View Position Brochure Here

THE ORGANIZATION:

Known as “the finest-by-far major chorus in America” (Los Angeles Times), the Los Angeles Master Chorale is a vibrant cultural treasure hailed for its powerful performances, technical precision and artistic daring. Led by Grant Gershon, Kiki & David Gindler Artistic Director, and Scott Altman, President & CEO, it recently celebrated its 60th anniversary and one of the most successful years in its history.

As the choir-in-residence at Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles, it reaches over 175,000 people a year through its concert series, the international touring of innovative works, performances with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and more.

Beyond its live concerts, the Master Chorale has expanded its reach through its extensive Grammy Award-winning discography and appearances on national television, including three prominent segments on the 2025 Academy Awards, illustrating the Master Chorale’s facility and peerless nature.

Committed to increasing representation in the choral repertoire, the Master Chorale announced in 2020 that it will reserve at least 50 percent of each future season for works by composers from historically excluded groups. This commitment to inclusion runs through the entire organization, which recently ratified a five-year plan that commits to improving representation at the staff and board levels, continuing to build a more diverse roster of singers, and reaching a wider audience.

The Master Chorale recently launched the Youth Chorus LA, an inclusive program that provides a nurturing environment for young voices from all backgrounds. Its education programs also include Voices Within residencies that encourage fifth-grade students to write and perform their own songs, and the Oratorio Project in which high school students collaborate to write large, complex works. The Master Chorale also presents an annual High School Choir Festival, which brings teenagers from around the Southland to perform in Walt Disney Concert Hall. To learn more, visit www.lamasterchorale.org.

Mission

The Los Angeles Master Chorale is an independent and innovative professional vocal ensemble that shares the traditional and evolving spectrum of choral music with the widest possible audience. The Los Angeles Master Chorale advances their mission through performance, community education, collaboration, commissioning, and recording.

Vision

The Los Angeles Master Chorale envisions a world in which choral music is a conduit for belonging, a vehicle for participation in the arts, and a means for understanding and exploring commonalities and differences.

The Los Angeles Master Chorale strives to be a leader in engaging the diverse individuals and communities that make up Los Angeles, our home. Over the next three to five years, the Chorale will focus on using the transformative power of choral music to engage and to inspire more people in Los Angeles, and around the world, with greater impact.

THE OPPORTUNITY:

Reporting directly to the President & CEO, the Vice President of Advancement will elevate philanthropic giving and drive transformational impact. This strategic leader will be responsible for securing principal gifts, increasing annual giving, and building a robust donor pipeline. As the primary management liaison with the Advancement Committee, the Vice President of Advancement will attend Board meetings and collaborate closely with Board members.

As a key member of the senior management team, the Vice President of Advancement will contribute to shaping and leading the culture towards fundraising growth and innovation by sharing and promoting the mission with donors, volunteers, community members, staff, and patrons. The Master Chorale’s current operating budget is $8.7 million, with about $5.7 million raised annually through major gifts, membership, annual giving, corporate donations, institutional giving, planned giving, special events, and in-kind resources. Managing a team of five, the Vice President of Advancement will expand and diversify the donor base, with a strong focus on engaging new donors and fostering long-term relationships. The Master Chorale will be launching the Foundation for the Future Campaign to build long-term sustainability to include cash endowment and reserves.

The Vice President of Advancement will be joining a highly collaborative and collegial leadership team and will contribute to critical conversations that have a lasting impact on the institution, while leading an advancement operation that aligns with both immediate and long-term goals.

SPECIFIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: 

Fundraising and Donor Relations 

• Develop and implement a long-term fundraising strategy consistent with the Master Chorale’s strategic and operating plans and in alignment with the President & CEO’s vision.
• Oversee a portfolio of major gift fundraising, providing expertise in soliciting and cultivating donors at the five- and six-figure giving levels with the highest degree of professionalism and sophistication.
• Use donor-segmentation models to allocate resources efficiently, ensuring a well-balanced donor portfolio.
• Develop annual restricted and unrestricted goals consistent with annual operating plan objectives and in alignment with the President & CEO’s vision.
• Develop a metrics-based tracking mechanism as a means to evaluate the overall effectiveness of the fund development program each year.
• Ensure relationship-based development practices for an exceptional donor experience.
• Identify and implement innovative revenue streams and fundraising methods, focusing on sustainable unrestricted revenue.
• Establish team goals for acquisition of new donors, moves management of selected existing donors to higher giving levels, and stewardship of existing donors to maintain donor retention.
• Leverage development data to strengthen existing donor engagement and improve donor acquisition.
•  Oversee grant development from sourcing to receiving. 

Board Relations 

• Collaborate with the President & CEO to engage Board members, ensuring their active involvement in fundraising efforts.
• Serve as domain expert for the Board Advancement Committee.
• Attend Board and committee meetings, reporting on fundraising progress and offering insights for future strategy.
• Cultivate and solicit the Board for major gifts from individuals, corporations, and foundations. 

Leadership and Management 

• Partner with the senior management team and Board Advancement Committee to collaborate on strategic and business planning processes, setting contributed income goals and identifying the necessary resources required for success. 
• Develop, plan, direct, manage, implement, and evaluate the development program including annual giving, foundation grants, major gifts, corporate giving, planned gifts, endowment gifts, multi-year campaigns, and special events.
• Strengthen and build an agile and results-oriented workforce. 
• Develop effective evaluation criteria and metrics to measure success.
• Promote cross functional collaboration as a component of operationalizing the strategic plan and annual goals.
• Ensure efficient and transparent financial tracking and reporting in partnership with the finance department. 
• Strategize with marketing and communications to develop innovative ways to engage and cultivate single-ticket purchasers.
• In connection with the annual business planning and budgeting process, plan and evaluate financial needs and fundraising plans for the organization’s future.
• Lead the team to success in taking its innovations to market in a timely and scalable way. 
• In collaboration with the Advancement team, oversee the cultivation of and maintenance of a vibrant, high-level, volunteer program that creates an ongoing source of volunteer leadership and community involvement. 

TRAITS AND CHARACTERISTICS DESIRED: 

The Vice President of Advancement will be a dynamic, creative, and entrepreneurial leader with a successful record of fundraising, including planning and executing a development program. The successful candidate will be a strategic thinker with the ability to move a team forward by inspiring and motivating people with creativity and energy. The Vice President of Advancement should not only possess exemplary verbal and written communication skills but should also be able to create a collaborative environment that is conducive to open and direct communication with stakeholders. The candidate should be a resourceful, data driven, results-oriented leader with the ability to think strategically, generate new ideas, prioritize, plan, multitask, and set goals and objectives, as well as implement and follow-through while meeting financial goals and deadlines.

A skilled manager and an individual contributor, the Vice President of Advancement will work and think independently yet build on group dynamics and set high expectations with the Advancement team. The ideal candidate will be an effective delegator who can empower staff, set agendas, lead meetings, document activities and measure progress. Additionally, the Vice President of Advancement must have a deep appreciation for the mission and artistic excellence of the Master Chorale and a passion for advancing its impact in the Los Angeles community and beyond. Integrity, professionalism, and a commitment to fostering a culture of philanthropy within the organization are key attributes.

CAREER TRACK LEADING TO THIS POSITION: 

The Vice President of Advancement will have an exceptional record of personal achievement in cultivating donors and raising major gifts as well as documented success in managing a comprehensive advancement team. Previous experience working on capital campaigns, soliciting major gifts, and working with a sophisticated, engaged board is essential. Candidates will be expected to have experience leading and articulating a vision as well as the demonstrated ability to make and execute plans, reach goals, and develop staff and volunteers into a highly functioning team. A background in classical music, performing arts, or other arts-related fields would be a plus. Demonstrated experience using Tessitura or a similar development CRM program is preferred.

COMPENSATION, WORK HOURS AND LOCATION:

The annual salary range for this position is $230,000 to $260,000 plus generous benefits and respected work life balance.

The Vice President of Advancement is based in the Master Chorale’s office at The Music Center in Los Angeles. While it is expected that this individual will attend office meetings, the Vice President of Advancement will be actively engaged in cultivating and stewarding donor relationships through daily interactions, including coffee meetings, lunches, and dinners to secure philanthropic support.

EDUCATION:

A bachelor's degree is required; a graduate degree is preferred. A CFRE is a plus.

The Los Angeles Master Chorale provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, the Los Angeles Master Chorale complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

The Los Angeles Master Chorale expressly prohibits any form of workplace harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, or veteran status. Improper interference with the ability of the Los Angeles Master Chorale’s employees to perform their job duties may result in discipline up to and including discharge.