Albany Park Theater Project (APTP) is a multiethnic youth theater ensemble that inspires people to envision a more just and beautiful world. Recently APTP was the recipient of the prestigious MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions. The Award recognizes exceptional nonprofit organizations who have demonstrated creativity and impact.
 
As Albany Park Theater Project approaches its 20^th anniversary, this largest single grant ($400,000) in the organization’s history will allow the youth artist-activists of APTP to envision and realize some of the most innovative creative journeys ever undertaken by a youth theater.
 
Albany Park Theater Project has a reputation for consistently producing high quality, emotionally affecting theater. Chris Jones of the Chicago Tribune hails APTP as “one of Chicago’s more remarkable artistic institutions,” and Hedy Weiss of the Chicago Sun-Times calls APTP “a prodigiously gifted, exquisitely directed youth ensemble that abounds in talent, technique, and emotional heat.” Since 2012, APTP has experienced the most fruitful artistic period in its history, with four full-length original productions—Home/Land, I Will Kiss These Walls, God’s Work, and Feast—all tackling significant issues with compassion and humor, earning critical praise and playing to sold-out houses. Currently, the ensemble is in the final stages of developing its most innovative and large-scale artistic project to date: the immersive, site-specific Learning Curve.
 
Albany Park Theater Project is equally renowned for youth development programs that include Mentoring, Academic Tutoring, and College Access & Success. In addition to their administrative and theatrical responsibilities, APTP staff serve as mentors, leaders, models, connectors, tutors, advisors and college counselors to ensemble members. APTP takes a holistic approach to caring for and about youth from when they enter the program in seventh grade, through high school, and then through college. Through their participation in APTP’s artistic and youth development programs, teens have a 70% college graduation rate, which far surpasses the Chicago Public Schools’ average rate of 14%.  
 
Albany Park Theater Project is dedicated to art, youth, and a vision of social justice.
 
ART: 
Albany Park Theater Project makes its home in one of the three most ethnically diverse neighborhoods in the entire country, where APTP creates original theater based on the life experiences of people whose stories might otherwise go untold: urban teens, immigrants, and working-class Americans. The art APTP makes enriches the cultural vitality and quality of life in the Albany Park neighborhood and throughout Chicago.
 
YOUTH:
Albany Park Theater Project cultivates a community where teens engage critically and creatively with the world as artists, thereby embarking on purposeful lives as adventurous dreamers and accomplished achievers. Teens emerge from APTP as young leaders with the vision and capacity for a lifetime of personal success and community engagement.
 
SOCIAL JUSTICE:
At Albany Park Theater Project, people directly impacted by sociopolitical issues create original plays that humanize those issues with intellectual rigor, fervent humanity, and vibrant imagination. When APTP believes passionately in an issue, our ensemble also takes to the streets to fight for change. The justice-minded youth leaders who emerge from APTP have a ripple effect that extends into schools, colleges, communities and institutions well beyond APTP’s corner of Chicago.
 
The Opportunity: Director of Development
 
The newly created Director of Development role will offer an energetic, self-directed, experienced fundraiser the opportunity to build a development program within an organization that has broad reach and an established reputation in the theater, arts, youth, and social justice sectors. This new position is an intentional step to invest in infrastructure and expand the foundation that supports the work of the organization. The Director will cultivate funding relationships and partnerships with potential individual and corporate donors by leveraging the networks of Board members, Chicagoland philanthropists, and other stakeholders.
 
Reporting to the Founder and Producing Artistic Director of Albany Park Theater Project, David Feiner, the Director of Development will drive and oversee all aspects of fundraising to grow and diversify streams of philanthropic support. The successful candidate will possess demonstrated fundraising achievements and ability to serve as an ambassador for the mission of APTP. The ideal candidate will have strong Development expertise and a social justice world outlook pertaining to issues important to the populations served by APTP.
 
Performance Objectives
 
Leadership and Management

• Develop a vision for APTP’s annual and long-term philanthropic program, in partnership with the Development Committee, The Board of Directors, the Producing Artistic Director, and Development Consultants, including creating a vision for philanthropy to meet organizational priorities and establishing a strategic direction and goals to ensure the successful implementation of that vision.  
• Develop a comprehensive development strategy to include individual and corporate giving, special campaigns, foundation and corporate grants, donor/prospect events, and other philanthropic revenue. Lead the team in the implementation of those plans.
• Manage a department budget and track progress towards goals, course-correcting as needed.
• Participate in strategic planning. Work with staff and board to translate the vision and strategic plan into achievable steps. Actively promote the mission, vision, and values of APTP.
• Prepare financial analysis and progress reports as needed for fundraising and evaluation. Communicate regularly to Board and staff on the status of fundraising projects.
• Ensure that APTP’s messaging to donors, funders, and prospects is consistent across all channels, and ensure that the case for support is updated.
• Hire, train, mentor and supervise assigned staff (currently the Development Administrator and a contracted grant writer). Supervise the work of any Development Consultants.
• Foster a culture of collaboration throughout APTP and any partners, encouraging cooperation and instilling an appreciation of philanthropy among all APTP stakeholders.
• Serve as an organizational resource by providing appropriate training and support to Leadership staff, Board members, and others involved in fundraising.
• Play an integral role on the Leadership Team of APTP, as an executive partner to the Producing Artistic Director in continually advancing the role and importance of philanthropy within the organizational culture.
• Follow major trends or changes in local and national philanthropy, and position APTP to respond to such trends.

 

Board and Volunteer Relations

• Provide executive leadership and oversight for all aspects of philanthropy, including staff and Board activities and relationships.
• Develop strong, trusting relationships with Board leadership and Development Committee members.
• Serve as staff liaison to the Development Committee.
• Prepare and schedule the Producing Artistic Director and Board members for major donor stewardship, cultivation activities, and solicitations.

 
Fundraising

• Oversee a proactive moves management system for monitoring the prospecting, stewarding, soliciting, and reporting of individual and corporate donors and prospects.
• Manage a portfolio of individual and corporate major donors and prospects. Build relationships with major donors through meetings, post-meeting follow-up, stewardship of interests, solicitation of donors, and writing letters, reports, and proposals to major donors.
• Coordinate site visits and facilitate and participate as needed. Ensure staff are adequately prepared.
• Research current donors and prospects, analyze their giving potential, and develop plans for strengthening relationships and increasing their engagement and support.
• Keep abreast of programmatic needs and new artistic developments by attending staff meetings and communicating regularly with artistic staff.
• Serve as an articulate, passionate, and visible spokesperson for APTP, and as a prominent fundraising face throughout the organization, among stakeholders and in the Chicago community.
• Ensure accurate record‐keeping of contributions and timeliness of donor acknowledgments.
• Assure department’s compliance with regulations, statutes, and ethical and professional standards.
• Serve as lead staff for donor and prospect events: plan, set goals, assign staff, coordinate logistics, develop timeline and budget, and evaluate effectiveness.
• Envision, compose, and assure quality for all print materials (internal and external) that support the philanthropic process, inclusive of budgets, design, production and distribution.

 
The Qualified Candidate
 
Albany Park Theater Project seeks an innovative, entrepreneurial and passionate leader with at least five years of progressive experience in a diversified Fund Development department. S/he will be relationship-focused, trustworthy, optimistic, and visibly engaged with a wide variety of stakeholders. Ideally, s/he will have previous leadership experience in fostering an organization-wide culture of philanthropy at an organization at the cusp of major growth. S/he will be a goal-oriented, natural leader who is passionate and committed to the full mission and vision of APTP, with a past focus on Theater, Art, Youth Development and/or Social Justice in order to bring the organization to the next level of development.
 
Specific requirements include: 

• A strategic orientation to building and growing a philanthropic program, with demonstrated ability to develop and implement creative fund development plans raising $1 million or more annually.
• Leadership experience in fostering a culture of collaboration and cooperation.
• Significant experience in soliciting and securing Major Gifts ($5,000 or more) from individuals and corporations.
• Demonstrated ability to set and achieve or exceed goals.
• A knowledge of the Chicago philanthropic community.
• Career track record that shows stability with an organization and a capacity to develop and nurture relationships that culminate in major gift success.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to serve as a key spokesperson for APTP. Past experience with arts/theater philanthropy, social justice and/or youth development fundraising is preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to work successfully with Board members and other volunteers, as well as civic and business leaders, in a collaborative manner.
• Proficiency with social media and Microsoft Office, and knowledge of or ability to learn DonorPro donor software.
• Entrepreneurial spirit, creative problem solver, and strong collaborator.
• Bachelor’s degree required, CFRE preferred with a minimum of 5 years of progressive fundraising experience, at least 2 years supervising one or more fund development professional(s).
• Demonstrated history of working with people from diverse cultures, backgrounds and economic strata.
• Demonstrated commitment to social justice.
• Ability to plan, prioritize, and coordinate multiple responsibilities.
• A current driver’s license and clean driving record are required.

 
This position offers a competitive salary with solid benefits. All inquiries will be held in strict confidence.
 
Albany Park Theater Project is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other occupationally irrelevant criteria.
 
To Apply
 
This search is being managed by Laura Weinman, Senior Consultant and Heather A. Eddy, President and CEO of Alford Executive Search, a division of KEES.  
 
 
Candidates may apply by clicking the APPLY NOW button below. To assure confidential tracking, no resumes will be accepted via email.  ALL INQUIRIES WILL BE HELD IN STRICT CONFIDENCE
 
Questions may be addressed to Laura Weinman at lweinman@alfordexecutivesearch.com.
 
Alford Executive Search, a division of Kistner Eddy Executive Services (KEES), is a retained search firm dedicated to building transformative teams and leaders in the nonprofit and public sectors. For more information, please visit www.alfordexecutivesearch.com.
 
More about Albany Park Theater Project
 
APTP was founded on the vision that the arts can play a significant role in building strong communities. The organization has built a reputation for amplifying the voices and stories of individuals and communities that too often go unheard. APTP is known for its high artistic standards, its imaginative performance style and honest storytelling, and for fearlessly tackling issues such as immigration, poverty, racism, housing, domestic violence, food policy and education.
 
Founded in 1997 by Producing Artistic Director David Feiner and the late Laura Wiley, APTP has premiered 19 original plays since its inception, all collaboratively created by a multiethnic youth ensemble and an expansive team of directors and designers, and all based on interviews conducted by the ensemble. These artistic and civic accomplishments propel participating youth into bright futures, supported by APTP’s College Access and Success program.
 
APTP has performed for more than 50,000 people, shed light on and humanized critical social justice issues, opened the Albany Park neighborhood’s first performing arts space, and received numerous local and national awards—most notably the Midwest Light of Human Rights Award from the National Immigrant Justice Center, the Coming Up Taller Award from the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities, and the prestigious MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions.
 
APTP has also established ongoing partnerships with Goodman Theatre in Chicago and Third Rail Projects of New York. APTP has appeared in lengthy runs at the Goodman three times in the past three years, and the Goodman will be a producing partner on the final production of Learning Curve in 2016. Third Rail are co-creators of Learning Curve, working intensively with APTP’s youth ensemble on the techniques of immersive theater and conceiving and staging this unprecedented production. The fact that two companies of such renown are eager to partner with a youth theater ensemble speaks volumes about APTP’s artistic reputation.