Posted on August 17, 2012

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Chief Development Officer

Houston Ballet, operated by Houston Ballet Foundation, is the fourth-largest professional ballet company in the United States, based in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1955 under the leadership of Tatiana Semenova, a former dancer with the Ballets Russes, the Company today maintains an approximately $20 million annual budget, 55 dancers, 61 musicians, and 180 production employees and performs in excess of 80 performances annually in its home, the Wortham Theater Center, located in the heart of downtown Houston’s vibrant Theater District. The Foundation also maintains a ballet academy, the Ben Stevenson Academy, which trains more than half of the company's dancers. As of June 2012, the Houston Ballet's endowment at more than $55 million is considered among the largest endowments held for a dance company in the US. The company has been called by a New York Times reviewer, "one of the nation’s best ballet companies."

The Chief Development Officer (CDO), a newly created role and a member of the Company’s Senior Staff, is the senior development professional, devoted exclusively to maximizing unrestricted, temporarily restricted, and permanently restricted revenue for the Houston Ballet in order to realize the mission and objectives of the Company. Reporting to the Executive Director (ED), the CDO works closely with the ED in developing a comprehensive strategic fundraising plan to meet short and long-term fundraising goals and in implementing effective programs that elicit philanthropic support from individuals, foundations, corporations, and government. The CDO also works closely with the members of the Board of Trustees, the Artistic Director, and other administrative and artistic leaders to achieve annual fundraising goals while simultaneously building a sophisticated and sustainable development program that sufficiently funds the Company’s growing programs and priorities. S /he is responsible for the execution of all fundraising activities, including the identification, qualification, and assignment of individual, corporate, and foundation prospects; matching Company goals to donor desires; developing and implementing strategies for donor cultivation and approach; soliciting and stewarding gifts; and bringing current and future campaign activities to successful closure.

The successful candidate will have a broad and deep background in fundraising with a demonstrated track record of successful fundraising for an arts-related institution, not-for-profit organization, or other environment of similar complexity with multiple stakeholders. He or she will have at least twelve years of progressively responsible development leadership positions, which includes work in all functional areas, including major gifts, corporate and foundation relations, and leadership of a capital campaign. He or she will have demonstrated ability to provide management oversight, leadership, and direction with at least five years of significant supervisory experience. The successful candidate will have particular strength in developing strategic and comprehensive fundraising plans, executing against these plans to achieve goals and objectives, developing fundraising strategies, and creating and managing a budget is critical. Experience working with the most senior levels of an organization is very important. He or she will have hands-on major and principal gifts experience, including cultivation through solicitation and stewardship as well as experience working with planned giving, grant writing for foundations and corporations, and annual fund strategies for grooming the next generation of leadership donors. The successful candidate must have the ability to create and communicate excitement about Houston Ballet’s mission, history, artistic product, educational and other programs, people and fundamental strengths, as well as a passion for seeking philanthropic support to advance the goals of an artistic/cultural enterprise. In addition, the successful candidate must have familiarity with the Houston and broader Texas philanthropic scene.

A bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution is required.

To Apply: Inquiries, nominations and applications (current resumes and cover letters) should be directed electronically to:

Gerard F. Cattie, Jr.
Managing Director
Diversified Search
275 Madison Avenue, Suite 1801
New York, NY 10016
Gerard.Cattie@divsearch.com
212-542-2587 (W)