Gift Officer [Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, Liberty, NY]

Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, on the site of the historic Woodstock Festival, seeks a passionate lover of the arts and skilled gift officer to join its mission to inspire, educate, and empower individuals through the arts and humanities.  Since 2006, Bethel Woods has preserved the unique place in cultural history of the site of the 1969 “Aquarian Exposition” that is widely regarded as a pivotal moment in popular music history.  In recent years, the Center has hosted performances ranging from the Boston Pops and New York Philharmonic to Tony Bennett; Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young; and Lady Gaga, as it seeks to become locally, regionally, nationally and internationally known as the premier cultural Museum and exploration center for the decade of the 1960s.  With a seasoned and successful Chief Development Officer in Dr. John Farkas, the burgeoning development function of the organization seeks an energetic and enthusiastic friend-raiser with strong communications skills, an aptitude for connecting donor vision with organizational goals, and an ability to articulate the case for support of a thriving cultural treasure.

Located approximately 90 miles from New York City, the Center incorporates a 16,000-capacity outdoor performing arts venue, an intimate 400-seat Event Gallery, and the Museum at Bethel Woods located on a 2,000-acre campus that includes the historic Yasgur field, site of the original “Woodstock Nation.”  Bethel Woods offers a diverse selection of performances, educational and community programs, including the annual Harvest Festival, which covers topics such as history and the arts, community collaboration, and outreach.  Amenities include a 7,500 square-foot stage, a 4,500 covered seat pavilion and a natural sloping lawn accommodating up to 10,500 people, an outdoor terrace stage with space for up to 1,000, and the Woodstock Site Festival Field, which accommodates events attracting up to 30,000 participants. Other venues at the center include The Event Gallery (small performance/lecture space), the Museum Theatre (132 seat capacity), The Market Sheds (event space), two classrooms, a café, museum shop, and patio.  The award-winning Bethel Woods Museum, with interactive exhibits, informative displays, and a collection of artifacts, opened in June 2008, is dedicated to the exploration the unique experience of the 1969 Woodstock Music and Art Fair, its significance as a culminating event of a decade of radical cultural transformation, and the legacies of the Sixties and Woodstock today. The Museum won a Theatre Award for excellence in themed entertainment in 2010.  For more information please visithttp://www.bethelwoodscenter.org.

The new Gift Officer may elect living options ranging from the truly rural to suburban, small city, or fully urban settings in or beyond the Center’s primary catchment area. The small town of Liberty, NY, host to Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, is located in Sullivan County, formerly famous as the Catskill summer resort region, with strong connections to the New York City entertainment industry.  Myriad lakes and rivers, including the Delaware, and the rolling, rural landscape offer boating, hiking, mountain climbing, and other outdoor recreation options, while a drive of less than two hours will provide access to New York City, Albany, New Haven, or Scranton.  Local attractions include quality golf courses and the Monticello Raceway, as well as performance and arts venues and a number of historic sites.

Application: Interested candidates should submit a cover letter and resume to RPA Inc at bethelwoods@rpainc.org. For a confidential discussion, call Mary Wagner, or Vicky Ayers at RPA Inc. at 800-992-9277. The first review of candidates will be August 28, 2015.  Applications will be accepted until the search is closed.

Bethel Woods Center for the Arts is an Equal Opportunity Employer, does not discriminate based on race, religion, color, age, gender, national origin, physical disability, or sexual orientation and encourages applications from women, minorities, veterans, and people with disabilities.

The new Gift Officer will be responsible for building relationships with donors through identifying, cultivating, soliciting, closing, and stewarding gifts and will be responsible for managing an individual and corporate donor portfolio. A creative problem solver, he or she will assist the Chief Development Officer in carrying out the designated duties and responsibilities of the Center’s strategic development plan, including relationship management, monitoring and reporting progress toward goals, helping build a planned giving program, and coordinating personal prospect research.  Three to five years of previous experience in gift solicitation, experience working with dedicated volunteers, and a history of building donor relations are required.  Strong written, verbal, organizational, and interpersonal skills are essential.  The Center seeks a self-motivated professional who can work independently as well as with a strongly committed team, who can accomplish goals, and achieve or exceed planned benchmarks.  A bachelor’s degree is required.