Director of Development and Communications

ABOUT NY CLASSICAL
New York Classical Theatre creates and reinvigorates audiences for the theatre by presenting
free productions of popular and forgotten classical plays in public spaces throughout New York
City. We are also committed to developing and producing new plays by living playwrights that
enrich and expand our understanding of what defines a classic.
Since 2000, NY Classical has presented over 900 free performances for more than 325,000 New
Yorkers. We produce extensively in non-traditional settings: outdoors, our Panoramic Theatre
productions put audiences in the center of the action in varying locations throughout Central
Park, Carl Schurz Park, and Battery Park as we incorporate each of our unique venues to build a
total immersive experience. Indoors, our New Visions play development program hosts today’s
historically under-represented writers reimagining source material from the past in approachable
local landmarks like Brookfield Place, Pearl Studios, and the Tata Innovation Center on
Roosevelt Island.

Each season, our programming serves over 7,500 spectators with stimulating professional Off-
Broadway performances. For more information about NY Classical, please visit nyclassical.org.

Our “Season In Review” annual reports can be found at nyclassical.org/annual-reports.

ABOUT THE ROLE
As part of our strategic direction, the majority of NY Classical’s staff is comprised of historically
underrepresented people and reflects the global majority audience we serve in New York City.
We encourage candidates who self-identify as Black, Indigenous, Latinx/Latino, Asian, South
Asian, Pacific Islander, Indian, MENA/SWANA, and multiracial-American. In addition to
ethnicity, we are committed to expanding the representation of gender, body type, and diverse
physical abilities in all of our hiring.
NY Classical is looking for a dynamic Director of Development and Communications who will
report to and be a strategic partner for the Founding Artistic Director. This role offers significant
growth potential with the opportunity to eventually evolve into an Executive Director position
for the right candidate. In addition to departmental responsibilities, this position will assist the
Founding Artistic Director in shaping the company’s overall leadership, vision, and long-term
direction.

The prime responsibility of the Director of Development and Communication will be to oversee
critical fundraising and communication functions, leading all revenue-generating activities and
marketing efforts. The role is ideal for someone who is excited by the day-to-day details of
fundraising and communication for a theatre company, but also committed to a big-picture
leadership opportunity.

Fundraising – 70%
• Create and execute an annual fundraising plan for individual contributions, including
prospecting, cultivation, acquisition, renewal, and stewardship
• Maintain and grow a robust pipeline of institutional support by writing and submitting
grant proposals and required reports, and keeping a calendar of deadlines

• Liaise with the gala benefit producer and spearhead a gala benefit dinner and 2-3 donor-
engagement special annually

• Serve as the Board of Directors’ support, presenting on development topics at meetings
and facilitating select committees
• Participate in the creation of annual income budgets
Communications – 20%
• Collaborate with the Social Media Manager/Audience Development Coordinator to
promote performances to current and prospective donors, prepare quarterly email
newsletters, and work with the Founding Artistic Director in managing the freelance
Graphic Designer and Publicist
• Oversee audience communications, including: accurate event details and free reservations
for performances, creating and deploying digital programs, and coordinating weather
cancellations and audience feedback surveys
Operations & Administration (as needed) – 10%
As NY Classical is a small organization, we are seeking someone who values involvement in
daily tasks including:, overseeing administrative and house management staff, maintaining donor
databases, and other responsibilities as assigned.

If you are excited about this role but your experience may not align perfectly with every
requirement in the job description, we encourage you to still apply. You may be the right
candidate for this or other roles.
• Minimum of 5 years of nonprofit administration education and/or professional
experience, preferably in the performing arts, with a proven track record of successfully
soliciting donations
• Excellent written communication skills• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office suite, a fundraising and/or box office CRM, and desktop publishing/mass marketing software is required; Familiarity with Xero, Squarespace, Canva, MailChimp, and AudienceView Professional programs are a bonus
• Strong organizational abilities with attention to detail
• Comfortable working independently and collaboratively in a busy, small non-profit arts
environment
• Sincere interest in fulfilling New York Classical Theatre’s mission and commitment to

Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) values (http://nyclassical.org/idea-
plan-of-action)

TO APPLY