FLSA Status: Full-time, exempt

DANCE IQUAIL (DI!), a fast-growing and mission-driven national nonprofit organization, is looking to hire an enthusiastic Director of Development to secure financial support for our organization. DI! is creating a new Development Office and therefore seeks a candidate who can help establish the essential systems of organizational practice fundraising and development program. 

The Director of Development will set and achieve fundraising goals, maintain knowledge of fundraisers’ interests, and cultivate relationships with fellow employees and volunteers. You will be an active participant in fundraising events.

The successful candidate will build lasting relationships with donors and keep them informed on how their financial input is contributing to making DI! one of the leading Dance organizations in the country, making the art form more inclusive and diverse. Preferred candidates will be self-motivated, deadline-driven multitaskers.

The Development Director will be responsible for the following essential functions:

· Implementing and evolving the strategic plan for DI! in the areas of fundraising and public relations. Evaluating existing programs, and recommending new offerings consistent with the mission and vision of DI!. 

· Cultivating and securing national funding relationships. Expanding DI’s advancement strategy outside of the local region. 

· Collaborating with the Executive Artistic Directors and board of directors to create and implement an annual fundraising plan.

· Overseeing department and interdepartmental meetings to plan milestones and requirements of all teams within the organization regarding fundraisers

· Serving as a spokesperson for the organization to the media and the general public, to position and strengthen DI!’s name, recognition, and reputation in the community. 

· Developing a digital fundraising strategy in conjunction with the Marketing team

· Collaborating with a network to identify and build relationships with new donors

· Securing financial support from individuals, foundations, and corporations 

· Managing the implementation of appropriate donor management software and overseeing staff responsible for data entry and gift processing 

· Maintaining ongoing relationships with major donors 

· Creating and sustaining a strategy for building a large base of annual individual donors 

· Overseeing the organization of special events 

· Preparing and presenting reports on fundraising activities to executive management and the board of directors.

· Serving as grants administrator, writing grant proposals and acknowledgments for grants received. Ensuring compliance by the organization of terms stipulated in the grant award.

Job Requirements: 

A bachelor’s degree and three or more years of development and fundraising experience
Experienced in professional fundraising/development, including applied knowledge of fundraising strategies and donor relations with foundations, individuals, corporations, and other sources
Demonstrated success in securing major support from private and/or public sources – preferably for community development, educational or arts projects
Demonstrated success in grant writing and meeting annual goals
Transparent and high-integrity leadership and a style that motivates people to work hard while having fun
Comfort with ambiguity, the ability to respond adeptly to rapidly changing priorities, and the ability to work well under pressure.
Ability to lead multiple long- and short-term projects simultaneously, meeting all deadlines with the ability to plan, prioritize, coordinate, and manage own work.
Proven ability to make decisions and solve problems independently, effectively, and creatively.
Strong written and oral communication skills and appropriate self-confidence and maturity so as to effectively communicate the DI!’s vision at all levels and across organizational lines in a manner inspiring to staff, board, donors and volunteers
Availability to work and travel outside of regular business hours
Experience with Network for Good or similar donor-tracking software is a plus

Screening begins January 21, 2025. To apply, upload your complete application package as a single PDF document and send to jobs@danceiquail.org. A complete application package includes 

1) a cover letter, 2)Resume/CV; 3) an original writing sample (preferably a grant proposal or a grant report), and 4) names/contact information for three professional references. Application review will continue until the position is filled. To initiate your application, please send an email today using the subject line “Application for Director of Development Position.”

 

About DANCE IQUAIL! 

Dance Iquail (DI!) uses the art of dance as a conduit for combating issues of social injustice as primarily experienced by disadvantaged Black Philadelphians. Working in the universal language of movement, DI! is committed to creating and presenting programs that confront the destructive and divisive nature of racism, sexism, violence, drug and alcohol abuse, the needs of the poor, and the importance of family support and unity. 

Our core values:

Respecting Cultures–we are courteous, curious, and thoughtful
Promoting Creativity–we are supportive, principled, and experimental
Performing Strategically – we are resourceful, proactive, and entrepreneurial
Integrating Individuality– we are collaborative, professional, responsive, and uplifting
Embodying Diversity – we are inclusive, integral, adaptive, and responsive. 

These values are intrinsic to Dance Iquail! and guide how we work together and interact with our core communities, audiences, and supporters. 

POSITION CONTEXT 

In October 2024, Dr. Iquail Shaheed, Founder, Executive Artistic Director, of DANCE IQUAIL! (DI) —Philadelphia-based dance and social justice organization—received a major general operating grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The purpose of this gift is to support the development of the organization’s staff and operations. In the next phase of ongoing strategic growth for DI! the organization will capitalize on Mellon support and project support from the New England Foundation for the Arts, National Performance Network, and National Choreographic Center Akron, to enhance the productions, touring initiatives, and most importantly to our values, our community engagement with Black and brown residences throughout the US and abroad. With new possibilities for developing large-scale works and tours that build-in deep collaborative investments with historically disinvested Black communities, DI! will enhance its profile as a cultural leader in art-as-activism spaces while spearheading the social change required to ensure an equitable contemporary dance field for Philadelphia, and beyond. In 2025/2026, DI!, production activities will double in size, performing regular seasons in Philadelphia and New York City, and touring nationally, beginning with the highly anticipated world premiere of the work Re:Sent(ME)nt directed and choreographed by Iquail Shaheed. 

DI! provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.