Director of Philanthropy

DIRECTOR OF PHILANTHROPY
THE OLD GLOBE
SAN DIEGO,
CALIFORNIA

INSTITUTION OVERVIEW
“One of the nation’s
most prominent regional theatres.” The New York Times

As one of the nation’s leading professional regional theatres
and one of Southern California’s largest arts institutions, the
Tony Award-winning Old Globe has served the San Diego region for 89
years. Under the leadership of Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director
Barry Edelstein and Audrey S. Geisel Managing Director Timothy J.
Shields, who work in collaboration with an engaged 47-member Board
of Directors, The Old Globe serves a vibrant community in San Diego
through the delivery of thrilling theatre art as a public good.

The Old Globe believes that theatre matters, and its commitment
is to make it matter to more people. The Globe’s Statement of
Values articulates the five cornerstones of its work:
Transformation, Inclusion, Excellence, Stability, and Impact. These
values mandate programming that invigorates the classics, amplifies
new voices and tells stories that are dynamic and meaningful to the
Globe’s diverse audiences. Through its stage productions, arts
engagement programming, artist training initiatives, new play
development platform, and humanities programs, The Old Globe
creates theatre that lives beyond the stage.

CONTEXT FOR RECRUITMENT AND ROLE
SUMMARY
The Old Globe has earned a reputation for
excelling in its high-touch, personal approach to donor cultivation
and stewardship, setting the standard for donor care in San Diego.
The Globe’s level of intimacy with its donors is rare for most
organizations but emblematic of a regional philanthropic market
driven by close social interactions and strong interpersonal
relationships, and propelled by a philanthropy staff deeply
invested in and fulfilled by the organization’s mission. Expansion
of the donor base should include maximizing contributed revenue
from the immediate region but also pursue fundraising on a much
wider geographic scale.

Historically undergirded by strong marketing and a thriving
ticket sales operation, earned income has traditionally funded
nearly two-thirds of the Globe’s annual budget, while contributed
revenue funded the remainder. However, philanthropy must play an
increasingly large role going forward given modern fiscal realities
at the Globe and the overall theatre community. Individual giving
and, more specifically, a core group of major philanthropists, have
been the overwhelming drivers of the Globe’s philanthropic support.
The Globe’s annual contributed revenue in the future will need to
exceed $14 million annually by FY29 and feature an increasingly
diversified donor base, and updates to the Globe’s physical space
may present the opportunity for a corresponding campaign effort. As
San Diego has become increasingly positioned as a corporate
alternative to Silicon Valley, life sciences and biotechnology
companies and their employees have streamed into the region. It is
critical that the Globe engages these corporations, among others,
as prospective partners in advancing the arts for overall community
health.

The Globe’s work indeed extends well beyond the stage, and its
continually evolving and innovative community programs powerfully
expand its impact to a broader group of stakeholders. A diversified
Globe donor base should incorporate entities and individuals,
including those from marginalized communities, who have heretofore
not supported the institution, championing an ethos of theatre to
be accessed by all, not just the few. The Globe’s Social Justice
Roadmap deepens and expands existing efforts in building equity,
diversity, and inclusion in the theatre. Consistent with this, the
Globe’s philanthropy must proactively advance the Social Justice
Roadmap and embrace a community-centric fundraising lens in
contrast to the donor-centrism that has informed previous
fundraising.

The Old Globe has become an internationally known theatre and
influential powerhouse among regional theatres, and can mount a
compelling case for support from theatre stakeholders across the
U.S. The opportunity beckons for The Old Globe to fully embrace and
articulate its place at the vanguard of global theatre, celebrate
its artistic preeminence, cultivate philanthropy on a wider
geographic scale, and ascend to new heights as an organization.

The Old Globe’s cultural cache and vibrant narrative provide a
far-reaching platform to dramatically increase contributed revenue.
This is the favorable context in which the Globe seeks a seasoned
fundraising professional who will continue the evolution of a
comprehensive, modern, and sophisticated fundraising program to
support the theatre’s acclaimed productions and community programs.
Reporting to the Managing Director with a dotted-line relationship
to the Artistic Director, the Director of Philanthropy (DoP) will
oversee an 11-person team of energetic and highly-engaged
professionals in the areas of major gifts, institutional giving
(corporate, foundation, and government), planned giving, annual
giving, membership, and special events. The DoP’s initial focus
will be working as a close and trusted partner to the Managing
Director and Artistic Director in evaluating, re-envisioning, and
reengineering the way the Globe fundraises, and articulating an
overarching fundraising philosophy. The DoP is charged with
advancing a sustainable major gift-focused fundraising culture
seamlessly integrated with the organization’s programmatic and
marketing initiatives, and coalescing the organization-wide
philanthropic response necessary to implement the Artistic
Director’s vision.

The successful candidate will be a dynamic and highly organized
individual who possesses broad-based philanthropy expertise, with
particular sophistication in the areas of capacity building and
strategic facilitation, as well as outstanding skills in
presentation, writing, and organizational diplomacy. Experience
building and/or significantly growing a state-of-the art, complex
philanthropy function is desired, ideally within an arts-related
organization or cultural institution. The Globe requires an
individual who is committed to building a responsive, efficient,
and highly successful fundraising program within a vibrant,
fast-paced, high-volume artistic enterprise with a year-round
production schedule. The DoP will embrace the Globe’s evolving
mission and the sweep and scope of its leadership’s vision, joining
an organization replete with impassioned, driven, creative, and
dedicated individuals. For an ambitious fundraising professional,
this is an exciting, high-growth opportunity with an institution
that is a beloved jewel amid San Diego arts and culture, and a
national, if not global, theatre treasure.

EQUITY, DIVERSITY, INCLUSION, AND
ACCESS
The Old Globe is actively committed to
fostering a culture of equity, diversity, inclusion, and access in
all areas of our operation. By making intentional, actionable
steps, we strive to make The Old Globe a place where theatre
makers, employees, volunteers, audience members, and community
members of all identities and backgrounds belong. The Old Globe
welcomes candidates who demonstrate a commitment to these goals. We
strongly encourage people with the following identities to apply:
BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, people living with disabilities, and those from
other historically and presently marginalized groups. Multilingual
candidates are also strongly encouraged to apply.

Download the full position description via the following link:
https://diversifiedsearchgroup.com/search/20216-theoldglobe

The Old Globe has retained the DSG Fundraising & Advancement
Practice of the Diversified Search Group to assist in this
confidential search process. Inquiries, nominations, and
applications (current resumes and cover letters) may be submitted
at
https://talent-profile.diversifiedsearchgroup.com/search/v2/20216
, or directed to:

Gerard F. Cattie, Jr.
Managing Director and DSG Fundraising & Advancement Practice
Leader
Diversified Search Group
The Chrysler Building, 405 Lexington Avenue, 49th Floor, New York,
New York 10174
[email protected] tendersglobal.net 212.542.2587