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About Opera Rara

Opera Rara is an award-winning opera company whose mission is to restore, record, perform and promote the lost operatic heritage of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Established in 1970, Opera Rara is a charity which engages in musical archaeology, its unique purpose being to recreate neglected opera and to make them accessible world-wide via concert performance, broadcast, digital download and streaming platforms and CD recording. Opera Rara has worked and continues to work with singers, conductors and musicologists at the very top of their field internationally, and we partner with many of the UK’s leading orchestras.  Under the expert guidance of our Artistic Director, Carlo Rizzi, we have an ambitious, multi-year plan to record and perform many more rare, unjustly neglected operatic masterpieces. Opera Rara’s headquarters are in attractive offices, next to Battersea Park, London.

Current Opportunities

PHILANTHROPY MANAGER

Position:             Philanthropy Manager

Reports to:         Development and Communications Director

Hours:                  5 days a week (1 FTE)

Holiday:              25 days in addition to bank holidays and Christmas office closure

Salary:                £35,000 – £42,500

Recruitment Pack: click here…

This role is advertised on a two year fixed-term contract with a 6-month probationary period.

Job Purpose

The Philanthropy Manager will work closely with the Development and Communications Director to grow Opera Rara’s Patron programme as well as the charity’s institutional fundraising to help achieve Opera Rara’s annual fundraising goal of £1M. They will secure both unrestricted and restricted funds through applications and reports to Trusts and Foundations. Creating a new corporate sponsorship programme with the Development and Communications Director, they will identify new opportunities and engage with potential corporate funders through high-quality written proposals and engaging benefits and stewardship plans. With a portfolio of 60-80 Patrons and prospects, the Philanthropy Manager will build awareness of Opera Rara’s work, ensuring regular and strategic giving from this group. Overseeing the Development and Events Coordinator, the Philanthropy Manager will work with the fundraising team to identify potential patrons and major donors, moving prospects seamlessly to their optimal giving level.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

Patrons

  • Manage Opera Rara’s growing Patron programme of donors who donate £1,000-9,999 annually, overseeing the Development and Events Coordinator to create unique connection opportunities and cultivation/stewardship events for individuals at this level of giving.
  • Developing fundraising strategies and campaigns such as syndicates and the Big Give in collaboration with the Development and Communications Director, creating opportunities for donors in this area to increase their giving and inspire potential donors and Friends to become Patrons.
  • Work with the Development and Communications Director on Major Donor prospecting and qualifying, moving donors up the levels of giving as appropriate.

Trusts and Foundations / Corporate

  • Write compelling applications and proposals to a portfolio of Trusts and Foundations, ensuring that the application matches the guidelines of the funder.
  • Qualify a number of new Trusts and Foundations, finding new funding opportunities that match with Opera Rara’s mission.
  • Work with Opera Rara’s Development Committee and Trustees to build connections with potential Corporate sponsors, drafting proposals to best showcase Opera Rara’s brand.
  • Create reports for current funders, following the guidelines and timelines of each grant.
  • Steward the representatives of each Trust and Foundation as well as Corporate sponsor as appropriate, acting as their primary point of contact.

General Office

  • Use Opera Rara’s CRM, Donorfy, to ensure that all donor records are kept up to date, including the timely logging of all moves management.
  • Work with the Development and Communications Team to make the most of every company success, ensuring that donors and funders have received appropriate communication as necessary.
  • As part of the small team, work to ensure the smooth running of the Opera Rara office.

As the business evolves, so may this role. These duties may change as Opera Rara’s leadership identifies the need at any time.

Essential experience and competencies – candidates must demonstrate:

  • Undergraduate Degree in arts administration, marketing or related field.
  • At least three years’ experience working for a professional arts organisation or similar in a fundraising role.
  • Proven track record of securing funding from Trusts and Foundations and/or Corporates, writing grants and proposals.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
  • Customer service experience with donors or customers, building relationships, handling inquiries and problem-solving.
  • Knowledge of CRM systems, specifically for moves management (Donorfy preferred).
  • Self-starter with strong project management and organizational competencies with a demonstrated aptitude for multitasking, attention to detail, and meeting competing and overlapping deadlines.
  • Ability to work independently and as a team member in a collaborative and fast-paced environment.
  • Computer skills using the Microsoft suite of products.
  • Personal passion for opera or classical music that can be shared in communicating with donors and funders.

Desirable experience and competencies – candidates should ideally demonstrate:

  • Ability and willingness to work occasionally outside normal hours.
  • A history of successfully line managing employees with differing responsibilities.
  • Basic graphic design skills for drafting proposals.
  • Previous event management experience.
  • Fluency in another language (French, German, Italian or Spanish preferred)

The Philanthropy Manager is a hybrid position, working both from home and from our office next to Battersea Park in London, to be negotiated with the successful candidate.

Application process

In order to apply for the role, please send a letter of application of no more than two pages along with a CV.  Please refer in your letter of application to the experience and competencies detailed in this job description, detailing your reasons for applying for the role and the skills and experience that you would bring to this role at Opera Rara.

The deadline for applications is Monday 5 February 2024 at 12pm. All applications, which should be in one PDF document, must be sent by email only please to info@opera-rara.com, stating ‘Philanthropy Manager’ in the subject line.

Interviews via Zoom will be held between 2pm and 5pm on Monday 19th, Tuesday 20th and Wednesday 21st February 2024 with a second round of in-person interviews arranged individually. 

For an informal conversation about the role, please contact Zachary Vanderburg, Development and Communications Director, Opera Rara at zachary@opera-rara.com.