Hiring Organization Information
Position Information
Hugo House is a nonprofit literary arts organization located in Seattle with a 20-year history as the city's hub for writers. In the fall of 2018, Hugo House moved into a new facility in the heart of the city, which has enabled dramatic growth in classes and event programming. One of the nation’s leading community-based centers for the literary arts, Hugo House has a vision to open the literary world to anyone who loves books or has a drive to write. Hugo House offers year-round creative writing programming for adults and youth, including everything from single-day classes to year-long workshops, readings and events, open mic nights, and summer writing camps.
Position: Development Director
Reports to: Executive Director
Salary & Benefits: $65,000-85,000 salary, generous holiday and personal time, plus medical, dental, and vision benefits, 403(b) match, and discounts on Hugo House classes
Classification: Full-time exempt; works Monday–Friday with some evenings and weekends
Purpose: To lead strategy and implementation of all aspects of fundraising. To strategize and develop meaningful relationships with individual donors, foundations, corporations, and government agencies. To partner with the Executive Director and the Board of Directors as partners in fundraising. To collaborate across departments to create a culture of fundraising at Hugo House. To secure financial resources in support of the continuing operation and growth of Hugo House, its programs, and its racial equity goals.
JOB SUMMARY
The Development Director will be responsible for managing ongoing development efforts, including event fundraising and donor management for one of Seattle’s most beloved arts organizations. The Development Director will work alongside the Executive Director and manage a contract grant writer and CRM administrator to complete departmental planning and reach contributed income goals.
FUNDRAISING PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT
- Assist in annual budgeting process and goal setting.
- Evaluate and report development budget progress and receivables.
- Manage all forms of individual giving at Hugo House, including major donors, fundraising event strategy, and campaigns.
- Administer membership program, which includes timely communications to expiring, lapsed, and new members.
- Maintain accurate member information in database and schedule for renewals.
- Support donor communications including solicitation mailings, donor acknowledgments, and donor benefits in a timely and efficient manner.
- Actively work to increase, cultivate, diversify our donor base.
- Maintain strict confidentiality about all donor information.
- Attend events and meetings to further donor relationships.
GRANT ADMINISTRATION
- Provide strategy for contract grant writer, and oversee government, corporate, and foundation grant writing activities and the preparation of progress/ final reports to funders.
- Develop and strengthen relationships with foundations and government funders.
- Research new sources of corporate and foundation grants.
DONOR COMMUNICATIONS
- In collaboration with the Marketing team, develop and distribute the annual report and other donor correspondence.
- Develop and manage effective donor messaging.
CRM DATABASE MANAGEMENT:
- Maintain and manage all relevant donor data in Salesforce CRM.
- Record and track donor and prospect activity.
- Utilize database to cultivate, track, and acknowledge donors including in-kind donations through a Moves Management system.
- Maintain data integrity and ensure accuracy of patron and transaction records (donation entry and tracking, refunds, and membership).
- Generate reports and pull data as needed.
- Work with contracted Salesforce Administrator to resolve inconsistencies, user issues, and concerns.
PERSONNEL
- Support a culture of philanthropy among staff and volunteers, including board members.
- Collaborate with administrative and support staff on all aspects of development from strategy and planning to execution and reporting.
- Coordinate and collaborate with the board cultivation committee.
- Support development staff, interns, and volunteers.
POSITION QUALIFICATIONS
- Share Hugo House’s commitment to building an antiracist organization.
- A minimum of 3-5 years of development experience in the nonprofit sector: Individual & major donor relations; annual fund management; membership management; grant writing; event production
- Demonstrated proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Salesforce or equivalent CRM software.
- Experience managing relational databases preferred.
- Must have strong writing and verbal communication skills.
- Exceptional organizational skills; ability to prioritize and work independently.
- Must be a self-starter.
- Must be willing to work in a team environment to solve problems and further mission.
- Must enjoy working with philanthropic organizations and individuals.
- Ability to exercise judgment and discretion in handling sensitive and confidential issues and information.
- A passion for the arts and especially the literary arts.
We encourage applications from BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) and other people underrepresented in literary arts administration. Hugo House is committed to becoming an antiracist organization and strives to remove barriers that might discourage any person from working here. It is Hugo House’s intent to maintain a diverse workforce that represents our community. Our approach to diversity is intended to provide not only equal employment opportunities to minorities, women, and persons with disabilities, but also to recognize and value people with ethnic, cultural, and other differences, such as religion, ancestry, language, national origin, culture, age, gender, sexual orientation, and marital status.