Development Director Job Description
Arts New Orleans seeks an experienced development professional and arts champion to lead and grow its fundraising efforts. Candidates should have demonstrated experience in fundraising and development, including donor relations, grant writing and management, and revenue generation.
This role is responsible for increasing support from individual, corporate, government funders, and foundations; managing grant writing and reporting; and strengthening donor relationships across all programs, including LUNA Fête, Arts Market, and the Young Artist Movement (YAM), and all Arts New Orleans Programs.
The Development Director will oversee key fundraising initiatives, major gifts strategy, all grant writing and management, and to develop a planned giving program.
This person will oversee a Development Manager, who is responsible for database management, organizing events and helping in other areas as assigned.
Arts New Orleans’ team currently works remotely but may transition to working a couple day a week in person. The Development Director is required to attend bi-weekly in-person staff meetings at our office located at 1474 N. Broad St. This full-time employee position requires 40 hours per week, including attendance at some evening and weekend events.
How to Apply
Applications will be accepted through April 29, 2026. If you are interested in the position, we encourage you to submit your application materials immediately. Interviews will be held on a rolling basis with invited candidates beginning in May.
Please e-mail a one-page cover letter, resume, and three references as one document in PDF format to jobs@artsneworleans.org. Include your name and Development Director in the email subject line. You will be notified if references will be contacted.
Start Date
We seek to fill this position immediately, with an anticipated start date of May 2026.
Ideal Qualifications
- Must embrace the mission of Arts New Orleans
- 6+ years of experience in development, professional fundraising, grant writing and management
- Strong interpersonal and writing skills
- Knowledge of and experience in fundraising techniques, particularly major gift fundraising
- Possess the skills to work with and motivate staff, board members, and volunteers
- Have the desire to build external relationships
- Be a self-starter and goal-driven to work with the President and CEO and our board to participate in donor visits and fundraising calls
- Be organized and exhibit “follow through” on tasks and goals
- Display a positive attitude, show concern for people and community, demonstrate presence, self-confidence, common sense, and good listening ability
- Bachelor’s degree, master’s degree preferred
- History of managing personnel
Responsibilities
- Implement a comprehensive fundraising strategy to secure financial support for the organization’s programs, projects, and operations.
- Write and manage foundation, corporate, and government grants.
- Work closely with the President and CEO, Board of Directors, Deputy Director, the Development Manager, and other staff members to align fundraising efforts with the organization’s overall goals and objectives.
- Oversee the Development Manager
- Cultivate and maintain relationships with individual donors and corporate sponsors to expand the organization’s funding base.
- Conduct prospect research to identify new funding opportunities and potential donors.
- Prepare and submit sponsorship requests to secure funding from corporate sponsors.
- Manage and strengthen existing donor relationships through regular communication, acknowledgment, and stewardship activities.
- Plan and execute donor cultivation events.
- Grow a major gifts program, including identifying, cultivating, and soliciting major donors.
- Lead and continuously the Arts New Orleans membership program, implementing strategic improvements to grow engagement and revenue.
- Build our first planned giving program focusing on deferred gifts such as bequest expectancies.
- Direct annual fundraising drives, including Give NOLA day, a program of the Greater New Orleans Foundation, and fundraising drives for LUNA Fête as necessary.
- Collaborate with the marketing and other team members to develop fundraising materials, campaigns, and promotional strategies.
- Oversee the creation of publications to support fundraising activities.
- Collaborate with the President & CEO and accountant to create and manage budgets for development activities and ensure accurate tracking and reporting of fundraising goals and results.
- Stay informed about trends and best practices related to nonprofit fundraising and development.
- Represent the organization at community events, networking functions, and professional conferences to enhance its visibility and reputation.
- Working with the Development Manager, maintain the donor database to track donor information, interactions, and giving history.
- Acknowledge and recognize donors.
- Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of fundraising strategies and initiatives, adjusting as necessary to achieve fundraising goals.
- Attend in-person staff meetings, participate in board meetings, and lead all Development Committee meetings in conjunction with the CEO.
- Demonstrate professional conduct.
- Perform other related duties as requested and serve as an Arts New Orleans team player by assisting with organizational and/or programmatic needs that may fall outside of development responsibilities.
Salary & Benefits
This full-time employee position requires 40 hours per week, including attending some weekday evenings and weekend events. The salary range is $75,000 – $85,000, commensurate with experience and qualifications.
Benefits include:
- 100% of health insurance coverage
- Matching funds of up to 2% of salary for 403(b) retirement plan
- Generous vacation
- Disability Insurance
- Sick leave
- Life Insurance
About Arts New Orleans
Now in its fifth decade, Arts New Orleans is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting arts and culture throughout the city. Our mission is to improve the quality of life in New Orleans by supporting, activating, and investing in our city’s greatest natural resource: our artists and creative community.
We do this through special initiatives along with a variety of ongoing programs, including:
- Public Art & Placemaking – From managing the City of New Orleans’ public art collection to private client commissions, we offer support for a wide range of creative and placemaking projects
- Young Artist Movement (YAM) – An arts education and workforce development program that connects youth to civic issues including system-involved youth
- LUNA Fête – New Orleans’ annual festival of light, art, and technology
- Arts Market – A monthly series of fine arts and craft markets in City Park with holiday markets in Marsalis Harmony Park
- Grantmaking – Administering state and city support for arts & cultural initiatives
- Unframed – Large-scale mural program in downtown New Orleans