Campaign Director

Campaign Director

OMNI is honored to be retained by the Kansas City Symphony in their search for a Campaign Director. In only its 43rd season, the Kansas City Symphony (KCS) has already become one of America's most vibrant major orchestras, quickly gaining national and international recognition. The Symphony is entering its third season with world renowned conductor and composer Matthias Pintscher as its Music Director, and the positive energy and buzz around this orchestra is intensely optimistic and forward-moving.

Continuously creating live music experiences in Helzberg Hall at the prestigious Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, the Symphony serves Kansas City's metro population of more than 2.2 million people and welcomes tens of thousands of visitors across a huge swath of the Midwest as well. The Symphony's 80 full-time musicians perform in diverse and dynamic musical experiences in orchestral and chamber formats each season. The Symphony also serves as the orchestra for the Kansas City Ballet and the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, enriching the community's cultural landscape.

While the Kansas City Symphony ranks among leading American orchestras, it also stands out as the most active and one of the most efficient of its peers. The lean operation of just over 30 full-time staff enables the organization to be fast and nimble, with the excitement of a startup but the polish, stature, connections, and resources of a major cultural institution. Its $25M annual operating budget is fueled by the strongest ticket sales per capita in the sector, along with healthy annual contributions and a $135M endowment provided by Kansas City's exceptional civic culture of philanthropy. A wide range of programming spans every genre from classical and concert opera to rock, film with live orchestra, and all manner of contemporary artists. The orchestra aspires to do more and to be more for all the people of Kansas City and surrounding regions, and the growth trajectory is exciting, rapid, and palpable.

Nothing signifies this rapid ascent more than the orchestra's debut on the world stage in 2024. While other orchestras are pulling back from global commitments, the Kansas City Symphony is boldly stepping forward, having accepted invitations to be presented in Europe's top concert halls, including Amsterdam's Concertgebouw, the Berlin Philharmonie, and the stunning new Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg. The orchestra's sold-out performances in 2024 triggered immediate re-invitations, and the orchestra returns to all three halls in 2026.

It is truly an exciting time for the Kansas City Symphony, and central to this forward motion is the newly created position of Campaign Director.

The Kansas City Symphony is undertaking the largest fundraising effort in its history, a combined capital and endowment campaign designed to secure the future of the orchestra. The centerpiece of the capital effort is a new music venue at 49th and Main Street, adjacent to the Country Club Plaza. This will be a modern indoor live music venue, best in class for amplified offerings and catering to every contemporary music genre except classical, with an estimated peak capacity of 4,640 and every person in the audience within 145 feet of the stage. The Symphony will be the sole owner of the venue, and Music and Events Management, Inc. (MEMI), the venue and presentation arm of the Cincinnati Symphony, will operate and program it. The venue project is capped at $70 million and is funded primarily through private philanthropy. Donors have quickly committed a large portion of the project need, and the Symphony will work with hundreds of additional donors to raise the balance over the next 30 months. The venue is scheduled to open in September 2028, with construction visible on the site this fall. The campaign is led by volunteer Campaign Co-Chairs and a campaign committee of board members and civic leaders, supported by the President & CEO, the Chief Development Officer, and the Development department.

The Campaign Director provides senior-level staffing leadership to move the campaign forward. The Campaign Director manages the daily operation of the campaign in close partnership with the President & CEO, the Chief Development Officer, and the volunteer Campaign Co-Chairs, ensuring that strategy becomes action: that prospects are identified and move through the pipeline, that solicitors are prepared and supported, that commitments are documented and stewarded, and that campaign leadership always knows where the campaign stands. This is a role for a seasoned campaign professional who finds satisfaction in making other people successful, including volunteers, executives, and donors alike.

Responsibilities

Campaign Management

• Manage the day-to-day operation of the campaign, including the campaign plan, timeline, solicitation calendar, and milestones, keeping the effort on pace toward its goal.
• Track and report campaign progress, maintaining accurate pipeline data and producing clear, timely reporting for the President & CEO, Chief Development Officer, Campaign Co-Chairs, campaign committee, and board.
• Supervise the Special Projects Coordinator, directing campaign administrative support, meeting logistics, and records management.
• Coordinate campaign activity with the broader Development program so that annual giving relationships are protected and strengthened through the campaign.

Volunteer Leadership Support

• Staff the Campaign Co-Chairs and campaign committee, preparing agendas, materials, minutes, and follow-up for all campaign meetings.
• Prepare volunteer and executive solicitors for every donor interaction with thorough briefings, donor profiles, talking points, proposals, and prompt follow-up.
• Manage volunteer solicitation assignments, tracking activity, and gently keeping assignments moving to completion.

Prospect Strategy and Portfolio Management

• Manage the campaign prospect portfolio through all stages of qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship, developing individualized strategies with the President & CEO and Chief Development Officer.
• Direct prospect research and pipeline analysis, identifying new prospects, and ensuring the campaign always has sufficient qualified prospects to meet its goal.
• Carry a modest personal portfolio of campaign prospects as appropriate, in coordination with the Chief Development Officer.

Campaign Communications and Materials

• Maintain and refine the campaign case for support, proposals, pledge agreements, and naming and recognition materials, ensuring accuracy and consistency across all campaign communications.
• Support foundation proposals and grant applications related to the campaign in collaboration with Development staff.
• Design and execute donor recognition and stewardship for campaign commitments, ensuring that every donor's generosity is honored promptly and personally.

Other duties as assigned.

Key Performance Indicators

The success of this role will be assessed on the steady, well-documented advancement of the campaign toward its goal. Specifically, this includes:

• Campaign progress : Dollars committed against the campaign timeline, and the health of the prospect pipeline behind those commitments.
• Volunteer effectiveness: Campaign Co-Chairs and committee members who are prepared, active, and well supported, and who would describe their campaign work as rewarding.
• Solicitation readiness: Briefings, proposals, and materials that are accurate, persuasive, and delivered when solicitors need them.
• Data integrity: Pipeline records, gift documentation, and campaign reporting that leadership can rely upon without hesitation.
• Timely and effective communications: Ensure that parties know what they need to know, when they need to know it, so that people across the campaign feel respected, informed, and aligned in their work.

Qualifications

• Minimum of seven years of progressively responsible fundraising experience, including direct experience staffing or managing a capital, endowment, or comprehensive campaign.
• Proven track record in major gift strategy and solicitation, and in preparing and supporting volunteer and executive solicitors.
• Demonstrated success managing complex projects with many moving parts, multiple stakeholders, and firm deadlines.
• Strong proficiency with fundraising CRM systems (Tessitura preferred) and with prospect research and pipeline reporting.
• Knowledge of and experience with the Kansas City philanthropic community is strongly preferred; affinity for orchestral music is a plus.

Core Competencies:

• Absolute discretion and sound judgment in handling confidential donor information and sensitive relationships.
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to write persuasively in the voice of others.
• Superior organizational and project management skills with keen attention to detail.
• A relational, service-minded disposition that earns the trust of donors, volunteers, and colleagues.
• Passionate commitment to the mission of the Kansas City Symphony and to the role of philanthropy in sustaining it.

Other Requirements:

• Evening and weekend work will be required for campaign events, concerts, and donor meetings.