Annual Giving Officer, Baton Circle

Annual Giving Officer, Baton Circle

Development Department

Frontline Fundraising

Work Status:

Full Time

FLSA Status:

Exempt

Location of Job:

Davies Symphony Hall

San Francisco, CA 

Salary:

Pay Grade G

$95,611 - 105,752

Schedule:

Hybrid

Regular Hours:

9 am-5 pm; intermittent evenings and weekends

Reports To:             

Senior Giving Officer, Maestro Circle

Supervisory:

No

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. The Orchestra performs a robust schedule of core classical concerts from September through June, and offers a dynamic mix of holiday programs, groundbreaking SoundBox performances, chamber concerts, guest artist recitals, live-to-film presentations, popular artist collaborations, a month-long summer series, and other special events that invite audiences across the Bay Area to connect with the Symphony in ways that resonate with their interests, experiences, and traditions.

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. 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. 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. 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 Annual Giving Officer, Baton Circle (AGOBC) reports to the Senior Giving Officer, Maestro’s Circle and is a member of the Individual Giving Team. The AGOBC is a frontline fundraiser responsible for managing a portfolio of 90-100 Major Gift and Planned Giving prospects that collectively contribute $1.5M - $3.5M annually to the Annual Fund, as well as contributions to Special Projects, Planned Giving, and a comprehensive campaign. The AGOBC is also responsible for the fundraising strategy for the Symphony’s Baton Circle, a group of donors contributing $5,000-$24,999 and bringing in approximately $3.5-4 million annually. The AGOBC serves on a team of three who oversee the fundraising strategy for the Symphony’s three giving levels: Friends, Baton Circle, and Maestro’s Circle.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Manage a Major Gift and Planned Giving portfolio of 90-100 households through identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship totaling $1.5M - $3.5M annually.
• In collaboration with gift officers and the Manager, Prospect Research and Development, ensure prospect portfolio is routinely updated with contact reports, moves management, and documentation of milestones in the donor’s relationship with the Symphony.
• Plan, implement, and evaluate annual strategy for the Baton Circle, including renewal, new acquisition, upgrades, and additional gift requests, as well as strategic benefits and fulfilment.
• Create and maintain excellent donor relations. Collaborate with the donor engagement and development operations staff on all membership events and benefits, campaign premiums, stewardship activities, and other membership communications.
• With the Deputy Director, Individual Giving and the Senior Giving Officer, Maestro’s Circle, govern Baton Circle current and future expenses and revenue and regularly communicate progress toward goal, current strategies, and ROI.
• With the Senior Giving Officer, Maestro’s Circle and the Annual Giving Officer, Friends, develop a comprehensive, integrated strategy for the movement of donors between the three giving levels to meet income goals and grow the overall donor base.
• Work collaboratively with other Development staff (primarily Prospect Management and Research, New Philanthropy, and Legacy Giving) to identify new prospects and coordinate strategic cultivation and solicitation steps and activities.
• Partner with the Senior Giving Officer, New Philanthropy and Discovery Gift Officer on strategy and management of the Symphony’s emerging philanthropist donor community, Prelude.
• Author and/or edit funding proposals, consistent with Symphony protocols, to facilitate effective gift solicitations.
• Maintain a broad knowledge of tax laws that impact charitable giving, personal assets and estates.
• Perform additional duties as required by the SFS.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• 5-7 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.
• Proven success in managing a portfolio and cultivating, stewarding, and soliciting prospects at the $15K+ level.
• Excellent communication skills, both 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

None

WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

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

• Frontline Fundraising team, broader Development team
• Education and Orchestra Personnel departments
• Donors and prospects

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.