The Senior Director of Major Gifts manages a staff of 12. Coordinates the cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of 400 individual donors who give $25,000 annually. Works with senior staff, volunteers and Metropolitan Opera Board members to engage current and new donors and enhance opportunities for current donors. They will work closely with the Assistant General Manager of Development on prospect identification and cultivation of donors for the $432 Million Transforming the Met Campaign. They will be a key leader for the development team on the execution of five-, six-and seven-figure gifts. 

Primary Responsibilities

• Manage Major Gifts team, projects, events, and staff workload.
• Cultivate and solicit own portfolio of individual donors, with emphasis on upgrading annual gifts and securing leadership gifts of $250,000 , including new pledges for the Transforming the Met Campaign.
• Lead donor cultivation activities for current and prospective donors of $25,000 ; coordinate with Board volunteers, Patron staff and other colleagues to develop new ways to entertain, reward and steward donors.
• Manage the Major Gifts team to drive growth in their portfolios to increase Major Gifts donors’ contributions to the Met through multiple giving vehicles including GOS, the Transforming the Met Campaign and special campaigns
• Develop new and refined strategies to find new sources of growth from high net worth individuals
• With the Director, Development Operations, manage gift tracking, prospect research, and reporting systems.
• Lead stewardship activities for donors of $25,000 ; ensure accuracy of program book lists and plaques; monitor VIP ticketing and dedication evenings.
• Create and oversee annual Major Gifts and Research expense budgets and revenue projections.
• Assist with arrangements for Patron cultivation by the Metropolitan Opera Board members and volunteers.
• Attend patron functions, gala events, assist volunteers as necessary, and be available for high-level entertainment, such as box and cast parties and the International Council Weekend.
• Hire, train, and supervise a full-time staff of 12.

• Experience cultivating and upgrading high-level donors and Board members, with a preference for a cultural institution and New York City philanthropy.
• Must have 7 years development experience, preferably in individual giving, with substantial one-on-one solicitation experience.
• Excellent writing, communication, and budgeting skills.
• Experience in managing and motivating a staff to exceed financial goals.
• Familiarity with or interest to become a devotee of opera.
• Must be PC proficient, with previous experience using fundraising computer software and data based systems.

• Must be able to work regularly on evenings and weekends for both personal entertaining and special events.
• Occasional travel.

The Metropolitan Opera believes that diversity is critical to our success and growth as a leading performing arts institution and we seek to recruit, develop and retain the most talented people from a diverse candidate pool. Our goal is to be a diverse workforce that is representative, at all job levels, of the communities we serve.

The Metropolitan Opera is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and existing employees without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy (including childbirth, lactation and related medical conditions), national origin, citizenship status, age, physical and mental disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information (including characteristics and testing), military and veteran status, or any protected category prohibited by local, state or federal laws.