Audience Development Jobs in Ohio (NOW HIRING)

The Organization

The Columbus Association for the Performing Arts (CAPA) is more than just a performing arts organization—it's a cornerstone of creativity, culture, and community in Central Ohio. At CAPA, we are committed to inspiring and transforming lives through the power of the performing arts. With a rich history and a dynamic vision for the future, we manage iconic theaters, host world-class performances, and foster a love of the arts in audiences of all ages.

The Opportunity

• Are you excited about ensuring a world-class entertainment experience for theatre patrons, employees, and volunteers?
• Do you have a passion for preserving historical buildings for today’s entertainment opportunities?
• Are you excellent at building and maintaining relationships?

Primary Function

The Director of Development – Shared Services is a member of CAPA’s Development Team reporting to and in partnership with the vice President of Development (VPD), supervising the Senior Manager of Annual Giving & Donor Management. The Director of Development – Shared Services will spearhead development efforts to increase and meet fundraising and friend-raising goals for assigned shared-service organizations. The Director of Development – Shared Services is a strong leader who promotes and instills best practices in fundraising and friend-raising, ensuring the long-term success of CAPA’s mission in our historic theatres.

Duties, Responsibilities, and Key Performance Objectives

First Month

• Represent assigned organizations at community, donor, and fundraising events.
• Build relationships with donors, foundations, corporations, and community stakeholders.
• Manage a portfolio of approximately 100–125 major gift prospects and donors.
• Develop individualized donor engagement and solicitation strategies.
• Success Indicators
  • Demonstrates understanding of assigned organizations, fundraising priorities, and key stakeholders.
  • Meets Executive Directors, Board leadership, key volunteers, and major donors.
  • Reviews and assesses assigned donor portfolio.
  • Identifies initial opportunities for donor engagement and relationship building.
  • Establishes productive working relationships with supervised staff and development leadership.

First 90 Days

• Attend Board meetings and serve as a fundraising resource to Board and committee leadership.
• Partner with Executive Directors to advance fundraising priorities and organizational goals.
• Partner with Executive Directors, volunteer leaders, and fundraising leadership on major gift opportunities.
• Identify leadership giving, planned giving, sponsorship, and major gift prospects.
• Maintain accurate donor records and moves management activity within donor management software.
• Supervise annual giving and donor engagement efforts through the Senior Manager of Annual Giving & Donor Engagement.
• Support volunteer fundraising efforts and donor engagement opportunities.
• Assist leadership in strengthening Board participation in fundraising activities.
• Success Indicators
  • Active donor qualification and cultivation efforts are underway.
  • Donor portfolio strategies are documented and implemented.
  • Board and volunteer engagement opportunities have been identified.
  • Effective supervision and support of the Senior Manager role is established.
  • Donor activity and moves management practices are consistently maintained.

First 6 Months

• Develops and implements fundraising plans designed to increase contributed revenue, donor engagement, and philanthropic support.
• Provides fundraising leadership and strategy for assigned shared-service organizations.
• Monitor fundraising results and recommend strategic adjustments as necessary.
• Participate in development of fundraising revenue projections and annual budgets.
• Prepare and present reports on fundraising performance and donor activity.
• Support organizational planning through forecasting and fundraising analysis.
• Advocate for philanthropic investment in the missions of assigned organizations.
• Success Indicators
  • Fundraising plans are developed and actively implemented.
  • Revenue projections and fundraising goals are established.
  • Fundraising reporting is consistently provided to leadership and stakeholders.
  • Major donor portfolio activity is progressing according to plan.
  • Demonstrates strategic leadership across assigned organizations.

First Year

• Conduct qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship activities to increase philanthropic support.
• Develop individualized donor engagement and solicitation strategies.
• Partner with Executive Directors, volunteer leaders, and fundraising leadership on major gift opportunities.
• Identify leadership giving, planned giving, sponsorship, and major gift prospects.
• Support sponsorship, gala fundraising, donor stewardship, and community engagement initiatives across assigned organizations.
• Assist with campaign planning and other strategic fundraising initiatives as assigned.
• Success Indicators
  • Donor retention, engagement, and pipeline growth demonstrate measurable progress.
  • Assigned organizations receive consistent fundraising leadership and support.
  • Executive Directors and Board leadership view Development as a valued strategic partner.
  • Fundraising plans, donor strategies, and revenue projections are successfully executed.
  • Demonstrates meaningful contribution toward fundraising revenue growth and philanthropic support.
  • Maintains productive relationships with donors, Boards, volunteers, community stakeholders, and organizational leadership.

Other Duties

• This job description is not designed to cover or contain an exhaustive list of duties, responsibilities, and key performance objectives that are expected of the employee. These items may change, or new job-related items may be assigned from time to time.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Knowledge of major gift fundraising and donor engagement strategies.
• Knowledge of annual giving, prospect development, donor stewardship, sponsorship, and fundraising operations.
• Knowledge of fundraising databases and donor management systems.
• Excellent interpersonal, presentation, written, and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to build relationships with donors, Boards of Directors, Executive Directors, volunteers, and community stakeholders.
• Ability to manage multiple organizations, priorities, and projects simultaneously.
• Ability to analyze fundraising performance and develop effective fundraising strategies.

Credentials and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree required, MA would be a plus.
• Typically, 5+ years of experience working in a non-profit with development responsibilities are needed to have sufficient experience and judgement to perform a role of this size and complexity.
• Demonstrated excellence in organizational, managerial, and communication skills.
• Demonstrated success securing major gifts and managing donor portfolios.
• Experience working with Boards of Directors, volunteer leadership, and organizational executives.
• Demonstrated success developing and implementing fundraising strategies.
• Experience with Tessitura or comparable donor database preferred.
• Demonstrate positive and effective direct supervision of two or more professional subordinates.
• Annual Base pay for this role is $85,000 - $100,000.

Special Requirements

• Successful background check.
• This position requires a credit check that is satisfactory to management.
• The majority of CAPA’s and the Assigned Organization’s public events take place at night and on weekends. This position requires occasional presence on-site during nights and weekends.