Director of Development Advancement - TADA! Youth Theater

TADA! is seeking a qualified, passionate, self-motivated, and flexible individual who loves raising money as well as cultivating and building relationships and partnerships to join TADA!’s Leadership Team as Director of Development Advancement. Candidates must believe in our mission and vision, and have an understanding, love and respect of NYC’s youth, musical theater and arts education. An ideal candidate excels at managing and at the same time actually doing multiple projects in a busy environment (currently working from home but will return to NoMad office when safe to do so) while increasing the public’s awareness of all of TADA!’s programming.



TADA! has a small and mighty staff and a dedicated Board of Directors with whom the right candidate will work very closely. The collaborative and strategic leadership team is focused on creating TADA!’s stability, expansion, and growth by co-leading the staff with warmth and integrity to harness their expertise, energy and intelligence, and to inspire commitment to TADA!.



TADA! is and has been for 36 years committed to providing every child interested in musical theater an opportunity to create, imagine, learn, and experience the joy of musical theater, regardless of race, ethnicity, class, religion, gender, sexual orientation, ability, nationality, and immigration status. The Staff and Board of TADA! are committed to our journey to become an anti-racist organization and to make the changes needed to reflect the mission, vision, and values of TADA!. Are you ready to go on this journey with us?



Mission and Vision of TADA!

Since 1984, TADA!’s mission is to provide young people from different backgrounds with musical theater programs that inspire them to be creative, learn, and think differently. TADA! is a unique, Drama Desk award-winning nonprofit youth theater that produces original musicals for children, teens, and family audiences. TADA! offers a free, year-round, pre-professional training and a positive youth development program for the Resident Youth Ensemble (ages 8-18); musical theater classes/camps for the public; as well as musical theater residencies in NYC schools and community centers. Through TADA!’s high-quality work, young people's self-confidence and creativity are enhanced. They also develop advanced skills in leadership, communication, responsibility, collaboration, and problem-solving – skills that help with growing up and are essential to their success both in school and in life.



TADA!’s vision is that all young people grow up feeling successful, creative, confident, accepted, and accepting of themselves. Through the ability of people learning to express themselves well we can break down barriers of racism and inequality and create positive, active citizens.



Purpose of the Development and Marketing Departments

To support, communicate, and further the mission of TADA! Youth Theater through raising both earned and unearned income that supports all TADA! programming in the education, ensemble, and theater departments.



TADA!’s Director of Development Advancement is a senior staff position and will report to the Executive and Producing Artistic Director and work closely with her as well as the Director of Education and Director of Finance and Administration as part of the leadership team. The position is responsible for designing and executing a strategic fundraising and marketing plan and program that builds on TADA!’s current donor and audience base to dramatically increase earned and unearned income through sustainable funding streams, increased donor engagement, earned revenue streams and organizational visibility. Due to COVID-19, TADA! has expanded its programs to include online classes, camps, workshops, productions and tutorials for youth and teens all across the country and the world. While the programs are there, the audiences have not grown to meet the programming.



This position is responsible along with the Board and Leadership Team to significantly grow the organization’s fundraising and visibility capabilities through:

1. Donor Identification, Solicitation, Cultivation, Management and Stewardship‍

2. Communications and marketing that increase awareness of programs and TADA!’s mission and impact

3. Working closely with the Executive Director/Producing Artistic Director and Board to plan and execute a strong fundraising program and strategic plan that involves and leverages the resources and talents of all board members.

4. Supporting, communicating, and furthering the mission of TADA! Youth Theater.



Key Responsibilities

-Create, execute and maintain an annual plan and budget for Development Department which includes Individual Fundraising and cultivation; Institutional Fundraising; Government Support; and Special Events

-Create and Oversee Marketing Department’s Annual Plan including strategies for Audience growth, Advertising, Visibility, Social Media, Database, Website, and creation of marketing materials as well as devising creative marketing strategies and solutions (i.e., budget, discounts, promotional strategies, ads)

-Hire, train, oversee and guide Development and Marketing staff and consultants

-Future and Strategic planning with staff and Board including working on TADA!’s EDIJ plan and actions

-Work closely and support TADA!’s Board of Directors and attend and report at Board Meetings



‍Qualifications‍‍

‍The ideal candidate should have:

-Passion for, commitment to and is fully aligned with TADA!’s mission and vision, and knowledge of needs in communities served by TADA!

-Strong strategic vision and agility, skilled at planning and problem solving and a record of success managing people as well as success at working independently

-A successful track record in fundraising and increasing earned income as well

-Be diplomatic and able to negotiate and navigate change graciously, while remaining clear, decisive, proactive and fair

-Be a self-starter, able to thrive in a fast-paced institutional environment

-Outstanding written and oral communication skills with diverse audiences, internally and externally

-Ability to manage and prioritize among multiple simultaneous projects

-Positive attitude and the ability to build rapport with diverse colleagues & external stakeholders

-Prior use of Salesforce a plus and working knowledge of data analysis

-Solid experience with budget development and oversight

-High energy and be a “doer” with a willingness to develop and execute a variety of activities ranging from the day-to-day to the broadly strategic



TADA! Youth Theater is committed to building and fostering a diverse and inclusive workforce that is representative of our vastly diverse youth in our Ensemble program and school programs. Priority will be given to candidates who are dedicated to anti-racism and share our mission and vision above. Candidates from underrepresented racial or ethnic groups, people with disabilities, and LGBTQIA+ individuals are encouraged to apply.



We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, or veteran status. We are actively looking to expand our staff with BIPOC candidates.



To apply, please email your cover letter and resume to jtrevens@tadatheater.com and include the words Director of Development Advancement in the subject line. Salary range $80,000 - $90,000 plus benefits including health and life insurance, eye care, flexible spending, Aflac, 403(b), and paid vacation, sick and personal days.


Salary: $80,000-$90,000 annually