OUR MISSION
Living Jazz transforms lives through the music, spirit, and culture of jazz in the Bay Area community by educating students and artists of all ages and abilities.
Living Jazz is an interconnected network of people who value jazz as an art form, as our cultural heritage, and as a vehicle for personal and community change. Our students are at the center of this network, supported in their growth and exploration by our extraordinary teaching artists and dedicated staff. We build our programs guided by the needs of our community, and suffused with the values and history of jazz. We are funded by individual donors and foundations who care deeply about our mission, and believe in our work of transforming lives through music.
What Distinguishes Our Approach:
- We believe jazz is a great American art form centered in values of social change and personal transformation.
- By its very nature, jazz embodies diversity, inclusivity, and belonging.
- Our programs are developed with a reverence and respect for the cultural and historic legacy of jazz, specifically rooted in the Bay Area.
- We honor the origins of jazz in the African diaspora, and celebrate its radical inclusivity.
Our Key Programs:
Jazz Camp West (Est. 1984): A 7-day jazz immersion program for adults and teens of all skill levels held in a stunning redwood forest in Northern California.
In the Name Of Love MLK Tribute (Est. 2002): Musical tribute and celebration of civic advocacy, Dr. King's teachings, and the presentation of the Oakland Citizen Humanitarian Award. Held at The Paramount with approximately 3,000 in attendance.
Living Jazz Children’s Project (Est. 2005): Free music, dance, and performance education program for East Bay under-resourced public elementary schools serving over 1500 youth.
Jam Camp West (Est. 2008): A 7-day music, dance, and vocal program for 9 to 16 year-olds, focused on empowerment, self discovery, and community building.
Where We Are & Where We Are Going:
Living Jazz is at an exciting juncture. We successfully underwent an Executive Director transition in 2023 with Lyz Luke stepping into founder Stacey Hoffman’s role. The organization is fortunate to have Stacey Hoffman still involved as Camp Director. The organization’s overall budget has nearly doubled since 2019, with fundraising and earned revenue drastically increasing in response to an increase of program offerings. Living Jazz seeks to bring in our first Full Time dedicated Development Manager to actualize the potential of this momentum.
WHO WE’RE LOOKING FOR
General Summary
The Development Manager drives the critical work of shaping and achieving Living Jazz’s annual fundraising objectives. As a key member of the management team, the Development Manager will collaborate closely with the Executive Director, Board of Trustees, Grants Writer, and Marketing Manager ensuring that fundraising efforts reflect the organization's values while achieving financial and strategic goals.
The Development Manager will steer grants management, donor relations and cultivation, special fundraising events, corporate sponsorship, as well as support the Executive Director and Board of Trustees with all strategic fundraising goals. Key projects will include the Spring and Winter fundraising campaigns, the annual gala, donor events, working on expanding board giving, and expanding Living Jazz’s donor pool. The Development Manager will also manage and utilize many donor software tools such as Salesforce, Give Lively, and manage Living Jazz’s online charity profiles.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
Fund Development Strategy and Execution
- Work in collaboration with Executive Director and Board of Trustees to develop and oversee an annual strategy for foundation grant cultivation and management, individual giving campaigns, fundraising events, legacy giving, corporate sponsorships, and Board of Trustees members’ efforts.
- Support in prospect research, donor communications, solicitations, proposals, fund tracking, and reporting.
- Provide comprehensive and innovative stewardship of key funder relationships, acting as the primary liaison for mission-critical philanthropic and institutional corporate partnerships.
- Process gifts received and implement contribution data entry and management in CRM software.
- Identify opportunities and take initiative to streamline all departmental systems, regarding both the external donor journey and internal gift intake, grants and campaign calendaring, tracking, and reporting.
- Collaborate with finance team to support end-of-year reconciliation for annual audit
- Assist with auction, raffle, and fundraising activities, including Jazz Camp West, the Living Jazz annual gala, and other events.
Institutional Partnerships and Donor Strategy & Prospecting
- Support Grants Writer and Executive Director in strengthening partnerships with foundation grant partners and ensuring alignment with program needs.
- Coordinate with Grants Writer on reports and requests from funders and provide detailed information and hands-on assistance as needed.
- Guide prospecting efforts for foundation grants, major donors, and corporate sponsors.
- Partner in the development and implementation of an overall donor strategy, including major donor stewardship, lapsed donor outreach, and donor communications.
- Drive the identification, solicitation, and stewardship of new individual donors while encouraging existing donors to increase their philanthropic commitments in partnership with Leadership.
Communications Strategy
- In collaboration with the Marketing Manager and Executive Director, set an annual comprehensive communications strategy aligned with departmental deliverables and organizational goals. This includes development of messaging and collateral materials.
- Support the execution of strategic communications to various stakeholder audiences, including program participants, nonprofit and community partners, government officials, donors, and funders.
- Manage donor thank you letters, recognitions, and supporter incentives.
Other Responsibilities
- Overseeing database in Salesforce in relationship to donor management needs.
- Setting up and providing regular reports and dashboards in Salesforce for Executive Director and Board of Trustees.
- Update Living Jazz online charity and nonprofit profiles.
- Act as an ambassador for Living Jazz’s mission.
- Other duties as needed.
DESIRED CANDIDATE QUALIFICATIONS AND QUALITIES:
- Strong understanding of how social identity, economic, and cultural factors intersect dynamically with/in Living Jazz programs, schools, students, colleagues, families, self and society at-large.
- 2+ years of proven experience in nonprofit fundraising, preferably with a focus on arts and cultural organizations.
- Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills, with the ability to engage donors and stakeholders.
- Skilled communicator (written and verbal), learner, listener, and collaborator - open, approachable, personable – who creates a positive working environment within the organization and community.
- Attention to detail and problem-solving skills.
- Strong strategic thinking skills, with an eye for improving efficiency.
- Familiarity with fundraising software and tools. Living Jazz is currently using Salesforce (CRM), Handbid (Gala software), Give Lively (donations), and other tools.
- Embraces technology and is experienced in leveraging current communication tools and management platforms designed for organization & efficiency.
- Ability to work some weekends and evening hours as necessary.
- Must live in the San Francisco Bay Area and be able to work at our Oakland office.
- Passion for the arts and a commitment to the organization's mission and values.
SALARY: This is an Exempt full-time position with an annual salary of $60,000 - 75,000 (commensurate with experience) and an expected average of 40 hours per week.
BENEFITS: This position includes various benefits including paid time off, health insurance considerations, and 401k.
TO APPLY: Please submit resume and cover letters attachments to info@livingjazz.org by 10am PST on Monday, April 15, 2024. Interviews will be conducted through the end of May with final candidate interviews in June. We anticipate the selected candidate to start during July 2024.
As we continue to enrich lives through the transformative power of jazz, Living Jazz is eagerly anticipating the addition of a dedicated and enthusiastic Development Manager to our dynamic team. This pivotal role offers a unique opportunity to shape the future of our organization, driving meaningful change and fostering a deep connection with our community.