Director of Donor Relations and Events

The New England Conservatory, an independent not-for-profit institution, is recognized internationally as a leader among music schools, educating and training musicians of all ages from around the world. With approximately 750 music students representing more than 40 countries, NEC cultivates a diverse, dynamic community for students, providing them with performance opportunities and high-caliber training by 225 internationally esteemed artist-teachers and scholars. NEC pushes the boundaries of making and teaching music through college-level musical training in classical, jazz, and Contemporary Improvisation. It offers unique interdisciplinary programs such as Entrepreneurial Musicianship and Community Performances & Partnerships that empower students to create their own musical opportunities. As part of NEC's mission to make lifelong music education available to everyone, the Division of Expanded Education delivers training and performance opportunities for children, pre-college students, and adults.

Job Summary:
Reporting to the Chief Development Officer, the Director of Donor Relations and Events is a core leadership role responsible for driving New England Conservatory’s mission through the fully integrated functions of donor engagement, stewardship, institutional support, and high-impact event strategy. 

The Director of Donor Relations and Events will design, implement, and oversee a unified strategy that enhances donor engagement programming, advances stewardship priorities, and secures institutional support. The Director will collaborate with the annual giving and major giving teams to implement and execute highly personalized stewardship plans for key donors. The role will enhance donor loyalty and not only focus on donor retention but stimulate increased engagement with the institution and promote upgraded giving.

The Director will oversee the critical planning and coordination of the Annual Scholarship Gala, donor/stewardship events, institutional events, and other special events as needed. The Director will manage the Assistant Director of Donor Relations and Communications and the Assistant Director of Advancement Marketing and Events.

Key Responsibilities: 

• Partner with Advancement and Engagement colleagues to develop, design, and execute a fully integrated and proactive donor engagement warming along with stewardship programs.

• Provides detailed  planning and oversight of the Annual Scholarship Gala, stewardship/donor engagement events, and institutional events. 

• Direct the strategy for and create donor communication and materials, procuring and utilizing NEC stories and content, including high-level donor communications such as the annual Impact Report and endowment report, and the personalization of donor acknowledgement letters and donor warming outreach.

• Leads and oversees the full lifecycle of institutional giving, including researching and identifying new funding opportunities, managing donor communications and relationships, creating a case for support, and reporting.

• Partners with Enrollment and Financial Aid offices on endowed scholarship notifications, as well as Artistic Administration regarding endowed masterclasses and residencies, to ensure seamless execution of donor commitments.

• Develop metrics and systems to monitor outcomes of each area of stewardship programming, demonstrating impact, timeliness, and overall donor satisfaction.

• Oversees social media, print and digital collaterals, and content to be leveraged through a multi-channel communication plan to engage donors and prospects that align with institutional goals and strategies.

• Establish and enforce standards for gift acknowledgement and reporting, ensuring that high-level, best-practice stewardship is consistently executed for all leadership and six-figure gifts.

• Other duties as assigned.

  
  

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree and 7 years of experience with donor relations, alumni engagement, and event planning or other related work experience is required. 

• Exceptional interpersonal skills and proven experience building and maintaining donor relationships and executing successful fundraising strategies and events.

• Demonstrated experience working effectively with internal teams, administrators, volunteers, and donors to advance engagement and fundraising goals.

• Strong verbal and written communication skills, including the insight to convey information effectively as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

• Budget management skills that have proven success in maximizing the look and feel of communications and events.

• A strategic thinker with the ability to innovate and drive results.

• The ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with team members, campus partners, volunteers, and external constituencies.

• High initiative, accountability and strong organizational, analytical, project management, and critical thinking skills

• The ability to multitask, prioritize, exercise good judgement, and work independently as well as collaboratively.

• Experience managing donor databases and utilizing CRMs (Raiser’s Edge experience a plus).

• Ability and willingness to work nights, weekends, and to travel as required.

NEC is an Equal Opportunity Employer that recruits and hires qualified candidates without regard to race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, disability, or veteran status.

Annual Clery Report

In accordance with the federal Clery and Campus SaVE Acts, New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) commits to providing all current and prospective students and employees with access to the annual Campus Security and Fire Safety Report. This report will provide the reader with a record of statistics regarding crimes that were reported in the NEC community during the previous three years as well as College policies and procedures, in compliance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act. This report may be accessed here. A paper copy can be requested by contacting NEC's Director of Public Safety at 290 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115.