The Organization

The Columbus Symphony has served as central Ohio’s flagship music organization since 1951. Our musicians, conductors, chorus, and world-renowned guest artists enrich the central Ohio community through extraordinary talent, passion, dedication, and the highest standards of musicianship. Guided by the artistic vision of Music Director Rossen Milanov, the Columbus Symphony offers four programming “brands” – Masterworks, Pops, Picnic with the Pops, and Education/Community Engagement. This segmented approach, innovative within the American orchestra industry, is helping the Columbus Symphony to reach new, younger, and more diverse audiences.

The Opportunity

• Are you inspired by the power of music to connect and transform communities?
• Do you thrive on building lasting donor relationships and matching philanthropists’ passions with organizational priorities?
• Are you energized by leading annual giving strategies and fundraising in a dynamic, growing arts organization?

If so, the Columbus Symphony invites you to bring your fundraising expertise and passion for the arts to help secure the Symphony’s future.

Primary Function

The Director of Individual Giving, a member of the Columbus Symphony’s Development team reporting to the Chief Development Officer, is responsible for designing and executing strategies to secure philanthropic support from individuals. This includes leading annual giving programs, cultivating and soliciting major donors ($5,000+), and stewarding meaningful donor relationships. The Director ensures a seamless pipeline from annual support to major giving, advancing the Symphony’s mission to engage, inspire, and serve central Ohio.

Duties, Responsibilities, and Key Performance Objectives

First Month:

• Learn the existing annual giving programs and donor portfolios.
• Meet with supervisor, Development staff, marketing/communications colleagues, Board leaders, and others to understand interactions with this role.
• Document and share observations and suggestions with supervisor.

First 3–6 Months:

• Annual Giving Leadership
  • Oversee direct mail, digital campaigns, donor circles, and special appeals.
  • Measures of Success: Growth in participation, retention, and average gift size (e.g., 5-10% increase in donor renewal rate, 5-15% lift in average gift size).
• Major Gift Fundraising
  • Begin managing a personal portfolio of donors at the $5,000+ level.
  • Partner with the CDO, CEO on donor strategies.
  • Measures of Success: Secure at least 20-25 donor meetings and $250-$500k in verbal commitments by month 6.
• Stewardship & Donor Engagement
  • Implement timely and meaningful stewardship strategies.
  • Participate in cultivation events and donor experiences with musicians and artistic leadership.
  • Measures of Success: Maintain accurate donor data in CRM with 100% completion of required contact reports.

First Year:

• Launch innovative donor engagement strategies that deepen loyalty.
• Achieve annual giving revenue goals and secure a defined number of new or upgraded major donors.
• Collaborate across the organization to align donor engagement with performances, education programs, and community impact initiatives.
• Measures of Success: Year-over-year growth in Individual and major gift revenue.

Other Duties

• Promote best practices in donor relations and fundraising across the Symphony.
• Attend concerts, events, and donor gatherings as required (including evenings and weekends).
• Represent the Columbus Symphony with professionalism and passion in the community.
• This job description is not designed to cover or contain an exhaustive listing of duties, responsibilities, and key performance objectives that are expected of the employee. These items may change, or new job-related items may be assigned from time to time.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to inspire trust and confidence with diverse donors.
• Proven strategic planning and problem-solving abilities.
• Proficiency with donor management software (Tessitura, Raiser’s Edge, Salesforce, etc.) and Microsoft Office Suite.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines.
• Knowledge of and passion for the performing arts strongly preferred.
• Flexibility to work evenings and weekends for performances, events, and donor engagement.

CSO’s EEO Statement

The Columbus Symphony Orchestra (CSO) is an Equal Opportunity Employer. CSO does not discriminate in its employment decisions on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, pregnancy, lactation status, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, veteran or military status, genetic information, or any other protected status.

Credentials and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience required; advanced degree or CFRE preferred.
• Typically, a minimum of 5 years of progressive fundraising experience with proven success in annual and major gifts is needed to have sufficient experience to be successful in an organization of this size and complexity.
• Demonstrated success in cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding individual donors.

Special Requirements

• Requires flexibility with schedule to accommodate needs of the organization.
• Successful evaluation of a background check.
• The majority of CSO’s fundraising and public events take place in the evenings and on weekends. This position requires availability to work evenings and weekends as necessary.
• Must have reliable transportation for off-site meetings.