Development Associate

Established with the mission of providing access without barriers, Kaufman Music Center proudly programs a comprehensive musical experience for students, performers and audiences in New York and beyond. Merkin Hall, the Center’s intimate performance venue, provides unparalleled access to today’s most compelling artists, workshops, and competitions, offering students, artists and audiences alike the chance to share music at the highest level. Its acclaimed Artist-in-Residence program also gives those performers the resources to develop groundbreaking, multidisciplinary projects as well as educational opportunities to mentor and inspire. Kaufman Music Center continuously cultivates and nurtures new generations of artists through Special Music School, New York’s only K-12 public school prioritizing an intensive, immersive, and musically-focused education without financial barriers, as well as Lucy Moses School, Manhattan’s largest community performing arts school for students of all ages.

Kaufman Music Center is seeking a Development Associate to join its Development Department. This position will report to the Director, Development and will be an important part of a high-performing development team.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Individual Giving

• Ensure adherence to the annual fund mailing calendar, working with the Development Operations Assistant on preparation of materials to ensure timely delivery to donors.
• Coordinate with Marketing to prepare donor communications that align with Development calendar (e.g., web blasts to accompany regular mailings).
• Prepare year-over-year lists to recapture lapsed donors and sustain previous year supporters while identifying areas for continued revenue growth.
• Proofread donor acknowledgments prepared by Development Operations Assistant for accuracy and alert appropriate team members to required next steps and gift notifications.
• Help support timely pledge collection from all individual giving funders.
• Execute individual prospect research, including web and real estate research and wealth screenings, to capture new prospective supporters throughout the Center’s many communities.
• Provide as-needed support to other team members to sustain the individual giving lifecycle via year-round research, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.

Events

• Provide internal support for the Center's Day of Musical Action and Gala: coordinate between teams, request and manage vendor quotes and invoices, and handle registrations and confirmation emails to all registrants/attendees, and complete other duties as assigned to ensure the events’ success.
• Oversee registration and logistics for the NYC TCS Marathon program, including runner communications, fundraising minimums, vendor communications, and day-of coordination. Proactively provide updates to team.
• Order food/beverages and serve as day-of point of contact for one-off cultivation and stewardship events throughout the season.
• Provide as-needed support to other team members to ensure year-round event success.

Administration/Other

• Handle overflow gift entry and acknowledgements as needed to ensure gift entry progresses on a weekly cadence.
• Support institution-wide data hygiene by maintaining accurate gift entry and cultivation records in the Center's CRM, Tessitura.
• Order materials to support annual fund mailings, events, and other items as needed to support the donor lifecycle.
• Work with Development Operations Assistant to ensure all individuals are appropriately credited on institutional materials.
• Assist Development Manager with providing timely and accurate information as requested for the annual audit.
• Support additional writing and editorial projects (such as the Center’s annual Impact Report) as needed throughout the year.

Requirements:

• Impeccable attention to detail, follow-through, and organizational skills.
• Strong writing and communication skills.
• Positivity, flexibility, and resourcefulness.
• Proficiency with Microsoft applications and experience with data management (Tessitura experience preferred).
• Experience working in a non-profit environment preferred.
• Enthusiasm for Kaufman Music Center’s mission and an eagerness to connect supporters with its work.