Job Posting: Development Consultant, One-Year Contract

Mission

The Arts Center inspires creativity and contributes to community well-being through equitable access to and engagement with the visual arts in the Greater Corvallis area. We collaborate to offer exhibitions, learning opportunities, artist development, and cultural events centered on art, artists and art enthusiasts.

Commitment to Justice, Equity, and Transparency

In the 1960s, the innovative, grassroots effort of artists, civic leaders, and multiple Oregon State University departments were quite radical: they set out to establish the Corvallis Arts Council as the first community-based arts organization in the State of Oregon, and 27th in the United States. In 2008, we changed our name to The Arts Center with the goal of becoming inclusive of all people and groups seeking connection with the arts. We believe that art is a welcoming portal for cross-cultural participation that connects people and creates community. 

In 2020, The Arts Center began an organization-wide process of learning and change to examine and address discriminatory policies, dominant cultural practices, and decision-making systems, with the goal of becoming a just, equitable, diverse, and inclusive arts organization. We are actively working to embed justice, equity, and transparency into every level of our organization. We invite individuals who share our commitment to this goal to join our team and to help shape a more just and equitable future for our organization as well as for the communities we serve.  

Background

The Arts Center has been recalibrating from two major funding losses, as well as from effects of the pandemic on programming. We are committed to a collaborative community-engagement model of co-creating programs in tandem with growing resource support over time. To better support arts programs and operations currently, and grow resources to support them as needed in the future, we have set resource development goals of growing our budget over the next five years.

Project Overview

Skilled development support is needed to leverage giving during 2023, our 60th Birthday Year and a most opportune time to develop/launch diverse funding streams on which to build support for the next 60 years of serving the community. 

To meet the needs of community arts programming now and for the future, the Contract Development Consultant will work with the Executive Director and the Development Committee, to build resource development strategies to meet Annual Fund goals of the organization, and data-driven implementable funding initiatives working with current and prospective donors/ shareholders and members. By the end of our 60th Birthday Year, funding initiatives and annual fund plan implementation will be underway, and evaluation benchmarks established for subsequent years. 

Contract Conditions/Terms

Contractor will employ a community-engagement equity lens to consult, advise, and mentor on all aspects of resource development in our 60th Birthday Year to build The Arts Center’s capacity for sustaining resource development into the future. 

Contractor and The Arts Center will co-define scope of work and enter into a Service Contract for consulting services for a one-year contract period beginning in March 2023 and ending February 2024. 

The total for contract services is not to exceed $48,000 for the year. The Arts Center anticipates that billable services will be more heavily front-loaded into the first five-months (March-July 2023) of the contract period. Upon mutual agreement, contracted services may be extended.  

Total contractor compensation not to exceed $48,000 over contract period.

Required Qualifications 

• Commitment to integrate justice, equity and transparency (JET) principles when consulting on community-centered resource development, to ensure equitable access and inclusion of diverse shareholders investing in our community-arts programming. 
• Evidence of professional experience successfully managing development initiatives ranging in scope, scale, and complexity with a diversity of constituents. 
• Demonstrated personal capacity and competence in aspects of resource development and initiative management scaled to meet the needs of The Arts Center at this exciting time.

Contractor Scope of Work: Efforts, Activities and Products

Description: Serve as a qualified consultant to advise and mentor The Arts Center in building, implementing, and managing resource development strategies to meet Annual Fund goals of the organization, and support data-driven funding initiatives with current and prospective donors and shareholders. 

Specific Contractor efforts and activities include, but are not limited to these categories, activities, and products:  

Consult – Support/Approve Best Practice Donor Stewardship Activities

• Review shareholder and constituent records in The Arts Center’s CRM database and provide strategy outlines for activating/re-activating key donor and prospective donor segments based on Key Performance Indicators. 
• Support drafting resource development initiative objectives, strategies, case statements, and implementation plans that can be launched in our 60th Birthday Year. 
• Review and support production of written and oral communications and status reports with the organization’s shareholders and constituents.
• Schedule regular meetings with the Executive Director, and meetings with the  Development Committee and Board of Directors as needed and scheduled in advance.

Advise – Community Engagement and Growing TAC Stakeholders

• Suggest and provide examples of effective strategies for working with current and prospective constituents, as well as broadening community reach and supporting resource conversations with program participants.
• Support strategies to ensure efforts and activities work within TAC staff capacity and budget.
• Advise on appropriate evaluation metrics and benchmarks for measuring development program success.

Mentor – Efficient/Effective Processes, 

• Mentor best-practice strategies when convening and communicating with constituents in support of JET-values with regard to their investment of funds to support community-based arts and culture programs and operations.
• Mentor practical aspects of creating and implementing resource initiatives connected with major gifts and legacy giving.
• Mentor the development of outreach and follow up stewardship practices that keep donors engaged and informed.

Evaluation – Participatory Progress, Outcome, and Impact Reports

• Evaluate effectiveness of all resource activities in meeting donors’ philanthropic and organization’s financial goals, providing a six-month and final evaluation of development work being performed by The Arts Center, with drafted benchmarks for subsequent years.

Application Materials and Process

Please submit the following materials, with subject line Development Consultant Application, by February 7, 2023 as an email attachment to: Cynthia Spencer, Executive Director, cynthia@theartscenter.net. 

Notifications will be made by or before February 24, 2023. 

1. Cover letter expressing interest and outlining experience demonstrating ability to meet qualifications required of this contract:
   • integration of justice, equity and transparency (JET) principles in professional practice; 
   • professional experience successfully managing resource development strategies and initiatives to support a diversity of shareholder investment; 
   • personal capacity and competence to support development work of The Arts Center. 
2. Current resumé.
3. List or narrative of development services you recommend and their per hour rates, to support The Arts Center’s resource development goals. 
4. List 2-3 references, roles, names, and contact information.
5. Proposed schedule of availability during contract period (March 2023-February 2024). Specify minimum and maximum days per month you would be available.

Contract Miscellaneous

A services contract will be entered into between The Arts Center, a 501(c)(3) NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION, and the Contractor, an independent professional. Compensation is set to not exceed $48,000. 

If you require any accommodations to complete this application, please contact cynthia@theartscenter.net or 541-754-1551, ext 654.

Equal Opportunity Statement

Our goal is to create a diverse organization that is representative, at all levels, of the communities we serve. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, age, veteran status, HIV status, marital status, family medical history or genetic information, status as an individual with a disability, or any other status protected under federal, state, or local law. We strongly encourage people from historically excluded communities to apply.