About Art House Art House, Inc. is a small nonprofit arts center located in historic Brooklyn Centre, between the Ohio City and Old Brooklyn neighborhoods of Cleveland, Ohio. Founded in 1999 by local artists and residents, Art House believes that the arts enrich lives and help create stronger communities. Art House's mission is to inspire exploration and expression through the visual arts. We make art accessible to the greater Cleveland community through instruction, encouragement, and a campus for creative learning. Through this work, Art House creates opportunities for artists, supports arts education, and contributes to the cultural and economic vitality of our community. Art House envisions a community where creativity is celebrated as a vital part of daily life and where people of all ages and backgrounds have access to meaningful, personal, and high-quality arts experiences. The Opportunity Art House is seeking a Development Director to lead and grow the organization's fundraising efforts during an exciting period of organizational transformation and growth. The Development Director will develop and execute a comprehensive fundraising strategy that supports Art House's annual operations, programs, and long-term sustainability. This is a hands-on position responsible for the full fundraising cycle, from researching and identifying prospective donors, funders, and sponsors to cultivating relationships, making solicitations, securing support, and stewarding donors and partners. We are looking for someone who is both a strategic thinker and an active fundraiser. The ideal candidate enjoys researching prospective supporters, developing relationships, making the ask, writing compelling grants and proposals, developing corporate partnerships, and creating systems that help a small organization build sustainable fundraising capacity. This position is an opportunity for an entrepreneurial development professional who enjoys working in a collaborative nonprofit environment and wants to have a meaningful impact on Art House and the community it serves. Key Areas of Responsibility Fundraising Strategy & Revenue Development Develop, implement, and evaluate annual and long-term fundraising strategies aligned with Art House's mission and financial goals. Establish fundraising priorities, goals, timelines, and measurable outcomes. Build and maintain a diversified fundraising pipeline encompassing individual donors, major gifts, foundations, government funding, corporate sponsorships, fundraising events, and other contributed revenue. Monitor fundraising progress and provide regular updates and recommendations to the Executive Director and Board. Identify opportunities to increase and diversify contributed revenue and strengthen Art House's long-term financial sustainability. Prospect Research & Development Proactively research and identify prospective individual donors, major-gift prospects, foundations, corporations, businesses, and other potential funding partners. Develop and maintain a prioritized prospect pipeline, including research, relationship mapping, cultivation strategies, and next steps. Identify connections and introductions through the Board, staff, community partners, artists, and existing supporters. Research businesses and corporations whose interests align with Art House's mission and programs, and identify potential sponsorship opportunities. Stay informed about philanthropic, corporate, and community giving trends and opportunities in Greater Cleveland. Individual Giving & Major Gifts Develop strategies to acquire, retain, upgrade, and deepen relationships with individual donors. Manage a portfolio of donors and prospective major-gift supporters. Cultivate relationships through personal outreach, meetings, events, and other meaningful engagement. Prepare and conduct fundraising solicitations independently and in partnership with the Executive Director, Board members, and other organizational representatives. Develop compelling proposals and solicitation materials tailored to individual prospects. Establish effective stewardship practices that encourage continued and increased support. Support annual giving, direct mail, online giving, and other individual fundraising campaigns. Grants & Institutional Funding Research, identify, and prioritize prospective foundation and government funders. Manage the full grant development cycle, including prospect research, eligibility assessment, letters of inquiry, proposals, budgets, reporting, and compliance. Develop and maintain a comprehensive grants calendar for existing and prospective funders. Work with program staff to gather program information, outcomes, stories, and data needed for strong proposals and reports. Build and maintain productive relationships with foundation and government representatives when appropriate. Track grant deliverables and ensure timely submission of reports and other funder requirements. Continually identify opportunities to expand and diversify Art House's institutional funding base. Corporate Partnerships & Sponsorships Research and identify potential corporate and business partners. Develop sponsorship opportunities that align the interests of corporate partners with Art House programs and community impact. Create customized sponsorship proposals and presentations. Cultivate relationships with prospective and existing corporate supporters. Lead or coordinate sponsorship solicitations and negotiations in partnership with the Executive Director when appropriate. Ensure appropriate recognition, communication, and stewardship of corporate partners. Development Operations & CRM Manage and maintain Art House's LGL customer relationship management (CRM) system as the organization's central development database. Maintain accurate donor, prospect, foundation, corporate, and gift records. Track cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, gifts, sponsorships, acknowledgments, and other development activity. Establish consistent procedures for entering and maintaining development information. Use CRM data to identify opportunities, track progress, evaluate fundraising activity, and support decision-making. Prepare development reports and information for the Executive Director and Board. Board Engagement & Fundraising Events Partner with the Executive Director and Board to engage Board members in fundraising through personal giving, prospect identification, introductions, cultivation, and solicitation. Help plan, coordinate, and execute fundraising events and campaigns that support Art House's revenue goals. Develop strategies to use fundraising events as opportunities for donor cultivation, prospect engagement, solicitation, and stewardship. Attend Art House fundraising events and other select organizational events where the Development Director's presence supports donor relationships, sponsorships, cultivation, or fundraising goals. Provide appropriate on-site support for fundraising events, including some evening and weekend events. Build and maintain relationships with donors, prospects, sponsors, and community partners through events and other engagement opportunities. Track and follow up with prospects, donors, and sponsors after events to ensure timely cultivation and stewardship. Qualifications Required Demonstrated experience in nonprofit fundraising, development, or revenue generation, with experience in several of the following areas: individual giving, major gifts, foundation grants, corporate sponsorships, annual giving, or fundraising campaigns. Approximately 3-5 years of professional fundraising or development experience, preferably within a small or mid-sized nonprofit organization. Demonstrated ability to research and identify prospective donors, funders, sponsors, and community partners. Experience cultivating relationships and making or supporting direct fundraising solicitations. Strong grant-writing skills and experience managing proposals, reports, and funder deadlines. Excellent written and verbal communication skills. Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills, with the ability to engage donors, funders, corporate partners, Board members, artists, and community members with professionalism and authenticity. Excellent organizational and time-management skills, with the ability to independently manage multiple priorities and deadlines. Experience using a CRM or donor database and maintaining accurate development records. Ability to think strategically while also being highly hands-on and willing to execute the day-to-day work of fundraising. Commitment to Art House's mission and to the role of the visual arts in education, individual expression, and community development. Strongly Preferred Familiarity with the Greater Cleveland philanthropic and corporate landscape. Existing relationships with local foundations, corporations, donors, or community leaders. Experience working with a volunteer Board of Directors. Experience developing corporate sponsorships and/or major-gift programs. Experience working in a small nonprofit where staff members collaborate across functions. Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.

Compensation & Work Environment Position:

Development Director Status:

Full-time Salary:

$47,000 - 52,000 annually

Location:

Cleveland, Ohio Reports to:

Executive Director Work Environment:

Combination of in-office and remote work, with the balance determined in collaboration with the Executive Director. The Development Director is eligible for an annual performance-based bonus tied to the achievement of mutually established fundraising, revenue-development, and organizational goals. Bonus eligibility and amount will be determined based on overall performance and progress toward agreed-upon annual objectives and are subject to organizational budget and Board approval. Equal Opportunity Art House, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer committed to building a highly functional and cohesive team that reflects the community it serves. Candidates with lived experience related to the organization's mission are encouraged to apply. As a small, collaborative organization, Art House expects all staff members to contribute to the organization's overall success and community visibility. The Development Director will be expected to actively participate in fundraising events and other select organizational activities where their presence supports donor cultivation, sponsorship, community engagement, or fundraising goals. Some evening and weekend participation will be required.

Pay:

$47,000.00 - $52,000.00 per year

Work Location:

Hybrid remote in Cleveland, OH 44109