Houston Grand Opera – Philanthropy Officer, Acquisitions
Performing Arts Fundraising at Its Best.
(Seriously. It doesn’t get better than this!)
Do you believe in the power of music to change lives?
Are you a fundraising professional with experience building relationships with donors and acquiring new and upgraded gifts?
HGO is looking for a driven, successful, and downright inspiring philanthropy officer to join our acquisitions team. If you know how to work hard, have a fun, positive attitude, and love connecting donors with the greatest art form ever created, do we have a job for you!
But before you click “apply,” I should warn you…
HGO’s performances are irresistibly great, and the donors you’ll meet here are the best in town.
MAIN FOCUS
As a Philanthropy Officer, Acquisitions, you’ll manage a portfolio of 80-100 active and prospective donors to Houston Grand Opera. Your job is to inspire them to increase their support to the Patron ($5,000) level or beyond.
You’ll be responsible for overseeing the acquisition team’s screening process, where ticket buyers and new-to-file donors are connected to our team in a meaningful way, determining which of these households have the impetus to become Patrons. You’ll make thank you calls – sparking a moment of joy in someone’s day where you can really make them feel appreciated. You’ll work closely with our Young Patrons Circle – a group of young professional donors to HGO – to expand this group. They are, of course, tomorrow’s leaders and this artform’s path forward!
At HGO, we pride ourselves on building transformative relationships with donors that change their lives – and ours. We get out from behind our desks and meet supporters on their turf. We spend time truly getting to know them and their families, listening to their stories with genuine interest, understanding their passions and their interests.
When you’ve done the work of building these transformative relationships, it’s time to take things to the next level. You’ve built relationships with your donors, cultivated and made them feel connected to Houston Grand Opera in a way that inspires them. They’re ready for you to make the ask. And, what you’re asking for is more than a monetary amount. You’re inviting them to become a part of something truly life-changing. You’re asking them to support not only this artform in Houston, but to be an integral part of the community that provides joy and value in their lives.
JOB REQUIREMENTS
We want talent. We want it on our stage, we want it on our Board, and we want it on our staff.
You’ll need an undergraduate degree and one to two years of front-line fundraising experience, with proven success soliciting gifts face to face.
Show us how you’ve built, maintained, and cultivated meaningful relationships with donors in your career.
Evening and weekend work is sometimes required. You’ll entertain donors at performances, behind-the-scenes donor events, and the occasional committee meeting. But if you love the arts like we do, this is the best part of the job!
NECESSARY SKILLS
Be curious about everything. Ask questions. Tons of questions. Our donors have a lot to say, and trust us – you want to hear it. Learn their life story, why they give, what they love about opera, how they first got involved with HGO – whatever you can. The more you understand them, the better you can engage them with HGO and increase their support.
None of us has all the answers. Be excited to learn something new every day and be resourceful. One of the perks of being on a large development team is the chance to grow professionally and learn from your colleagues. We invest in professional development, read fundraising books, roleplay donor visits to fine-tune our skills, attend conferences, acquire certifications, and much more.
You’ve got to be organized on this team. You’re documenting visits in donor files, invitations to performances, solicitations, pending asks, follow-up, and much more. And if it doesn’t get recorded, it didn’t happen. Do you come in to work every day with a sharpened pencil and a keen eye for detail? You’ll fit right in.
Our subscribers love opera. So if you know everything there is to know about it, that’s great. But if you don’t know much about it, that’s okay too. You soon will.
Opera is the most collaborative art form known to man. It combines poetry, dance, music, acting, singing, set-building, orchestras, choruses, and so much more. So no matter what you’re into, there’s a seat for you at our table. Just bring your appetite.
WHY US?
HGO’s development team has a proven track record of attracting, nurturing, and launching the careers of many superstars in our profession. This team is no joke.
Your colleagues are the real benefits package. You will learn from your leaders and coworkers in a truly collaborative environment where you are encouraged to do work that interests and challenges you. We rarely say no. Share your ideas – go for it!
If you enjoy learning, writing, and getting great work done, and you want to help make Houston a more culturally vibrant city, apply now at Houston Grand Opera - - About - Employment And Auditions
The physical demands described here are representative of those we consider important for an employee to successfully perform essential functions of this job: extended periods of sitting and performing tasks such as typing and using a computer mouse, with strong visual and auditory focus, occasional lifting (not exceeding 25 pounds), reaching for items, proficiency in keyboarding, effective communication skills, and fine motor abilities, being mobile within the office for activities like attending meetings. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.
Equal Opportunity
Houston Grand Opera is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees and to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. All employment decisions at HGO are based on business needs, job requirements, and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion or belief, national, social or ethnic origin, sex (including pregnancy), age, physical, mental or sensory disability, HIV Status, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, marital, civil union or domestic partnership status, past or present military service, family medical history or genetic information, family or parental status, or any other status protected by federal, state, or local laws or regulations. HGO will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics. HGO encourages applicants of all ages.
