Director of Development

The largest standalone music school in Western Canada, the Victoria Conservatory is a multi-faceted centre for music education, performance and wellness, occupying beautiful music facilities in downtown Victoria and in nearby Langford, in the traditional territories of the Songhees, Esquimalt, W̱SÁNEĆ and Beecher Bay Nations.

These facilities include 77 studios and three performance venues: the Alix Goolden Performance Hall, the Wood Recital Hall, and, in partnership with Intrepid Theatre, the Metro Studio.

As an inclusive music centre for the whole community, we welcome audiences, students and artists of all ages and musical abilities, and work in all musical genres.

We pursue our mission through seven programming areas: a Conservatory School of Classical Music, a School of Contemporary Music, a School of Music Technology and Creativity, a Department of Postsecondary Studies, a Department of Early Childhood Music Education, public concerts, and a Department of Music Therapy.

With an upcoming retirement, the Victoria Conservatory of Music is seeking its next Director of Development to lead our development team.

The Director will contribute to nurturing long-term relationships with supporters to raise approximately $1.5 million annually from a loyal base that includes individuals, foundations, government agencies, sponsors and special events.

The Director will join a strong community of support that exists around the Conservatory’s mission of excellence in music education, performance and wellness.

With its unique mix of program areas, from pre-professional training, to inclusive community music programs serving everyone from infants to seniors, one of North America’s leading music therapy practices, concert presenting and more, the Conservatory maintains relationships with a diverse range of funders and sponsors.

The Conservatory’s growing endowment portfolio hosted at Victoria Foundation supports scholarships, bursaries and operations.

The Encore Legacy Society, chaired by world-renowned bass soloist Gary Karr, champions planned giving efforts.

Reporting to the CEO and working alongside the senior management team, a steady Board of Governors, and development staff, the Director will direct and execute a multi-faceted fundraising program that builds communities of support and attracts high impact philanthropy to the organization’s strategic priorities, building upon the Conservatory’s outstanding reputation and 60-year tradition of community impact through music.

This position is responsible for defining and meeting the targets of the Conservatory’s annual development plan.

This Position Offers:
– A competitive salary and benefits package with a salary range of $90,000 to $100,000 based upon experience, and benefits including four weeks’ vacation to start, plus annual personal/wellness days, sick days that can carry over, Dental Health Spending account, Extended Health Care plan, LTD, Life Insurance & AD&D, and an RRSP matching plan;
– A small, highly collaborative Development team, working within well established and effective planning and budgeting processes, and using a robust, well-documented work plan, with defined metrics and written guidelines for specific programs within the department;
– A special working environment that combines deeply committed staff and a culturally rich community, all housed in our beautiful downtown heritage building;
– Year-round invitations to attend arts and culture events around the region;
– As a caring organization, we make it a priority to foster a positive work environment by recognizing the efforts of our staff and promoting a balanced work/family life.

Responsibilities: Primary Accountabilities: The Director of Development: Leadership
– Supports senior leadership and the board in setting strategy and policy;
– Creates a fund development strategy which fully engages the organization in its execution to deliver increased revenue to the Conservatory’s strategic priorities;
– Represents the organization in business, civic and community organizations to foster, build and grow relationships with internal and external audiences;
– Models the organization’s values;
– Seeks and inspires excellence and impact in all endeavours.

Fundraising Excellence and Impact
– Builds upon a diverse base of engaged donors, sponsors and partners through an innovative program that attracts funds to annual operations and special projects, building communities of support;
– Creates and executes a full complement of fundraising programs including major gifts, annual giving, program initiatives, sponsorship marketing, grant writing, planned giving, business development and special events;
– Builds, motivates and supports development staff and volunteers, who advocate for the organization in the execution of a fund development plan;
– Sets, monitors and reports on fundraising goals and metrics that are achieved with the full participation of VCM development staff and volunteers.

Management
– Provides strategic and operational support to standing committees of the Board (and other committees) as needed;
– Oversees a prospect management system that holistically manages all prospects meeting the major gift threshold of $10,000 and personally manages a portfolio of prospects;
– Recruits, leads, supervises, coaches and mentors a small team of development staff, contractors and volunteers who work as a team to achieve mutually agreed performance targets;
– Prepares business plans, sets budgets and authorizes expenditure;
– Proposes support structures as appropriate to strategy, e.g., leadership council.

Development & Public Relations
– Supervises the creation of various development collateral materials, correspondence, communications and speeches, and ensures that information about all development events and activities are communicated accurately to the Marketing department;
– Oversees the production of general development-related content for website.

Database & Records Management
– Oversees initiative to adopt new data system based on recent recommendations;
– Supervises maintenance of outgoing data system (Exceed) and paper records of donors and grants;
– Oversees the maintenance of security and quality controls;
– Directs the maintenance of accurate accounting of all contributed revenue and its sources and generation of reports as needed.

Administration
– Ensures Board reports are created monthly;
– Attends monthly Board Meetings meetings;
– Liaises with CEO on a regular basis;
– Creates annual Development Budget with CFO;
– Creates annual Development Plan;
– Provides support to the CEO as needed.

Qualifications:
– Minimum of eight years charitable fundraising or leadership experience;
– Excellent writing, oral and presenting skills in English (Mandarin or French language skills are assets);
– Demonstrated financial projection and reporting capacity;
– Scheduling flexibility around a calendar with occasional evening and weekend events;
– Comfort with principles of reconciliation, equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility;
– Political savvy, collaborative spirit, positivity, accountability and discretion;
– CFRE certification is an asset;
– Professional experience in arts, culture, or education environments is an asset;
– Experience with major gift programs and/or capital campaigns is an asset.

As a music school for the whole community, our organization values the diversity of the people it hires and serves.

We welcome candidates from all communities including Indigenous peoples, people of colour, people of all sexual orientations, gender non-conforming people, neurodiverse people, people with disabilities, and all others who faces systemic marginalization.

We thank all candidates in advance; only those invited to continue the process will be contacted.

Remuneration: $90,000.00 to $100,000.00 based upon experience.

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The BC Alliance for Arts Culture is honoured to work on the traditional, unceded territories of the Coast Salish peoples of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations, and 240 other Indigenous communities across BC.