Associate Vice President of Development, Charlotte Symphony Orchestra

Associate Vice President of Development

Charlotte Symphony Orchestra

ORGANIZATION:
One of the premier music organizations in the southeastern United States and the oldest continually operating symphony orchestra in the Carolinas, the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra (CSO) connects with more than 100,000 music lovers each year through its lively season of concerts, broadcasts, community events, and robust educational programs. The CSO has demonstrated commitment to its mission of uplifting, entertaining, and educating the diverse communities of Charlotte-Mecklenburg and beyond through exceptional music experiences. The CSO’s vision is to reach out through the transformative power of live music to be a civic leader, reflecting and uniting its region.

The CSO employs a professional full-time orchestra of 65 musicians and four conductors, supports four youth orchestras, and offers an extensive array of educational and audience engagement programs. The CSO performs in a variety of venues in Charlotte-Mecklenburg and surrounding counties in the Charlotte region, principally at the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center’s Belk Theater, the Levine Center for the Arts’ Knight Theater, and Symphony Park at SouthPark Mall. The CSO’s extensive community engagement activities bring music to a variety of churches, breweries, community centers, schools, and senior care centers. Now, with the introduction of its new mobile stage, CSO Roadshow, the Symphony is reaching new audiences across the region.

The 2025-2026 season marks the next chapter in CSO’s artistic evolution under Music Director Kwamé Ryan. Framed by a season-long exploration of home – reflecting on belonging, identity, and place through a wide range of musical voices – the season offers bold new works, symphonic masterworks, and creative collaborations across the Classical, Pops, Movie, and Family series. Highlights include the debut of the CSO Spotlight Series, an ever-expanding look at the work of this season’s CSO Spotlight Artist, Gabriel Kahane; performances of audience favorites like Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony and Ravel’s Bolero; and more events that showcase the Orchestra’s breadth, from the music of Dolly Parton to Black Panther in Concert.

Thanks to the remarkable success of its recent campaign the CSO finds itself poised to harness this momentum and take bold strides forward to secure CSO’s future success. CSO envisions the Development Department as an investment center, poised to maximize its impact and drive it towards its next set of goals.

For more information, please visit charlottesymphony.org.

REPORTS/RELATIONSHIPS:
This position will report directly to the Vice President of Development and will lead a team of six fundraising professionals.

BASIC FUNCTIONS:
The Associate Vice President of Development will lead fundraising efforts, develop strategies, manage a fundraising team, and cultivate relationships for the organization. This position will maintain an individual donor/prospect portfolio ranging from $10,000 and above.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Planning and Implementation:

Work with the Vice President of Development to develop and implement comprehensive fundraising strategy and create action plans to meet short-term and long-term financial goals.
Set fundraising objectives and goals, including annual and longer-term targets, and effectively motivate the team to attain goals.
Implement and lead major gift and annual giving strategies.
Oversee the fundraising process, ensuring efficient operations and effective communication across the department; ensure coordination with internal stakeholders for successful fundraising, patron interaction, and grant proposals.

Fundraising Strategy and Execution:

Identify and cultivate new and existing individual donors, including select foundations and corporations.
Develop and execute fundraising campaigns, including setting the strategy for special events.
Oversee the management and reporting from a donor database to track fundraising performance.
Responsible for a donor portfolio of individual donors and prospects ranging from $10,000 to $25,000+.

Relationship Management:

Build and maintain strong relationships with individual donors, board members and trustees, members of corporations, city government, and relevant other stakeholders.
Develop and implement donor stewardship strategies to ensure ongoing engagement and support.
Foster a strong and collaborative relationship with the Vice President of Marketing and Marketing Department.
Represent the organization at fundraising events and other community events.

Team Leadership and Management:

Provide day-to-day management of the Development team, including effective communication, guidance, goal setting, and other support as needed.
Coach and guide team to provide excellent service and stewardship for donors and other stakeholders.
Collaborate with internal departments to ensure alignment and enhance donor cultivation across programs.
Oversee department budget and track fundraising performance.

Reporting and Communication:

Prepare and analyze regular reports on fundraising progress and performance.
Communicate fundraising goals and results to the Chief Executive Officer, Vice President of Development, and other stakeholders.

REQUIREMENTS:

Five to seven years of proven experience in fundraising, development, and/or nonprofit management. A track record of developing significant gifts from individual donors, corporations, and foundations. Minimum of two years of experience managing teams.
Commitment to, and passion for, the organization’s mission and values.
Demonstrated leadership skills; experience leading, managing, and coaching a team of fundraising professionals, consistent with the organization’s core values.
Ability to work independently without close oversight, but also a team player who proactively and productively engages with others across all levels within the organization and fosters collaborative partnerships outside the organization.
Excellent communication skills; writing, editing, and executive presentation skills; ability to influence and engage a wide range of donors and to build long-term relationships; effective storyteller who leverages the strengths of fellow team members to effectively engage funders.
Ability to work in a fast-paced and dynamic environment; demonstrates resilience and creativity when adapting to challenges; able to manage multiple projects and deadlines effectively.
Proficiency in donor database management and fundraising software such as Blackbaud or Raiser’s Edge; knowledge of fundraising principles, ethics, and best practices.
Bachelor’s degree in a related field or relevant work experience (e.g., fundraising, nonprofit management, communications, business); CFRE preferred.
Knowledge of national funders and experience with the region’s arts and philanthropic community are considered a plus.

COMPENSATION:
Compensation will be commensurate with experience including a competitive base salary and competitive benefits package.

CONTACT INFORMATION:
Joy Abbott, Consultant
jabbott@CLCBsearch.com
704.377.0362