About Pottery Northwest
Since 1966, Pottery Northwest has served as Seattle's preeminent non-profit ceramics organization. We promote innovation, arts excellence, and education with a mission of fostering an inclusive community around clay.
Our nationally renowned ceramics studio offers vibrant programming to over 2,000 enrollments a year. Artists from around the world venture to Pottery Northwest in the spirit of artistic dialogue and as a formative step in their careers.
Position Summary
The Development Director is a key member of the senior leadership team at Pottery Northwest, with proven experience in frontline fundraising, individual giving, event management, and strategic planning. In collaboration with the Executive Director, they will be responsible for the strategic leadership and management of Pottery Northwest's fundraising.
For the past two years, Pottery Northwest has operated in a brand-new facility with new executive leadership dedicated to fostering inclusionary cultural practices throughout all aspects of programs and initiatives. We are looking for someone passionate about integrating community-centric fundraising principles and ethical fundraising practices into our organization as we build new systems.
Pottery Northwest prioritizes a collaborative, team-oriented culture where everyone has a high level of ownership and performance in their roles and where we care for ourselves, each other, and our community. We are a flexible workplace and place a high priority on the health and well-being of our staff.
HOURS & CONDITIONS
Reports to: Executive Director
Type: Full-time, 40-hours per week; salaried, exempt
Remote/On-site: Hybrid. The primary work location is in the Pottery Northwest office-studio in the Pioneer Square neighborhood of Seattle. This position requires 3 in-person and 2 remote days each week. Wednesdays are mandatory onsite days for all staff from 10am to 6pm. There occasionally will be evening or weekend time needed during major events.
Pay: $75,000-$88,000—Placement within this scale is dependent on experience.
Benefits:
- Open (unlimited) PTO to be used for vacation and sick leave
- 13 paid federal holidays
- 100% employer premium paid medical, vision, and dental insurance for employees
- Monthly commuter stipend of $140
- Annual professional development stipend of $500
- Annual bonus opportunity
- Complimentary classes, workshops, and studio usage
DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES
Pottery Northwest has just begun building our development team. To start, the Development Director will have the support of a part-time (20-hour per week) Development Coordinator.
Fundraising & Stewardship (70%)
- Develop and implement Pottery Northwest's short and long-term strategic fundraising plan in collaboration with the Executive Director.
- Work with the Executive Director to develop fundraising initiatives, including major gift programs, corporate sponsorships, and special events, and to define annual priorities, goals, revenue, and audience targets.
- Develop a plan to implement donor cultivation & engagement across sectors: private, government, and individuals, to increase the number of funders and donors who support Pottery Northwest.
- Work in partnership with the Director of Grants to ensure continuity in funding opportunities, narrative, deadlines, and outcomes.
- Create and produce fundraising collateral, outreach emails, presentations, and materials.
- Provide leadership, mentorship, supervision, and assessment for Development team members to accomplish the goals and objectives of the department.
- Possess a working knowledge of the donor database, Donor Perfect, including acknowledgment of gifts, pulling reports, assurance of the maintenance of adequate record systems, analysis and interpretation of data.
- Provide regular fundraising and donor reporting to the staff and Board.
- Identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward trusting relations with a portfolio of current and future individual donors, organizations, alumni, and artists.
- Strategize with the Executive Director to identify and engage new corporate and foundation partnerships while sustaining established relationships.
- Maintain a first hand understanding of the programmatic offerings at Pottery Northwest and align this knowledge to match funder interests.
- Plan and coordinate fundraising and stewardship events in alignment with organizational goals and the Pottery Northwest brand, including creating innovative new development opportunities that contribute to our bottom line.
- Plan and execute fundraising events, including our annual gala, working closely and collaboratively with the Board of Directors.
Budget Management & Financial Reporting (15%)
- Forecast budget projections for development-related expenditures and annual contributed revenue.
- Track progress of development-related expenditures and contributed revenue and produce reports for the Executive Director and Board as requested.
Staff Management (10%)
- Oversee and direct the Development Coordinator and future development team hires, drafting work plans and setting clear expectations, goals, and measures for success.
- Mentor development team members, providing constructive feedback and supporting their professional development.
Shared Leadership (5%)
- Participate in team check-ins, weekly staff meetings, the planning and support for Pottery Northwest events, and organization-wide strategic planning efforts.
- Identify and participate in professional development opportunities that advance skills for the role.
- Help maintain staff shared calendars.
This job description is not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of this position. All Pottery Northwest employees may be required to perform duties outside of their normal responsibilities from time to time, as needed, to meet the ongoing needs of the organization.
PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES AND REQUIREMENTS OF THIS POSITION:
- Ability to lift, carry & move objects ~25lbs.
- Working in an office space within a ceramics studio around power tools, heavy machinery, and materials that are used in the ceramics process.
- Working closely with others and in an environment that is open to the public.
Technology: At Pottery Northwest we use the following hardware, operating systems, and databases: Apple's Mac computers/operating systems, the Google Suite, Monday.com, DonorPerfect, and Shopify.
IDEAL CANDIDATE
- Six (6) years of progressively responsible experience in nonprofit development management. Experience in arts fundraising and the Seattle philanthropic community a plus.
- A record of measurable results in frontline fundraising: leading major gift programs, annual giving campaigns, and fundraising events.
- Proven experience in fund development, soliciting and stewarding five and six figure major gifts and multi-year giving.
- Experience in developing and managing budgets through forecasting and tracking expenditures and revenue and preparing financial spreadsheets.
- Experience with donor management and fundraising platforms.
- Demonstrated commitment to racial and gender equity and understanding the role inequities play in our society.
- Direct staff management experience.
- Experience in cultivating a culture of philanthropy within an organization, especially amongst the volunteer Board of Directors.
- Outstanding interpersonal skills and an ability to develop trust, maintain deep relationships, and persuade and move people to action.
- Lived experience or professional or volunteer work in the arts world, with a passionate personal connection and understanding of the power of the arts to positively impact and transform communities.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Strong project management skills, including the ability to plan out project steps, create and meet deadlines, manage schedules, communicate through challenges, and stay highly organized with competing priorities and information; Operates with thoughtfulness around accomplishing goals
- A collaborative approach to problem-solving, including the ability to pivot to meet immediate needs or address unforeseen.
Application Instructions:
Pottery Northwest is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. We strive to be a place where DEIA builds the foundation for people. Women, non-gender-binary/trans individuals, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color), and people with disabilities are STRONGLY encouraged to apply.
To apply, submit a completed application, including a resume and cover letter.
In your cover letter, we want to learn about what you will bring to this position and Pottery Northwest. What excites you about leading fundraising efforts at an arts nonprofit? Why would you like to advance Pottery Northwest's mission? How does your experience align with the responsibilities and qualifications of this position?
The priority application deadline is November 17th, 2024
All applications submitted after this date will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Applications will be accepted as long as the opening is still posted. All applicants can expect to hear back by early December.
The hiring process for this role will include a phone screen and panel interview. The final offer will be contingent on a successful reference check and clean background check.
Email questions to the Operations & Grants Director, Jasmine at ...@potterynorthwest.org