Development Director

New Orleans Film Society

Development Director

(Full-Time // Year-Round) 

MISSION:

The New Orleans Film Society is a 501(c) (3) arts non-profit organization whose mission is to discover, cultivate, and amplify diverse voices of filmmakers who tell the stories of our time. We produce the Oscar®-qualifying New Orleans Film Festival annually and invest year-round in building a vibrant film culture in the South to share transformative cinematic experiences with audiences, and connect dynamic filmmakers to career-advancing resources.

VALUES STATEMENT:

• Start with the art and allow artistic vision, equity, and social impact to guide our search for resources.
• Champion filmmakers who have been historically denied access to resources and opportunities within the industry–– including Southern artists, women, people of color, LGBTQIA people, and people with disabilities.
• Seek deep audience engagement.
• Build a working environment that is fair and fulfilling.
• Exhibit dedication and passion and believe that inspired and impactful programs arise from collaboration and mutual respect.

POSITION OVERVIEW:

The New Orleans Film Society (NOFS) is seeking an experienced fundraiser with the poise, passion, and skills to close successfully on budgetary funding requirements that will ensure NOFS’s success as the presenter of an Oscar®-qualifying New Orleans Film Festival (NOFF) with a national reach, as well as other programs focused on filmmaker professional development and bringing quality film experiences to local audiences in New Orleans. As a key member of our senior staff, the Development Director plans and implements strategies and activities to ensure the attainment of fundraising campaign goals focusing on individual donors and members, in-kind and cash corporate sponsorships, and foundation and government grants. 
In addition to cultivating and maintaining relationships with supporters and planning special events related to membership and donor cultivation, the Development Director works closely with the Executive Director, Managing Director, Artistic Director, and Marketing and Communications Director to achieve NOFS's established financial goals and cultivation objectives. 

The Development Director reports directly to the Executive Director and supervises the part-time Development Coordinator as well as select seasonal hires and focus-area interns. 

2024 scheduled major events that would be required to attend (but not exclusive of all events): 

Fundraising Gala: April 13th 

GiveNOLA Day: May 7th 

New Orleans Film Festival: October 17th-22th 

Giving Tuesday/End-of-the-year campaigns: November/December 
 

Principal Duties:

• Work closely with the Executive Director to identify opportunities to facilitate the growth of earned and contributed income for a $1.5M cash budget and $500K-$1M in-kind budget. Direct the Development Coordinator in relevant prospect research projects. 
• Manage the year-round development budget. 
• Work closely with the Board of Directors to identify new leads and actively support the Development Committee of the Board with information coordination of meetings.
• In collaboration with the NOFS team, develop and maintain effective working relationships and collaborative arrangements with stakeholders, funders, patrons, agencies, organizations, and the general public.
• Work with the Marketing & Communications Director to gather information, design, and produce development and membership digital and print materials to ensure the inclusion of sponsors, donors, and member-focused content that underscores recognition, appreciation, and the impact of sponsorship and donations.

Grants Sponsorships

• Working closely with the Executive Director, Artistic Director, and Grant Contractor to identify local, regional, and national grant opportunities for NOFS with support from the Development Coordinator, maintain the annual grants calendar, write funding proposals and grant reports, and manage grants throughout the year.
• In consultation with the Executive Director, cultivate, develop, maintain, and pursue regional and national corporate sponsorships.
• Prepare sponsorship materials (decks, proposals, outreach materials, contracts, and invoices, among others) for cash and in-kind sponsorships and ensure that team-used Google documents and Airtable are accurately and timely updated.
• Manage sponsorship benefits for all revenue sources (e.g., corporate, government, foundation, individual, trade sponsors, and media partners) and ensure that deliverables are met and timely acknowledged with a thank you wrap report detailing their specific involvement, reach, and delivered benefits post-festival.

Fundraising Campaigns Events

• Manage individual donor and membership campaigns and special donation appeals (EOY, GiveNola, Giving Tuesday, among others), including maintaining up-to-date mailing lists and coordinating communication plans with the Marketing and Communications Director.
• Serve as liaison for all board fundraising events (spring gala, festival parties, receptions, donor events, and activations, etc.) and, with the Executive Director’s approval, manage event planning teams and seasonal hires in the planning and execution of the event.
• Manage and solicit ticket and table purchases and donations for NOFS’s annual Gala fundraiser. 
• Manage VIP sponsors, donors/members, and guests and, with help from the development team, serve as on-site liaison at NOFS events.

Donor Membership Cultivation

• Serve as primary liaison to all member levels with a special emphasis on cultivating and renewing Producer Circle and above member levels. 
• Track all donor and member contributions and ensure proper acknowledgment of all contributions. Invoice donors and members and renew them at the appropriate time. 
• Ensure member inquiries and issues, such as those related to ticketing, payment, and timely benefit receipt, are resolved in a timely manner.
• Research and pursue individual donor prospects. 

Other Duties

• Represent NOFS at regional and community events and at other outreach activities as needed.
• Identify relevant community activities where NOFS's presence would increase community awareness and work with the team to ensure adequate NOFS coverage and materials. 
• Maintain festival pass lists for Sponsors, Grantors, and high-level NOFS members and ensured that passes were properly created and timely distributed.
• Other duties as assigned.

Skills, Experience Qualifications - Required: 

• Alignment to the organization’s stated mission and values.

• A minimum of 5 years of experience in non-profit development and fundraising and 2 years in a supervisory role.

• Proven track record securing and managing grants, individual donations, and corporate sponsorships. 
• Proven success at drafting and enacting an annual fundraising plan and strategy with specific and measurable goals and objectives for the development of restricted and unrestricted funds. 
• Self-starter with strong initiative, drive, sense of urgency & ability to work with a high degree of autonomy.
• Excellent relationship management, networking, and negotiation skills.
• Proven & effective team and project management skills.
• Must have the ability to travel to in-person events in New Orleans and work nights and weekends during scheduled festivals and events. 

Skills, Experience Qualifications - a plus:

• Experience in major gift cultivation and planned giving. 
• Strong eye for design and basic ability to lay out content in user-friendly design software such as Canva; ability to provide detailed feedback to graphic designers and foresee design-based challenges with sponsorship assets. 
• Knowledge of experiential marketing trends that impact the corporate sponsorship world.
• Experience working with arts or film organizations. 
• Knowledge of the independent film and media landscape. 
• Direct experience with Google Workspace, Airtable, Salesforce, Quickbooks, Canva and Eventive.

Benefits & Compensation: 

This position is full-time exempt, and the salary range is $65,000-$80,000 per annum. 

The range was recently established after a thorough market analysis taking into consideration the organization's budget size, industry, geographical location, and staff size, and will be in effect for the next couple of years. The starting individual salary will be determined based on the candidate’s experience and match the position’s requirements. The salary will grow within the range based on the individual’s performance, tenure, and skill development and will be evaluated annually.   

Full-time staff members are eligible to receive the following benefits valued at around $10,000 per annum:

• Health insurance (medical, dental, vision, group term life) fully paid by New Orleans Film Society.
• Home office setup (up to $50) and home internet reimbursements (up to $50/month) while working from home.
• Paid office parking spot near the office. 
• Simple IRA with 3% employer-matched contribution.

Plus: 

• 8 paid weeks of parental leave.
• 13 paid holidays per year.
• Short- and long-term disability insurance.
• Flexible vacation policy.
• Professional development opportunities.

Location

New Orleans Film Society staff are working on a hybrid schedule, with a portion of the week in the office (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) and a portion remotely (Monday, Friday). The New Orleans Film Society is not able to offer a relocation package at this time. 

How to Apply 

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

No phone calls or inquiries from recruiters will be accepted. Please do not email any staff member individually. 

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

New Orleans Film Society fosters a creative and professional environment that reflects the diversity of New Orleans. We actively recruit a wide pool of applicants representing dimensions of difference that include — but are not limited to — age, national origin, ethnicity, race, religion, ability, sexual orientation, gender, or political affiliation.