Institutional Giving Manager - The Wilma Theater

The Wilma Theater in Philadelphia seeks a persuasive writer and enthusiastic project manager to serve as Institutional Giving Manager.



The Wilma Theater creates living, adventurous art. We engage artists and audiences in imaginative reflection on the complexities of contemporary life. We present bold, original, well-crafted productions that represent a range of voices, viewpoints, and styles. The Wilma is currently in the second year of its “Next Chapter” initiative, led by a four-member Cohort of Co-Artistic Directors alongside the Managing Director. The organization has a $3.2M operating budget for FY21 and seeks to grow contributed revenue substantially over the next three years.



The Institutional Giving Manager plays an integral role in the Wilma’s Development Department; they are responsible for the Wilma’s foundation, government, and corporate giving programs. The Institutional Giving Manager manages the full funding lifecycle for institutional donors, including prospect research, cultivation, writing grant applications (including budgets), reports, acknowledgements, and donor stewardship, as well as creating sponsorship decks and other materials for corporate supporters. Additionally, the Institutional Giving Manager is responsible for creating, maintaining, and project managing the Institutional Giving Calendar, as well as recording and tracking information in the Wilma’s database, Tessitura. Working with the Development Director and Leadership team, the Institutional Giving Manger will help craft the Wilma’s fundraising strategy, following funding trends and looking for new opportunities both with sources that traditionally fund theater and those who may have other foci, including accessibility, organizational transformation, and capital improvements. This position works cross-departmentally with programming staff to craft language and other proposal materials.



This full-time position reports to the Development Director.



The Institutional Giving Manager will contribute in meaningful ways to the organizational culture of the Wilma, and will advocate internally and externally to advance our values on an organizational, local, and national scale. This person will take part in at least one cross-departmental working group, and will participate in company-wide EDI work and anti-bias training as we further or commitment to being an inclusive and anti-racist organization.



The ideal candidate has a passion for theater, experience crafting clear, persuasive grants and other materials for funders, comfort with data and numbers, an aptitude for collaboration, and strong organization and project management skills. We seek someone who can think creatively and expansively about funding opportunities while writing persuasive grants and maintaining the institutional funding calendar in a timely fashion. The Institutional Giving Manager should be comfortable with budget creation and data analysis, meeting facilitation with internal and external stakeholders, and strong attention to detail, specifically when copyediting materials, reviewing budgets, managing data, and fulfilling funder requirements. The Institutional Giving Manager should efficiently manage current processes, while imagining and implementing new ways of approaching our work.



Due to Covid-19, The Wilma operates primarily in a remote environment. Once returning to in-person operations but would not need to be 100% on-site for our work week, but able to travel to Wilma offices and regional meetings as needed. We expect the ideal candidate to be proficient in remote-work softwares and systems, with the ability to learn CRM tools (we use Tessitura), Microsoft 365, and project management and video conference tools.

This is a full-time, exempt role with compensation in the low $40,000s. Our benefits include 85% payment of healthcare, generous paid time off, tax-free employee contributions to a retirement plan, and other fringe benefits.



The Wilma Theater is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any employee or job applicant on the basis of race, color, sex, gender, age, marital status, parental status, sexual orientation, religion, disability, or public assistance status in the recruitment, hiring, training, compensation, promotion, transfer, layoff, recall and termination of employees. The Wilma is committed to building a diverse, inclusive and equitable work environment. Those who identify as BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and other members of underrepresented communities are encouraged to apply.



Please send a resume and letter of interest as a single PDF attachment with your name and “Institutional Giving candidate” in the subject line to hr@wilmatheater.org by June 18th.
Salary: $40,000 - $43,000