Director of Development and Engagement

**About Us** The Chilliwack Cultural Centre is a vibrant hub for arts and culture, hosting a wide range of events, performances, and classes. We take pride in providing a welcoming, clean, and safe environment for our patrons, performers, and staff. **Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion** **Position Summary** The Director of Development and Engagement is a senior leadership role at the Chilliwack Cultural Centre, responsible for driving revenue growth, fostering donor and sponsor relationships, managing grants, and creating impactful community engagement initiatives. This position also oversees the planning and execution of special events, ensuring alignment with the Centre's mission and objectives. This dynamic role requires exceptional organizational, communication, and leadership skills, as well as the ability to collaborate across departments. Flexibility is essential, as evening and weekend work is often required to support Centre-related shows, activities, and donor engagement events. **Key Responsibilities** **1. Fundraising and Donor Relations** - Cultivate relationships with individual donors, corporate sponsors, and foundations, ensuring timely acknowledgement and stewardship. - Oversee donor recognition programs, including personalized thank-you notes, recognition on the website, and exclusive donor events. - Develop and execute an annual fundraising strategy to meet revenue targets. - Collaborate with Marketing to promote campaigns like "Giving Tuesday" and "Take Your Seat" to grow donor participation. **2. Grant Writing and Management** - Collaborate with internal departments to identify funding needs and gather necessary information. - Ensure compliance with grant requirements, including reporting and acknowledgement, working closely with Technical and Marketing teams. **3. Sponsorship and Society Membership** - Manage sponsorship programs, including onboarding, acknowledgement, and tracking sponsorship levels. - Create and promote naming opportunities for Centre spaces and special initiatives. - Oversee the Society Membership program, engaging members through communications, events, and AGM invitations. **4. Event Planning and Management** - Lead the planning and execution of fundraising and donor/sponsor engagement events, including galas, receptions, and sponsor-specific gatherings. - Collaborate with Marketing to create creative briefs and ensure branding consistency. - Work with internal teams (e.g., Rentals, Technical, Volunteer Coordinator) to ensure seamless event execution, from setup to tear down. - Ensure compliance with safety regulations, fire codes, and venue readiness. **5. Community and Patron Engagement** - Serve as an ambassador for the Centre, strengthening relationships with community partners, businesses, and cultural organizations. - Lead audience development initiatives, including maintaining the First-Time Ticket Buyers Program, ensuring a seamless journey from first-time attendees to repeat patrons, multi-ticket buyers, and ultimately monthly donors and supporters. - Oversee and promote the Centre’s Patron Membership Programs, ensuring members receive exceptional value and engagement through exclusive benefits, events, and communications. - Design and implement strategies to steward patrons through the audience engagement funnel, including personalized communications, exclusive incentives, and tailored experiences. - Collaborate with Marketing to create outreach campaigns that increase patron retention and loyalty. - Build engagement opportunities through events, donor programs, and memberships that foster a sense of community and belonging. **6. Administrative and Team Leadership** - Maintain accurate records of donors, sponsors, and memberships using tools like Spektrix. - Monitor and report on development and engagement metrics to the Executive Director. - Provide mentorship and guidance to team members supporting development activities. - Contribute to strategic planning discussions to align development efforts with organizational goals. **7. Post-Event and Program Follow-Up** - Send thank-you notes to sponsors, donors, and participants after events. - Collect feedback to improve future fundraising and engagement activities. **Qualifications and Skills** - Bachelor’s degree in a related field (e.g., Communications, Arts Administration, Nonprofit Management) or equivalent experience. - 3-5 years of experience in fundraising, sponsorship, grant writing, and event management. - Exceptional written and verbal communication skills. - Strong organizational abilities, with a proven track record of meeting goals. - Proficiency with donor management software (e.g., Spektrix) and Microsoft Office Suite. - Familiarity with local, regional, provincial, and national arts and culture funding organizations is an asset. - Valid drivers licence with access to a vehicle with appropriate insurance **Working Hours** - Flexible schedule, including days, evenings, and wee