from time to time, as needed.
This role requires a flexible schedule including evening and weekend hours as needed, and particularly intense time demands in the summer months.
This job description may be changed or updated at any time throughout employment.

Compensation & Benefits:

Base Salary: $95,000 – $125,000
Total Compensation Package Value: $104,000 – $134,000
Company paid medical insurance, option to add additional family
Company paid HSA contribution
Long- and short-term disability insurance
Life insurance
Paid Time Off – Up to 22 days during first year of service
Paid Sick Leave
Sabbatical Leave
Professional/continuing education support
Retirement plan 403(b) match

Employment requires successfully passing the pre-employment Background Check.

All inquiries and conversations will remain strictly confidential.

NOTE: The above is an abbreviated representation of benefits defined in the Employee Handbook, which governs all employment terms. No other verbal or written exceptions to those terms are honored without a written directive by the President and Chief Executive Officer and signed by the Chair of the Board of Trustees.

How to Apply:

Please send a cover letter and resume to [email protected]

Anderson Ranch is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversifying its workforce.

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