Leadership Annual Giving Officer, University Arts & College of Fine Arts, Annual Giving

Boston University Advancement

Boston University Advancement is at a pivotal moment, guided by new leadership and a clear strategic framework for growth and impact. Our work centers on three core priorities: securing $500 million in philanthropy annually; deepening relationships with a strategically defined segment of alumni and donors; and strengthening the organizational foundation while launching focused priority areas across the University.  Advancement is evolving into a highly collaborative, matrixed model that integrates new University leadership, regional engagement, and the distinctive strengths of BU’s schools and colleges. With more than 250 advancement professionals, the organization is building the capacity, partnerships, and culture required to deliver sustained philanthropic momentum and institutional impact.

Over the past year, Boston University established the Office for the Arts and appointed a Vice President for the Arts to provide strategic leadership across the University's arts ecosystem. As part of this evolution, several arts initiatives historically connected to CFA or CAS, including BU Tanglewood Institute (BUTI),  Wheelock Family Theatre (WFT) and Boston Playwrights' Theatre, are now part of a broader University-wide arts framework. To support this expanded vision, we have created an integrated advancement model that aligns fundraising, donor engagement, and volunteer leadership across both the College of Fine Arts and University Arts. This structure positions us to pursue larger philanthropic opportunities, strengthen coordination across arts programs, and advance the University's long-term arts priorities. The Leadership Giving Officer’s (LGO) scope of efforts includes the college’s three schools (Music, Theatre, and Visual Arts), BU Bands, Opera Institute, and BU Galleries, as well as the programs in the new Office for the Arts, including Boston University Tanglewood Institute (BUTI), Wheelock Family Theater (WFT), Boston Playwrights’ Theatre, and university wide arts programming, with a primary focus on BUTI in the summer season and WFT during the academic year. 

Boston University Tanglewood Institute (BUTI)

In 1965, Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) Music Director Erich Leinsdorf, who also directed the Tanglewood Music Center, invited Boston University to establish a program that would extend Tanglewood’s educational mission to gifted young musicians. One year later, the Boston University Tanglewood Institute welcomed its first students to the Berkshires. From those first summers to today, the partnership between the BSO, Tanglewood, and BU has nurtured generations of artists and leaders. Each summer, more than 400 students arrive from across the country and around the world to study, perform, and grow in a setting that has inspired musicians for generations. Some join major orchestras, including the BSO. Others become composers, conductors, educators, entrepreneurs, scholars, and advocates for the arts. Each carries forward the discipline, curiosity, and creativity that define the Tanglewood tradition.  

Now in its 61st season, BUTI is advancing from its home at the College of Fine Arts into the new BU Office for the Arts as a university priority. We in Boston University Advancement harness the power of philanthropy to make an excellent education accessible and welcoming to all, and to advance BU’s global leadership in research, scholarship, artistic creation, and professional practice. Aligned with Boston University’s and Advancement’s shared mission and values, we envision building and maintaining an equitable and inclusive workplace culture that encourages diverse recruitment and high retention. This culture will also help us more deeply and authentically engage with a diverse range of alumni and other supporters.  

For more than 45 years, Wheelock Family Theatre has inspired children, families, educators, and communities through accessible, affordable, and professional theatre experiences that spark imagination, foster empathy, and create lifelong connections to the arts. With an evolving volunteer board, WFT is ripe for growing its leadership annual giving pipeline. 

Leadership Annual Giving Officer, University Arts & College of Fine Arts

Reporting directly to the Director, Leadership Annual Giving, the Leadership Annual Giving Officer will be responsible for the discovery, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of prospects capable of making annual gifts of $5,000 and up. This individual will build and maintain a portfolio of up to 250 prospects and schedule visits (in-person and virtual) with them and other “discovery” prospects. They will work with team members on messaging and personalized outreach to BUTI Alumni, Parents, and Friends with the purpose of engaging, developing, and retaining leadership donors, as well as WFT alumni, parents, and friends, and other BU Arts and College of Fine Arts prospects.    

This role is a fundraiser who also leverages digital tools to engage existing donors and uncover new prospects, with an emphasis on those capable of a $10,000 gift or more. They will reside in Lenox, MA during the program’s summer season, supporting the BUTI Executive Director, building new and deepening existing highly personalized relationships with prospects through primarily in-person meetings and cultivation during the summer, as well as phone, e-mail, text, social, and video during the academic school year, based on the interests of each prospect. The Leadership Annual Giving Officer joins a vibrant, high-performing, and growing BU Arts and Annual Giving team and will play a key role in growing the base of support for BU’s future campaigns. 

Position Responsibilities

Prospect Identification, Cultivation, and Solicitation (50%)

• Identify, cultivate, and personally solicit a portfolio of University Arts/CFA donors, prospects, and future volunteers, with a focus on BUTI and WFT.
• Utilize face-to-face and virtual meetings, phone calls, emails, alumni events, and other contacts to build relationships and increase support from prospects.
• Under the guidance of BU Arts Senior Major Gift Officer, develop individual cultivation plans and engagement activities for LAG prospects during the summer season.
• Create donor-centric leadership annual giving donor journeys through the BU Arts pipeline, working with team members and referring donors to other areas as interested. 
• Collaborate with colleagues in Alumni Relations to identify prospects and future volunteer leaders within regional networks.
• Meet agreed-upon fundraising metrics as defined by supervisor, including donor meetings, proposals, contact reports, and donor retention.
• Collaborate with BU Arts Program Manager to develop key BU Arts engagement in annual giving campaigns including but not limited to Crowdfunding, BU Giving Day, Giving Tuesday, calendar-year end, and fiscal-year end.
• Utilize dashboard tools, data analytics, and partnership with the Annual Giving team, prospect management, as well as other internal colleagues to identify BU Arts donors for personalized outreach.
• Meet or exceed Advancement performance standards for contacts, visits, and solicitations.  

Corporate Identification and Solicitation (25%)

• Develop a corporate sponsorship strategy in coordination with the BUTI Executive Director. 
• Identify potential targets for season program sponsorship from local and national corporations.
• Inform solicitation plans to secure support. 

Program Management and Planning (15%)

• In consultation with the BU Arts Program Manager, establish long-range goals and objectives for development programs and activities that reflect annual giving BUTI & WFT funding priorities as determined by the BUTI Executive Director.
• Establish working relationships with BUTI & WFT faculty and staff; become thoroughly familiar with programs, activities, and interests to develop accurate and compelling case statements, gift opportunities, and appropriate linkages with volunteers and prospective donors for the purposes of annual giving. 
• Under the guidance of the BU Arts Senior Major Gift Officer, develop and implement engagement events for LAG prospects during the summer season, including but not limited to current BUTI parent and LAG existing donor audiences. 

Stewardship and Donor Relations (5%)

• With BU Arts Program Manager, Stewardship and Donor Relations (SDR) and Annual Giving colleagues, customize and implement systematic programming to assure regular contact with donors through annual stewardship and cultivation activities, in alignment with BU’s overall SDR strategies. 
• Extend the courtesies of the University to donors and volunteers as appropriate.  Encourage the active participation of donors and volunteers when appropriate. 
• Provide vehicles for continued awareness on the part of donors of current needs and objectives to encourage continued giving.  

Other (5%)

• Special projects as assigned by BU Vice President for the Arts and Managing Director of BU Arts

QUALIFICATIONS

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree.
• Three to five years of progressively responsible experience in fundraising, annual giving, donor relations, development, sales, or a related field.
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain relationships with donors, prospects, alumni, parents, volunteers, or other external stakeholders.
• Strong oral and written communication skills, including the ability to develop compelling donor communications, solicitation materials, and engagement strategies.
• Advanced analytical skills, including the ability to interpret fundraising data, use dashboards and reporting tools, identify prospective donors, and inform outreach and solicitation strategies.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities, maintain accurate records, and meet established performance goals and deadlines.
• Strong attention to detail and organizational skills, including the ability to document donor interactions, track fundraising activity, and maintain accurate prospect information.
• Ability to reside in Lenox, Massachusetts, during the BUTI summer season and travel locally as needed to engage donors, parents, corporate partners, and other stakeholders.

Additional Qualifications

• Master’s degree.
• Experience developing or supporting corporate sponsorship, corporate fundraising, or strategic partnership program.
• Familiarity with crowdfunding, giving days, digital fundraising campaigns, and donor engagement strategies.
• Experience working in higher education, the arts, music education, summer programs, or other mission-driven organizations.

But that’s not all we’re looking for; we want someone who embodies our values:

• Teamwork, transparency, and mutual respect, because we value every member’s contributions and know that leadership can come from anywhere.
• Diversity, equity, inclusion, and a commitment to ensuring that each of us knows we belong here.
• Integrity in how we work and how we treat one another.
• Strategic thinking and curiosity in the relentless pursuit of fresh approaches and measurable results.
• Continuous growth and improvement, both as individuals and as a team.
• Joy and shared appreciation for working hard toward goals that matter.

To apply and learn more about Advancement at Boston University and other job opportunities, please stop by the Advancement Talent website: https://www.bu.edu/advancement-talent/.

We recognize that no candidate brings every experience or qualification to a role. If you're excited about this opportunity and believe your skills and experiences could contribute to our team, we encourage you to apply, even if your background doesn't align perfectly with every qualification listed. We value diverse perspectives, experiences, and ways of thinking, and we're committed to building a team where everyone can thrive.

We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, natural, protective, or culturally significant hairstyle, religion, sex, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, military service, pregnancy or pregnancy-related condition, or marital, parental, or veteran status. We are a VEVRAA Federal Contractor.

If you require reasonable accommodation in order to complete the employment application process, please contact the Equal Opportunity Office at 617-358-1796.