Senior Giving Officer, Maestro Circle

Senior Giving Officer, Maestro Circle

Development Department

Frontline Fundraising

Work Status:   

Full Time

FLSA Status:

Exempt

Location of Job:

Davies Symphony Hall

San Francisco, CA 

Salary:

Pay Grade E

$129,000 - $145,713

Schedule:

Hybrid

Regular Hours:

9 am-5 pm; regular evenings and weekends

Reports To:     

Deputy Director, Development

Supervisory:

Yes

2 direct reports

THE ORGANIZATION

The San Francisco Symphony is among the most adventurous and innovative arts institutions in the United States, celebrated for its artistic excellence, creative performance concepts, award-winning recordings, and standard-setting education and community engagement programs. Since it was established in 1911, the Symphony has grown in acclaim under a succession of distinguished music directors: Henry Hadley, Alfred Hertz, Basil Cameron, Issay Dobrowen, Pierre Monteux, Enrique Jordá, Josef Krips, Seiji Ozawa, Edo de Waart, Herbert Blomstedt, Michael Tilson Thomas, and Esa-Pekka Salonen. In May 2026, the Symphony announced Elim Chan as the 13th Music Director in its 115-year history, beginning with the 2027–28 season. One of the most sought-after artists of her generation, Elim Chan embodies the spirit of contemporary orchestral leadership with her crystalline precision and expressive zeal.

The San Francisco Symphony presents more than 200 concerts and presentations annually for an audience of nearly 350,000 in its home of Davies Symphony Hall and around the Bay Area. As a cornerstone of its mission, the San Francisco Symphony provides some of the most extensive education and community programs offered by any American orchestra. The Symphony’s free music education experiences engage students in grades 1–12 throughout the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD), serving more than 25,000 students annually.

In 2001, the SF Symphony became the first American orchestra to launch its own in-house record label, SFS Media. Recorded live in concert and engineered at Davies Symphony Hall, SFS Media recordings showcase music by contemporary composers as well as core classical masterworks. San Francisco Symphony radio broadcasts, the first in the nation to feature symphonic music when they began in 1926, today carry the Orchestra’s concerts across the country. In 2004, the SF Symphony launched the groundbreaking multimedia Keeping Score series on PBS-TV and the web; the series was made available for unlimited free streaming on the Symphony’s YouTube channel in 2020. In 2014, the San Francisco Symphony inaugurated SoundBox, an experimental and eclectic live music series, which takes place in an alternative performance space located backstage at Davies Symphony Hall. In 2023, the San Francisco Symphony partnered with Apple for the launch of a new classical music streaming app, Apple Music Classical, and has since released 17 spatial audio recordings of live concert performances through the app. For its adventurous programming, the Symphony has been honored 19 times by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, and the Symphony’s recordings have garnered France’s Grand Prix du Disque and Britain’s Gramophone Award, as well as 17 Grammy® Awards.

JOB SUMMARY

The Senior Giving Officer, Maestro Circle (SGO) reports to the Deputy Director, Development (DDD) and is a senior member of the Frontline Fundraising Team. The SGO is a frontline fundraiser responsible for managing a portfolio of 70-90 Major Gift and Planned Giving prospects that collectively contribute $2M-$4M annually to the Annual Fund, as well as contributions to Special Projects, Legacy Giving, and a comprehensive campaign. The SGO is also responsible for driving strategy for the Symphony’s top annual giving membership level, Maestro Circle ($25K+) and oversees the Giving Officer team that, in addition to their own portfolios/broad appeal responsibilities, oversee the strategy for the other two Symphony membership levels – Friends ($100-4,999) and Baton Circle ($5,000-24,999).

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Manage a Major Gift and Planned Giving portfolio of 70-90 households through all stages of identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship totaling $2M - $4M annually.
• Oversee the strategy, planning, budget, goals, and ROI for fundraising efforts in each of the three giving circles: Friends, Baton Circle, and Maestro Circle. Primary focus on the strategy and execution of efforts focused on the Maestro Circle.
• Supervise the Annual Giving Officer, Friends and the Annual Giving Officer, Baton Circle. Together, drive, execute, and communicate a comprehensive, integrated strategy for the movement of donors between the three giving levels to achieve and exceed income goals and increase volume of donors at all levels of giving.
• Ensure their prospect portfolio, and those of their team, are routinely updated with contact reports, moves management, and documentation of other key milestones in the donor’s relationship with the Symphony.
• Work collaboratively with other Development staff (primarily Prospect Management and Research, New Philanthropy, and Legacy Giving) as well as the CEO, Board and Volunteer Leadership to identify new prospects and coordinate strategic cultivation and solicitation steps and activities.
• Author and/or edit funding proposals, consistent with Symphony protocols, to facilitate effective gift solicitations.
• Recognize opportunities and anticipates needs, reviews requests for information and determines appropriateness of release, and keeps DDD and Chief Philanthropy Officer informed of items requiring attention.
• Maintain a broad knowledge of tax laws that impact charitable giving, personal assets, and estates.
• Perform additional duties as required by the SFS.

QUALIFICATIONS

• 7-10 years of annual fund and major gift fundraising, with a track record of success preferably in the performing arts. Relevant experience outside the nonprofit environment working with high-net-worth individuals will be considered.
• Strong leadership and management skills, with the ability to lead and mentor a team.
• Proven success in cultivating, stewarding, and soliciting prospects at the $25K+ level.
• Excellent communication skills, written and verbal.
• Ability to professionally and diplomatically communicate and interact with a wide variety of internal and external stakeholders.
• Strong organizational skills, with ability to work independently and manage highly detailed tasks.
• Ability to handle multiple tasks and priorities, and meet deadlines in a high-volume, fast-paced environment.
• Committed to success of the symphonic artform and able to communicate thoughtfully and enthusiastically about the work of the San Francisco Symphony.
• Familiarity with and/or passion for orchestral music a plus.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office and donor database software. Tessitura preferred.
• Willing to attend concerts and events, regularly on nights and weekends.
• Able to travel around the Bay Area and northern California as needed.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

Direct supervision of:

• Annual Giving Officer, Baton Circle
• Annual Giving Officer, Friends

WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

The internal and external constituents with whom this position most frequently interacts include:

• Frontline Fundraising team and Development Leadership Team
• CPO, CEO, some Leadership Team members
• Board and Life Governors
• Donors, especially upper level, and prospects
• Some vendors and consultants

EEO STATEMENT

In alignment with the values statement above, the San Francisco Symphony is committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy (including childbirth, lactation and related medical conditions), national origin, age, physical and mental disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information (including characteristics and testing), military and veteran status, and any other characteristic protected by applicable law.