Director, Major Gifts

About Classical California
Classical California is America’s largest listener-supported public media organization dedicated to classical music. Home to KUSC in Los Angeles and KDFC in San Francisco, our broadcasts and streams reach 1.6 million listeners each month worldwide. We enrich lives and communities through music experiences that are accessible, inclusive, and relevant to audiences of all ages.

Position Summary
Classical California seeks a strategic and relationship-driven Director, Major Gifts to lead our major and mid-level giving programs. This newly established role sets the vision and strategy for donor cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship across KUSC and KDFC, driving revenue growth, donor retention, and pipeline development.

Reporting to the President of Classical California, the Manager oversees a team of gift officers and stewardship professionals, collaborates across departments, and serves as a key partner to USC Advancement. This is a high-impact leadership opportunity for a fundraising professional passionate about classical music, public media, and donor engagement.

Key Responsibilities

Fundraising & Strategy – 40%

• Develop and lead multi-year strategies for major ($2,500+) and mid-level giving.
• Manage a personal portfolio of top donors and prospects, including cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
• Oversee portfolio segmentation, pipeline development, and moves-management practices.
• Lead donor events and experiences across Southern and Northern California.

Team Leadership – 25%

• Supervise and coach gift officers; set goals, activity expectations, and development plans.
• Foster a collaborative, inclusive, and high-performing team culture.
• Recruit and onboard staff in alignment with USC and Classical California values.

Donor Relations & Giving Programs – 15%

• Design and implement personalized donor journeys and a year-round stewardship calendar.
• Oversee planned giving, foundation support, and grant initiatives.
• Manage strategic engagement with the Board of Councilors
• Coordinate targeted campaigns and digital giving strategies in collaboration with Development and Marketing.

Budgets & Administration – 20%

• Manage the Donor Relations budget and revenue forecasting.

• Ensure cross-functional alignment with Development, Marketing, Finance, and USC Advancement.

• Uphold compliance with USC policies, IRS regulations, and donor intent.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree
• Combined experience/education as substitute for minimum education.
• Minimum 7 years of fundraising experience, preferably in public media or the arts.
• At least 3 years of experience in major donor fundraising and stewardship.
• Minimum 2 years of supervisory experience.
• Proficiency with CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot) and online giving platforms.
• Strong writing, relationship-building, and project management skills.
• Experience with budgeting, forecasting, and data-driven fundraising.
• Ability to travel regularly between Los Angeles and San Francisco.

• Master’s degree

• 10 years of fundraising experience

• Knowledge of planned giving, foundation support, and grants.

• Experience with enterprise online giving (preferably GoFundMe Pro)

• Experience with email marketing, website development/coding and Adobe Creative Suite.

• Notice of Non-discrimination
• Employment Equity
• Read USC’s Clery Act Annual Security Report
• USC is a smoke-free environment
• Digital Accessibility

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