Organizational Background

At the Harmony Program, music changes lives every day. Through collective music-making, children from under-served communities explore new avenues and realize their full potential. For over 15 years, the Harmony Program has distinguished itself by serving children in need, reaching them within their own communities, providing them with instruments and high-quality musical training, and helping to develop in them the life skills that support their healthy development – musically, academically, and socially. The Harmony Program also recruits and trains accomplished musicians as its teachers and provides them with formal professional development training, observation and evaluation, access to a network of their peers, and competitive compensation for their services, with the goal of instilling in them a long-term commitment to community outreach and education.

The Harmony Program is inspired by Venezuela's national youth orchestra system, "El Sistema." Committed to improving society through music, El Sistema has gained international acclaim for the breadth of its reach, the quality of its musicians, and the power of its positive influence on the young lives it touches. In the spirit of El Sistema, the Harmony Program emphasizes the influence of music-making on social development, encourages learning through ensemble playing, fosters a supportive community for program participants and families, and requires of all involved a high degree of commitment to music study.

Jobs, Duties, Responsibilities

The Development Director will report to the Harmony Program’s Founder and Executive Director, supervise one full-time Development Associate, and collaborate with other Harmony Program staff as needed. The Development Director will serve as a senior member of a close team of administrative staff with seven full-time colleagues.

The Development Director will be responsible for the planning and execution of a comprehensive fundraising program to achieve the Harmony Program’s contributed income goal of approximately $2 million annually in addition to overseeing the organization’s messaging and social media.

At a moment of significant organizational growth, we seek a seasoned Development Director to advance our fundraising efforts in new directions, including expanding corporate sponsorship, stewarding major gifts from among new and existing donors, launching formal fundraising campaigns, and increasing our prospecting among private foundations. The Development Director will work with the Development Committee of Harmony Program’s Board, which is fully engaged and receptive to new ideas for growing our community of supporters, as well as with an event planner to coordinate our annual gala. Most importantly, our Development Director will join a spirited and collaborative staff of talented professionals in a leadership position with the opportunity to influence and communicate our organization’s strategic priorities, growth, and impact.

The priorities of the Development Director include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Work with the Harmony Program’s Executive Director to create an annual fundraising plan, including long-term goals and diversified strategies;
• Manage and implement the annual fundraising plan to ensure that the organization’s annual development goals are met;
• Work closely with the Board of Directors to staff committee meetings, set annual and long-term goals for board growth and giving priorities, and work on prospect moves management;
• Ensure regular maintenance of the donor database to best support all prospecting and fundraising practices and reporting;
• Guide the Development Manager in her role researching and writing grant applications, maintaining a grants calendar, and preparing all interim and final reports for awarded grants, including city, state, and federal grants, as well as private foundations;
• Ensure that systems and procedures are in place for donor cultivation and recognition, recording and acknowledgement of gifts, research and prospect management, and compliance with all grant requirements;
• Assist in the planning and management of the annual fundraising gala, including donor cultivation and solicitation, event logistics and communications, and program details;
• Collaborate with the administrative team on all special event details, including donations and attendance goals for the annual gala, cultivation events, and performances;
• Develop and maintain close working relationships with the Board of Directors, the philanthropic community in New York City, individual and corporate donors, sponsors, and foundation administrators; and,
• Develop and oversee the organizational communications calendar, including website content, quarterly newsletter, annual report, and social media (in consultation with other program staff).

Qualifications

Interested candidates should possess the following qualifications:

• A commitment to Harmony Program's mission of expanding access to music education, particularly within underserved communities;
• A successful track record of securing significant gifts from individuals, foundations, and government sources;
• Prospect research experience;
• An ability to prioritize short- and long-term development goals;
• Effective time management and organizational skills, including the ability to address multiple priorities simultaneously;
• Strong strategic, analytical, and problem-solving skills;
• Excellent communication skills, both written and oral including strong editorial skills;
• An ability to lead and direct others;
• An ability to work efficiently, both independently and collaboratively;
• A polite, positive, and professional demeanor; and
• Fluency with computer programs, primarily Excel, Word and PowerPoint, and familiarity with Salesforce, or a similar donor database program.

A bachelor's degree and at least seven years of development experience are required for this position.

This is a full-time salaried position based in New York City. The annual salary is $175,000 per year. Harmony Program offers a competitive benefits package.

Interested candidates should email a cover letter and resume to hr@harmonyprogram.org. Please include “Director of Development” in the subject line.