Director of Development & Partnerships

Jazz Vivace is seeking a part-time, remote Director of Development & Partnerships (10–12 hours/week at $40/hour) to build and lead its fundraising and sponsorship efforts in Cincinnati. This self-directed, entrepreneurial role will evaluate and implement a donor-management system, cultivate relationships with individual donors and corporate sponsors, and drive new revenue to support live jazz programming.

Organization: Jazz Vivace
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio; primarily remote with occasional local meetings and events
Schedule: Approximately 10–12 hours per week, with the opportunity to grow based on results and organizational needs
Compensation: $40 per hour

About Jazz Vivace

Jazz Vivace is a Cincinnati-based nonprofit dedicated to presenting, supporting, and expanding access to live jazz. Our performances take place at Caffè Vivace, our primary venue, but this position is employed by and works on behalf of Jazz Vivace. The organization is led by a volunteer board and operates in a largely remote, asynchronous environment.

The Opportunity

Jazz Vivace is seeking a proactive, entrepreneurial development professional to build and lead the organization’s fundraising and partnership efforts.

This is not primarily an administrative fundraising position. We need a doer and a decision-maker: someone who can assess our current resources, recommend the right systems and strategies, and then put them into action. The successful candidate will cultivate existing supporters while actively developing new relationships with individual donors, corporate sponsors, foundations, and community partners.

Our current fundraising infrastructure is limited. An early-stage donor-management system has been started, but the Director will have the authority to evaluate it, improve it, or recommend a more appropriate solution. This is an opportunity to shape a development program rather than inherit a rigid one.

Because Jazz Vivace operates without a traditional office and relies on a volunteer board, this role requires a self-directed, communicative, and dependable leader who is comfortable owning outcomes. This position offers meaningful autonomy—we want someone who brings informed recommendations, makes decisions within an agreed scope, and carries the work forward independently. Beginning on a part-time basis, the role’s scope and hours have the potential to grow as the Director develops sustainable new revenue and demonstrates capacity for expanded development work.

Responsibilities

• Create and execute a practical development plan aligned with Jazz Vivace’s mission, programming, and capacity
• Identify, research, qualify, and cultivate prospective individual donors, sponsors, foundations, and community partners
• Proactively initiate outreach and move prospects toward conversations, proposals, and financial commitments
• Develop compelling sponsorship opportunities and partnership proposals
• Build meaningful relationships with new and existing donors
• Establish an effective system for tracking donors, prospects, communications, commitments, and follow-up activities
• Evaluate the organization’s current CRM work and recommend whether to improve it or adopt an established platform
• Manage donor acknowledgments, stewardship communications, and appropriate recognition
• Identify relevant grant opportunities and coordinate applications when they fit the organization’s priorities
• Create fundraising materials and collaborate with the marketing coordinator when design or promotional support is needed
• Provide the president and board with concise, useful progress reports, pipeline visibility, and clearly defined next actions
• Help board members participate effectively in fundraising by giving them specific, manageable ways to contribute
• Represent Jazz Vivace at selected meetings, performances, and community events

What Success Looks Like

During the first six months, the Director will be expected to:

• Assess the organization’s current fundraising assets, donor information, and opportunities
• Implement a reliable donor and prospect-management system
• Build and actively manage a qualified fundraising pipeline
• Establish a consistent rhythm of prospect outreach, meetings, proposals, and follow-up
• Strengthen stewardship of current donors
• Develop actionable sponsorship opportunities
• Demonstrate measurable progress toward new contributed revenue

Specific goals will be established collaboratively based on the organization’s existing donor base, programming calendar, and realistic market opportunities.

Qualifications

We are most interested in demonstrated ability, sound judgment, and follow-through. A successful candidate will likely bring:

• Experience in nonprofit development, sponsorship sales, donor relations, institutional advancement, or a closely related field
• A record of developing new relationships and moving them toward financial support
• Confidence initiating conversations and making direct asks
• Strong persuasive writing and interpersonal communication skills
• Experience selecting or managing a donor CRM or comparable relationship-management system
• The ability to turn broad goals into priorities, systems, and concrete action
• Excellent follow-up and attention to detail
• Comfort working independently in a remote, asynchronous environment
• The judgment to make decisions while knowing when board input or approval is necessary
• An appreciation for jazz, live music, the arts, or community-based cultural programming

Experience with arts organizations, corporate sponsorships, or Cincinnati-area philanthropy is especially valuable but not required.