Dallas Theater Center
Director of Development
Organization
Dallas Theater Center (DTC) is one of the leading regional theaters in the country and a recipient of the 2017 Regional Theatre Tony Award®. DTC has a mission to invest in its community by producing plays with resident artists that reflect and illuminate diverse experiences, spark collaboration and dialogue, and invite engagement in everything the organization does. Performing to an audience of more than 100,000 North Texas residents annually, the organization is one of only two theaters in Texas that is a proud and active member of The League of Resident Theaters (LORT), and operates under the LORT agreement with Actors’ Equity, the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, and United Scenic Artists.
Founded in 1959, DTC is now a resident company of the AT&T Performing Arts Center and presents its Mainstage season at the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre and at its original home, the Kalita Humphreys Theater. DTC produces a six-play subscription series of classics, musicals, new plays, and an annual production of A Christmas Carol; education programs, including the Award-winning Project Discovery and a significant partnership with Southern Methodist University’s Meadows School of the Arts; and many community collaboration efforts with local organizations. In 2017, DTC’s Department of Public Works launched a groundbreaking community engagement and participatory theater project designed to deliberately blur the line between professional artists and community members, culminating in an annual pageant featuring over 200 Dallas citizens performing a professional production.
Throughout its history, DTC has produced many new works, including premieres of penny candy by Jonathan Norton, The Supreme Leader by Don X. Nguyen; Hood: The Robin Hood Musical Adventure by Douglas Carter Beane and Lewis Flinn; Bella: An American Tall Tale by Kirsten Childs; Clarkston by Samuel D. Hunter; The Fortress of Solitude by Michael Friedman and Itamar Moses; and Giant by Michael John LaChiusa and Sybille Pearson.
DTC is led by a 45-member Board of Trustees, with Jennifer Altabef serving as Board Chair and Kevin Moriarty as Executive Director. For the 2024 season ending August 31, 2024, DTC reported $9.5 million in revenues; $2.5 million in ticket sales; $3.45 million in donations; and $3.55 million in grants, net assets released from restrictions, and other income. Total expenses were $8.2 million. For the current fiscal year, DTC forecasts total revenues of $8.4 million, including $3.3 million in ticket sales, $4.2 million in contributed income, and $890,000 in other income.
Community
A vibrant city at the heart of one of America’s fastest-growing regions, Dallas, Texas, is a dynamic place to live, work, and thrive. With a population of more than 1.3 million and a metro area surpassing 7.5 million residents, Dallas is one of the most diverse, economically robust, and culturally rich cities in the United States. Dallas blends Southern hospitality with cosmopolitan energy. It is a modern metropolis known for its innovation, opportunity, and the welcoming spirit of its people. Over the years, it has evolved into a global city—a true melting pot of cultures, religions, and lifestyles. This diversity is woven into every part of the city: its neighborhoods, cuisine, festivals, businesses, and arts scene.
At the cultural core of the city is the Dallas Arts District—the largest contiguous urban arts district in the nation, encompassing 68 acres and 19 blocks. Here, one will find more buildings designed by Pritzker Prize–winning architects than anywhere else in the world. It is home to world-class institutions including the Dallas Museum of Art, Nasher Sculpture Center, Crow Museum of Asian Art, and the Perot Museum of Nature and Science. The City’s performing arts scene is equally impressive, with venues like the AT&T Performing Arts Center, Winspear Opera House, Meyerson Symphony Center, and Wyly Theatre hosting everything from symphonies and operas to modern dance and touring Broadway productions. Local companies such as Dallas Black Dance Theatre, The Dallas Opera, and Dallas Symphony Orchestra have garnered national acclaim. History buffs can explore the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, dedicated to the life and legacy of President John F. Kennedy, as well as the newly opened National Medal of Honor Museum. Sports fans can cheer on six professional teams, including the Dallas Cowboys, Dallas Mavericks, Dallas Stars, Dallas Wings, and FC Dallas. Major events like college football showdowns, international soccer matches, and e-sports tournaments bring fans from across the country. And each fall, the legendary State Fair of Texas—the largest and longest-running in the country—welcomes millions to Fair Park with food, music, rides, and community pride.
With no state income tax, a cost of living below the national average, and one of the youngest and most educated workforces in the country, Dallas is an exciting city for career growth and personal fulfillment. It’s a place where heritage meets innovation—where arts, culture, education, and business are thriving side by side.
Sources: dallastheatercenter.org; visitdallas.com; worldpopulationreview.com; census.gov
Position Summary
This role will be responsible for DTC’s annual fundraising and stewardship programs. The Director of Development (DoD) will report to the Executive Director and manage a three-person team, including a Corporate and Foundation Relations Officer, an Individual Donor Relations Officer, and a Development Operations & Event Coordinator. The DoD will work closely with individuals, corporations, foundations, and government entities in fulfilling DTC’s revenue goals, while also engaging, cultivating, and stewarding a passionate community of supporters invested in the organization’s mission and programs.
Roles and Responsibilities
Fundraising and Stewardship
- Lead the development, implementation, and enhancement of all fundraising activities, including annual campaigns, individual giving, events, grants, sponsorships, planned giving, and capital projects.
- Construct development strategies in consultation with the Executive Director, senior leadership, and the development team, and create an ambitious and comprehensive development plan and calendar with clearly defined goals, objectives, timelines, and assigned responsibilities.
- Maintain a personal portfolio of donors and successfully cultivate and solicit major gifts from a diverse group of individuals, corporations, and foundations, ensuring appropriate stewardship of donors at all levels.
- Build clear and transparent standards that ensure DTC donors see the value and impact of their support through stewardship, donor recognition, with particular emphasis on the goal of donor retention.
- Devise tailored engagement strategies to increase support from current donors and prospective donors.
- Understand and clearly articulate DTC’s mission, history, programs, values, and policies to cultivate and enhance authentic relationships throughout the region.
- Embrace other fundraising and stewardship duties as needed.
Planning and Team Leadership
- Inspire, motivate, and mentor the development team, setting performance standards and goals, providing constructive feedback and evaluations, and supporting opportunities for professional development and growth.
- Collaborate with the Finance team to ensure tracking and documentation to meet organizational and external reporting needs in an efficient, transparent, and timely manner.
- Work closely with the Marketing and Public Works (education & community engagement) departments to cultivate, expand, and diversify an excited and engaged base for DTC.
- Manage the development team and other colleagues in the evaluation and alignment of donor benefits with the needs and wants of DTC’s constituents, with a goal of increasing support, especially at the Benefactor level.
- Oversee the strategic use of the CRM database (Tessitura) and other technology to guarantee the highest level of donor engagement, satisfaction, and expressions of appreciation.
- Create a supportive, collaborative, productive, and healthy work environment based on respect, teamwork, and the equity, diversity, and inclusion values of DTC.
- Embrace other planning and team leadership duties as needed.
Board and Community Engagement
- Serve as the staff liaison to the Board’s Development Committee and work with them to explore new contributed revenue sources, create and monitor revenue and expense budgets, and provide accurate reporting and analysis for contributed revenue.
- Mobilize the Board of Trustees, Executive Director, corporate partners, and community leaders to drive fundraising activity and personal engagement with top prospects and donors.
- Partner with the Executive Director and Board Nominating Committee to identify and recruit new board members, educate board members about their role in development, cultivate and solicit them for financial support, and leverage their respective networks to expand the donor base and support for DTC.
- Commit to the ongoing discovery of new major gift prospects throughout the community and serve as DTC’s primary knowledge source for funding opportunities and philanthropic outlets.
- Understand and clearly articulate DTC’s mission, history, programs, values, and policies to cultivate and enhance authentic relationships throughout the region.
- Be a passionate, visible, and informed advocate, actively seeking opportunities to engage with the broader community and to participate in events that position DTC for improved fundraising and visibility.
- Embrace other board and community engagement duties as required.
Traits and Characteristics
Displaying excellent diplomacy and a collaborative team spirit, the DoD will be comfortable in a range of social settings. They will have a strong ability to multitask complex functions and will be driven by practical results and return on their investment of time, energy, and resources. With a strong acumen to discern systems and apply practical thinking, they can work in financial settings that require accuracy and attention to detail.
Other key competencies include:
- Interpersonal Skills – The acumen to organize and motivate others while creating a sense of order, direction, and active participation among the internal and external stakeholders to achieve collective goals.
- Personal Accountability – The ability to take accountability for decisions, grow from mistakes, and possess a high degree of awareness of the impact of personal actions and decisions.
- Customer Focus – The drive for anticipating, meeting, and exceeding the needs, wants, and expectations of donors, sponsors, and other supporters.
- Leadership and Problem Solving – The thoughtfulness to organize and influence people to believe in a vision, and to define, analyze, and formulate solutions to issues.
- Time and Priority Management – The aptitude for prioritizing and completing tasks to deliver desired outcomes within allotted time frames.
Qualifications
A demonstrable record of managing teams, fundraising events, and the prospecting, cultivation, solicitation, and stewarding of gifts from individuals, corporations, and foundations in a nonprofit setting, along with a history of improving systems and processes to deepen engagement with donors is required. A bachelor’s degree is preferred, and a minimum of 5 years of supervisory and senior-level development experience is required. Excellent written and verbal communication skills are necessary. Experience in, and broad understanding of, theater or performing arts is very desirable. Proficiency with Tessitura is highly desirable.
Compensation and Benefits
DTC provides competitive compensation, with a salary range between $120,000 and $135,000 commensurate with experience, coupled with health benefits, 403b, and a potential relocation stipend. This position will work onsite Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at the DTC’s offices, with the option for remote work on most Mondays and Fridays; however, this position will be expected to attend some evening and weekend events in conjunction with DTC performances and events, as well as other community activities.
Applications and Inquiries
To submit your cover letter, which outlines your suitability for the position, and your CV/resume (electronic submissions preferred), please click here or visit ArtsConsulting.com/OpenSearches. If you need assistance or an accommodation during the application process because of a disability, it is available upon request. For questions or general inquiries about this unique opportunity, please contact:
Todd Ahrens, Vice President
Jeff Erbach, Associate Vice President
Dallas, TX 75204-4062
Tel (888) 234.4236 Ext. 216 (Ahrens) Ext. 241 (Erbach)
Email DallasTheaterCenter@ArtsConsulting.com
DTC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, or veteran status.
DTC wants to be the best place to work and see theater, and to be a positive and transformational force in Dallas and beyond. DTC stands up for equity, diversity, and inclusion across the company and community. As a leading national theater, DTC recognizes that building an equitable, diverse, and inclusive environment is central to relevance and sustainability in the community that they serve and love.
DTC will strive to create a culture of inclusion where individuals can thrive and succeed, are able to participate in and contribute to the progress and success of DTC while growing both professionally and personally.
DTC recognizes and values individual differences and acknowledges structural and systemic racism and other access barriers that prevent full and fair participation of people outside the dominant culture and power dynamics. DTC acknowledges the complexities of becoming a fully inclusive and anti-racist organization and accepts the challenge to build an organization where full and fair participation is the norm.
DTC commits to providing fair treatment, access, opportunity, and advancement and to creating space for culturally diverse voices to be heard and power to be shared.
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