Director, Legacy Giving

About The Houston Grand Opera

The mission of HGO is to enrich our diverse community through the art of opera. We do so by creating, curating, exploring, and producing outstanding experiences centered around the human voice. HGO has received a Tony Award, three Grammy Awards, and three Emmy Awards – we are the only opera company in the world to win all three honors. Our strategic focus is two-fold: creating profoundly enriching experiences for our diverse audiences and clearly defining and positively promoting the HGO brand. We believe every team member enriches our organization by exposing a broad range of ways to understand and engage our community and discover, design, and deliver enriching experiences.

Role Overview

The Director of Legacy Giving plans and implements all aspects of Houston Grand Opera's legacy giving program. The Director is a key staff member of the HGO Philanthropy Team and works with our donors and audience members to secure the future of Houston Grand Opera through planned, deferred, estate and endowment gifts. This role also collaborates with Philanthropy colleagues to ensure that Legacy Giving is integrated into donor solicitations. Additionally, the Director is responsible for continued annual fundraising from existing Legacy donors to ensure the continued success of HGO.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and implement strategies and tactics for the identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of planned, deferred, estate and endowment gifts.
• Design and implement a comprehensive, annualized marketing plan to increase the number of members of our premier "HGO Laureate Society."
• Manage a lifetime stewardship portfolio of donors whose documented gifts are planned, deferred, or estate.
• Solicit planned giving prospects and current Laureate Society members for annual fund support, serving as a key connector between legacy donors and HGO's ongoing philanthropic priorities to maximize both immediate and long-term impact.
• Serve as an internal resource on gift planning vehicles including charitable remainder trusts, charitable gift annuities, donor-advised funds, qualified charitable distributions (QCDs), and bequests.
• Facilitate gift arrangements and ensure compliance with organizational gift acceptance policies, in collaboration with donors' legal and financial advisors.
• Collaborate with the HGO Philanthropy team to identify, cultivate, and solicit prospects for planned and endowment giving.
• Participate as the HGO liaison to the Laureate Society: develop and distribute reports on acquisition progress to internal team and external board members; participate in development and distribution of annual reports to external HGO Endowment fund holders.
• Ensure that records for Legacy Giving donors and prospects are accurate and up to date with all donor interactions, proposals, and gift activity in Tessitura, ensuring data integrity and supporting accurate reporting and financial forecasting.
• Assist with staffing of events, as assigned.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required, with advanced degree or certification preferred.
• A minimum of five years of front-line fundraising experience required, with an emphasis on legacy giving preferred.
• Strong knowledge and understanding of current philanthropy trends, with a clear desire to constantly learn and improve skills.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills that support meaningful relationships with organizational leadership, staff, and high-level volunteers.
• Experience in, and commitment to, data driven decision making.
• Proven ability to work with a high level of independence, maintain confidentiality, prioritize assignments, and manage time effectively.
• Proficiency in donor management software and CRM systems (e.g., Tessitura, Raiser's Edge, Salesforce) for donor tracking, reporting, and analysis.

Special Characteristics

• We seek a resourceful, proactive, self-starter who can independently solve problems and prioritize key tasks in a fast-paced environment.
• Successful candidates will be natural motivators, who encourage and empower others to meet ambitious goals.
• Must be highly organized with strong attention to detail.
• High level of personal and professional ethics.
• Ability to work flexible hours (including evenings and weekends) and willingness to travel to attend donor events, performances, and meetings as needed.
• Knowledge of opera is a plus, and a passion for the performing arts is essential.

Compensation and Benefits

We offer robust benefits to full-time employees, including:

• Comprehensive and affordable health benefits.
• Generous paid time off.
• 403b retirement plan with employer match.
• Flexible work schedule.
• Professional development fund and opportunities.
• Discounted parking in the Theater District garage and nearby lots, plus easy access to Metro transportation.
• Free tickets to our mainstage and community productions and events.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those we consider important for an employee to successfully perform essential functions of this job: extended periods of sitting and performing tasks such as typing and using a computer mouse, with strong visual and auditory focus, occasional lifting (not exceeding 20 pounds), reaching for items, effective communication skills, and fine motor abilities, being mobile within the office for activities like attending performances, events, and meetings. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.