Description

About the Opportunity
Position Profile

Director of Development

The Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, one of the American theater’s most celebrated homes for artistic creation, seeks a new Director of Development. 

This is a significant opportunity for a dynamic fundraising leader, with a deep passion for new work development, to join a committed team and bring the organization’s contributed income generation to the next level. Based in Waterford, Connecticut, the organization seeks a candidate who will become an active member of the O’Neill community both locally, throughout the region, and nationally, deepening some of the O’Neill’s most important philanthropic relationships. They will be an organized communicator and manager, well-versed in individual donor cultivation and solicitation, and knowledgeable about working with Boards. Building a robust annual development plan, furthering event strategy, and overseeing institutional giving processes will be integral components of this position. While they will have the chance to honor the distinguished legacy of the O’Neill, they will also need to be forward-thinking, eager to investigate how to attract new donors and engage the community in meaningful ways. 

With offices overlooking the Long Island Sound, the O’Neill maintains a dedicated year-round staff of 30, including the Director of Development and two other development staff members. This team works diligently in the fall, winter, and spring to prepare for each annual summer gathering, when the staff size grows to more than 100 artists, faculty, and seasonal staff, and the organization welcomes thousands of audience members. Nearly each week of the summer offers a new conference dedicated to artistic evolution, teaching, learning, and creative advancement, allowing audiences and supporters to engage with a unique aspect of the new work development process in a way that few institutions provide. The Director of Development will be a central figure in orchestrating those experiences at the O’Neill, and ensuring supporters at all levels understand the enormous value of fueling artistic discovery and nurturing the most inventive artists of our time. 

About the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center

Mission: In the pioneering spirit of its namesake, the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center discovers, develops, and empowers new work, new voices, and creative risk-taking. By introducing innovative artists, essential to broadening the national cultural landscape, the O’Neill serves as the Launchpad of the American Theater. Each of our five summer conferences is led by its own dedicated Artistic Director, all of whom are leaders in their respective fields and work in partnership with Executive Director Tiffani Gavin.

Founded in 1964 by George C. White and named in honor of Eugene O’Neill, four-time Pulitzer Prize-winner and America’s only playwright to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, the O'Neill has launched some of the most important voices and works in American theater and has revolutionized the way new work is developed. O’Neill programs include the National Playwrights Conference, National Music Theater Conference, National Critics Institute, National Puppetry Conference, Cabaret & Performance Conference, National Theater Institute – which offers six credit-earning undergraduate training programs – and more.
 
From its campus in Waterford, Connecticut, the O’Neill has been home to more than 1,000 new works for the stage and thousands more emerging artists. Writers, directors, puppeteers, singers, students, and audiences alike take their first steps in exploring, revising, and understanding their work and the potential of the theater they help create. All focus remains on the writer and script: Performers work with simply rendered sets and costumes, script in hand, revealing for the first time the magic of a new play or musical, puppetry piece, or cabaret act.
 
Scores of projects developed at the O’Neill have gone on to full production at theaters around the world, and work first performed at the O'Neill has gone on to regional theaters, Broadway, film, and television. The diverse roster of artists that have developed work at the O’Neill includes August Wilson, Wendy Wasserstein, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Samuel D. Hunter, Dominique Morisseau, David Henry Hwang, Lynn Nottage, and Celine Song, among many others. Students and professionals who have honed their skills at the O'Neill can be seen in these venues every day across the nation and world. Others work as playwrights, directors, stage management, administration, and hundreds of other roles that the public never sees but are nonetheless essential to every production.

Staff and alumni from the O'Neill have won every major award in theater arts. The O'Neill itself is the recipient of two Tony Awards, in 2010 for Regional Theatre, and in 1979 for Theatrical Excellence. In September 2016, the O'Neill was awarded the National Medal of Arts from President Obama in a White House ceremony celebrating its contribution to American culture.

About Waterford, Connecticut

The Eugene O’Neill Theater Center is located in Waterford, CT along the southeastern Connecticut shoreline. Waterford offers scenic beaches, waterfront views, miles of hiking trails, and is known for its blend of coastal recreation and cultural activity. Waterford offers convenient access to major regional hubs, roughly two hours from both New York City and Boston and is within easy reach of Hartford and New Haven.

With its parks, beaches, and scenic public spaces such as Harkness Memorial State Park, Waterford is the ideal location for people who enjoy the outdoors and the ocean. Just minutes away, neighboring communities such as New London and Mystic feature vibrant arts and dining scenes, historic waterfront districts, and attractions like Mystic Seaport Museum and the Connecticut College Arboretum.

To learn more visit:
https://www.waterfordct.org/
https://ctvisit.com/listings/town-waterford

About the Position

The Director of Development, part of the organization’s senior management team, reports to the Managing Director, but with a close working relationship with the Executive Director. This leader is responsible for the successful planning and execution of an annual and strategic development plan, raising just over $2 million annually, with progressive annual targets to increase that figure to $2.5-$2.75 million in the next three years, to ensure optimal resources to serve the mission, programs, and operations of the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center. They will oversee a team of two other development colleagues, one of whom is a direct report. The position’s major responsibilities include the successful organization, tracking, and completion of the annual campaign and membership program, timely management of grant activities, and oversight of fundraising events, in conjunction with department staff. The Director of Development will be expected and required to attend all major O’Neill events, be a regular presence during our summer performances, and take a leadership role in identification and cultivation of donors. 

Key Responsibilities 

Individual Giving (30%)

• Oversee the year-round Individual Giving program, creating annual campaign communications and materials and ensuring regular solicitation, stewardship, and engagement of donors at all ends of the spectrum. 
• Act as a lead solicitor for major gifts; tracking an active portfolio of high-level donors and prospects, ensuring regular contact and stewardship, using moves management best practices. 
• Organize donor cultivation and follow-up plans for the O’Neill’s Executive Director, Managing Director, and Board members, as appropriate, to ensure a broad network of donors are being engaged and solicited to make significant gifts.  
• Supervise all donor mailings, appeals, and regular communications to meet timelines and promote member and donor participation. 
• Identify, cultivate, and solicit donors to the O’Neill’s planned giving program.
• In collaboration with the Development Associate, maintain integrity of donor records in Salesforce donor database, including updating of contact info, gift information, etc. 

 
Institutional Support (20%)

• Oversee ongoing interactions with new and existing sources of institutional support, including foundation, corporate, and government sources. 
• Manage the O’Neill’s ongoing relationship with Advance Collaborative (formerly Advance NYC), in order to ensure strong and timely completion of institutional giving proposals and reports. 
• Complete the preparation for funder request meetings as needed, including the assembly of case and briefing materials. 
• Conduct research on new and existing funders to properly incorporate them into the organization’s broader cultivation and stewardship activities. 
• Develop funder profile reports in the donor database and keep records of gifts and contact information up to date in the donor database. 

Special Events (15%)

• In partnership with O’Neill and volunteer leadership and Development Manager, contribute to all event related planning and implementation, including adherence to timelines and budgets. 
• Seek and obtain various levels of sponsorship for events, and ensure viable sales strategy for tickets and tables. 
• Serve as a host and staff lead for all development related events, including donor cultivation receptions, fundraising galas, alumni receptions, etc. 
• Oversee the creation of invitation lists and strategize to encourage participation of key prospects at appropriate O’Neill events and performances. 

Board Relations (15%)

• Directly engage the Board and appropriate Board Committees on all fundraising and Board Development initiatives and build ongoing communications related to these efforts.
• Prepare reports for the Executive Director and the Board, in addition to attending and reporting at quarterly Board and/or Committee meetings throughout the year. 
• In collaboration with the Executive Director, Managing Director, and Board leadership, identify and recruit potential Board members and solidify the onboarding processes for new members. 
• Attend event planning committee meetings to advance the Board and other volunteers’ ideas and contributions toward events. 
• Devise and manage Board members’ yearly contribution and action plans to support the O’Neill. 

Administrative/Other (20%)

• Actively develop, implement, and evaluate the organization’s annual development plan, devising systems to track and report progress and metrics to understand the success of key initiatives;  produce regular reports on reaching contributed income goals and evolve reporting processes, as needed.
• Serve as senior staff member, participating and contributing to executive level planning discussions.
• Act as a public advocate at the O’Neill and within the local Waterford community and at times, within the national field of American theater.  
• Create a positive and productive working environment for the development team members and any associated interns or volunteers; acting as a mentor, guide and communicative partner.  
• Continually ensure optimal evaluative tools for various artistic and educational programs, for the purposes of developing compelling cases for support and evaluative reports for donors and supporters. 
• Ensure the Development Department’s monthly reconciliation process with the Business Office to guarantee proper tracking of all transactions

Qualifications

• A passion for the performing arts and the advancement of American theater and a commitment to the mission of the O’Neill. 
• Strong organizational skills; capable of balancing multiple projects simultaneously, using judgment to determine priorities, and successfully moving multiple high-priority projects forward together.
• Excellent communication skills; ease and elegance in written and oral communication, and comfort with public speaking.
• Friendly and neighborly, naturally ready to build relationships in and around Southeastern CT, and interface with constituents around the O’Neill campus during the summer season, ensuring excellent customer service and stewardship.
• A sense of discretion and care to keep donor information secure and interactions with notable alumni and donors private, maintaining confidentiality of sensitive information.
• Sound judgment and decision-making skills; able to consider the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the best course of action. 
• Available to work nights and weekends, especially during the concentrated period of special events and performances in the spring and summer months. 
• Ability to travel for Board of Trustee meetings, donor cultivation and solicitation, and special events – including frequent domestic and occasional international travel. 
• Familiarity with endowment or capital campaigns.
• Flexibility, openness, and sense of humor; capable of working independently and being part of an active, collaborative team. 
• Comfortable in a fast-paced, results-oriented environment.
• Experience with Salesforce/PatronManager, MS Office, Google Apps suite. 

 
Compensation

The salary for this position is $95,000-125,000. The Eugene O’Neill Theater Center provides comprehensive benefits, including providing health, dental, and vision. Employees have access to a 403b plan, long and short-term disability; paid time off; and parking. There is access to the beach, complimentary tickets to all productions, and meals when the cafeteria is open. During the off-season, team members work up to one day remotely, per the approval of their supervisor.   

The Eugene O’Neill Theater Center is an affirmative action equal opportunity employer. The O’Neill aims to foster a diverse culture that is inclusive of race, ethnicity, culture, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, ability, national origin, veteran status, socioeconomic class, religion, professional status, and the intersections thereof. We encourage our employees to be comfortable bringing their entire selves to work every day and pride ourselves on being a safe space for everyone.

Application Instructions

The Director of Development search is being conducted on behalf of the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center by TOC Arts Partners, a national consultancy aligning strategies, structures, and leadership toward a thriving cultural sector. The search is being led by Consultant Brenna Thomas, in consultation with and support from the TOC Arts Partners search team.

To apply, visit the online application and submit your materials. Your cover letter should include any training or experience relevant to the job profile that you would like to highlight, why you consider yourself a good fit for this opportunity, and anything else you’d like us to know about your qualifications that may not be present in your resume. 

For general questions or nominations of prospective candidates, please contact searchteam@tocartspartners.com. We kindly request no phone calls.

Specific questions about the position may be directed to:
Brenna Thomas
Consultant, Search & Strategy
brenna@tocartspartners.com 

Applications will be accepted until this role is filled. We encourage you to apply by April 3, 2026, for priority consideration. Interviews may begin at any time, and we encourage you to apply as early as possible for best consideration. Please note that applying before the priority deadline does not guarantee an interview, and all applicants will receive a response regarding the consideration and status of their candidacy. 

Not sure you meet 100% of our qualifications? Research shows that cis men apply for jobs when they fulfill an average of 60% of the criteria, while others tend only to apply if they meet every requirement. If you believe that you could excel in this role, we encourage you to apply. 

We are dedicated to considering a broad array of candidates, including those with diverse workplace experiences and backgrounds. So, whether you're returning to work after a gap in employment, simply looking to transition, or taking the next step in your career path, we will be glad to have you on our radar.