Director of Development

POSITION SUMMARY

The Director of Development is the senior staff leader responsible for designing, executing, and owning Greenville Symphony's fundraising strategy. This role holds direct accountability for meeting annual revenue targets across individual giving, corporate sponsorship, grants, and planned giving, while managing a robust personal portfolio of donors. The Director will be the relationship-builder-in-chief, building sustainable systems, donor pipelines, and a high-performing team culture oriented toward measurable growth.

This role leads a team of three (Donor Relations Coordinator, Development Events Coordinator, and a contract Grant Writer) and partners closely with the Executive Director and Music Director, both of whom play active roles in fundraising. The Director of Development is responsible for coordinating these efforts into a unified, strategic, and accountable development operation.

This is a strategic leadership position reporting to the Executive Director, with regular reporting to the Board of Directors on progress against revenue goals.

About the Greenville Symphony

The Greenville Symphony Orchestra (GSO) is a cornerstone of Greenville’s vibrant cultural ecosystem—engaging the community through exceptional musical performances, education, and outreach. As the Symphony approaches its 80th year, the Greenville Symphony is seeking an accomplished development professional to lead fundraising efforts that will support the next chapter of the Symphony’s performances and community impact.

At the heart of the GSO’s mission is the belief that music has the power to bring people together through shared experiences. The Symphony’s programming highlights the exceptional talent of a core roster of 67 musicians, presenting more than 30 public, ticketed concerts at the Peace Center and venues throughout the region each year.

Reaching audiences of every age and background, the GSO also presents more than 100 free events annually, engaging approximately 25,000 people across the South Carolina Upstate.

Key Partnerships (not direct reports, but critical collaborators):

·       Executive Director — Maintains their own major gifts portfolio and is actively engaged in solicitation; the Director of Development will coordinate closely with the ED to ensure a unified major-gifts strategy, avoid donor-cultivation overlap, and align messaging and targets.

·       Music Director — A key fundraising asset, particularly for donor cultivation events, major-gift visits, and donor stewardship touchpoints where artistic vision and personal connection drive giving. The Director of Development will work closely with the Music Director to strategically deploy their time and relationships for maximum fundraising impact.

REPORTS TO: Executive Director

CLOSE COLLABORATORS: Artistic Operations, Accounting, and Marketing

HOURS/WEEK:

·       36 hours office work week, plus concerts, special and community events

·       Full time, exempt

·       Because this role involves close collaboration and on-site activity, it is primarily based on location. Limited remote work opportunities and flexible schedule arrangements are available.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES & OUTCOMES

Revenue Generation & Strategy

• Own and achieve the annual development revenue target, broken down across:
• Individual/major gifts
• Corporate sponsorships
• Grants (foundation/government)
• Planned giving
• Develop and execute a comprehensive fundraising strategy with clear quarterly and annual benchmarks
• Build and manage a qualified major-gift pipeline, personally cultivating and soliciting gifts at the $3,500 level and above
• Coordinate a unified major-gifts strategy across the Director of Development's own portfolio and the Executive Director's portfolio, ensuring clear donor assignment, no duplication of outreach, and shared visibility into pipeline status
• Identify and secure new corporate sponsorship and foundation grant opportunities to diversify and grow the revenue base

Donor Pipeline & Retention

• Develop meaningful donor engagement and stewardship strategies that deepen relationships, strengthen retention, and inspire increased giving.
• Identify and communicate compelling stories of impact that connect donors and prospects to the Symphony’s musicians, performances, education programs, and community impact.
• Implement a moves-management system to track donor cultivation and solicitation progress with measurable conversion benchmarks

Team Leadership & Infrastructure

• Directly supervise and manage performance of the Donor Relations Coordinator, Development Events Coordinator, and contract Grant Writer, setting clear individual targets aligned to overall revenue goals
• Ensure the Grant Writer's proposal pipeline is strategically aligned with funding priorities and submission deadlines
• Oversee Development Events Coordinator's event calendar to ensure events are designed as donor cultivation/solicitation tools, not solely social gatherings, with measurable fundraising outcomes attached
• Establish and maintain accurate donor database/CRM systems (led operationally by Donor Relations Coordinator) to support data-driven decision-making
• Provide regular revenue-vs.-target reporting to the Executive Director and timely reporting to the Board at meetings
• Develop budgets for each event and campaign; monitor the progress of each, and adjust plans when Work closely with the Executive Director and other designated staff in long-range planning for the GSO; prepare budget projections as needed.

Board & Organizational Partnership

• Equip and support Board of Directors in donor cultivation and solicitation activities
• Strategically engage the Music Director in donor cultivation including donor events, one-on-one major-donor meetings, and stewardship communications to leverage artistic relationships as a fundraising asset
• Partner with the Executive Director on strategic fundraising campaigns, including capital or endowment initiatives as needed
• Staff board committees with development focus

Other

• Develop and maintain internal and external contacts to optimize fund-raising efforts.
• Maintain ongoing contact with contributors, corporate sponsors, and business and community leaders.
• Keep abreast of recent research on fund raising; maintain a collection of current fund-raising resource materials.
• Attend GSO performance events; represent the GSO at other civic and cultural events, as needed.
• Represent the GSO in a manner that demonstrates the highest standards of professionalism and ethical conduct.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Executive Director.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• 5 years of progressive development experience
• Exceptional relationship-building and communication skills and the ability to translate the Symphony’s mission and impact into compelling opportunities for philanthropic investment
• Demonstrated success personally soliciting and closing major gifts (please provide specific gift-size experience in resume)
• Experience coordinating fundraising efforts across multiple stakeholders (e.g., executive leadership, board members, or other non-development staff with donor relationships)
• Proven experience managing a development budget and reporting against measurable targets
• Experience with donor database/CRM systems and data-driven fundraising strategy
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience

Preferred

• Love for classical music and the impact of orchestras in their communities
• Experience in performing arts or cultural nonprofit fundraising
• Experience leading capital campaigns or major institutional giving initiatives

WORKING CONDITIONS AND PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

• Use of an office phone, computer and internet is required
• Must have a valid driver's license and own transportation
• A cell phone and remote access to e-mail and office files are required, as many tasks take place offsite
• Ability to occasionally carry materials or signage

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

Salary is competitive. Range is available upon request and commensurate with experience and track record.

·       Salary will be determined based on demonstrated, documented fundraising results in prior roles

·       Performance-based incentive structure may be considered for exceeding annual revenue targets

·       Full benefits package

The Greenville Symphony offers a competitive salary and benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, 401K matching, and generous paid time off.

HOW TO APPLY

For priority consideration, please submit application materials by October 30, 2026. Send resume and cover letter to Jessica Satava, Executive Director, at jsatava@greenvillesymphony.org