Chief Development Officer

Center Theatre Group Overview
Center Theatre Group (CTG), one of the nation’s preeminent arts and cultural organizations, is Los Angeles’ leading nonprofit theatre company, which, under the leadership of Brindell & Milton Gottlieb Artistic Director Snehal Desai, Managing Director/CEO Meghan Pressman, and Producing Director Douglas C. Baker, programs the Mark Taper Forum and the Ahmanson Theatre at The Music Center in Downtown Los Angeles, and the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City. CTG is one of the country’s leading producers of ambitious new works through commissions and world-premiere productions and a leader in interactive community engagement and education programs that reach across generations, demographics, and circumstances to serve Los Angeles.

CTG was founded in 1967 with the opening of the Ahmanson Theatre and Mark Taper Forum at The Music Center. CTG has staged a wide variety of dramas, musicals, comedies, classics, and world premieres and has played host to a veritable cast of industry greats. The Taper has received every theatrical award, including two Pulitzer Prizes in Drama. In 2004, CTG transformed a historic 1940s movie house in downtown Culver City into the intimate Kirk Douglas Theatre. The company has grown to become the largest nonprofit theatre company in Los Angeles and is one of the top five largest in the nation. Pressman joined the company in 2019 as the first woman in a senior leadership role, and in 2023, Desai was named the third and current Artistic Director of Center Theatre Group.

Today, under the leadership of Desai and Pressman, CTG’s core function is to produce and present a broad range of bold and engaging theatre for the public and support the theatrical community. This work is principally accomplished through CTG’s year-round seasons at the 736-seat Mark Taper Forum and 1,600 to 2,000-seat Ahmanson Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles, and the 317-seat Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City, with annual attendance, on average, of over 400,000 visits. CTG’s mission is to serve the diverse audiences of Los Angeles by producing and presenting theatre of the highest caliber, by nurturing new artists, by attracting new audiences, and by developing youth outreach and arts education programs.

Role Summary
The Chief Development Officer (CDO) is responsible for conceptualizing, organizing, and implementing a comprehensive and strategic fundraising program in support of CTG’s mission and strategic priorities. The CDO will serve as a thought partner to the Managing Director/CEO, to whom the position reports, also working closely with the Artistic Director, who is actively engaged and an effective fundraising collaborator. The CDO will also work closely with artistic leadership, senior administrators, the Board of Directors, and other volunteer leaders to build a sustainable culture of philanthropy throughout the organization, cultivate transformative gifts, and ultimately elevate and support CTG’s mission. The CDO leads a team of approximately 20 individuals across the following areas: individual major and principal gifts; foundation, government, and corporate relations; campaign management; special events; development communications; and development operations. This leader oversees the generation of total contributed revenue ranging between approximately $14 million and $16 million annually. They will be tasked with sustained growth of CTG's annual fund (approximately $11 million in FY26), in addition to working with leadership to launch the public phase of a multi-year campaign in support of special initiatives and long-term goals of the organization, including facilities, organizational capacity building, strategic artistic investments, and financial sustainability.

The CDO will be empowered to examine and evolve all dimensions of the development function in consultation with the Managing Director/CEO for the ongoing evolution of a best-in-class program with clear lines of responsibility and communication, robust metrics and accountability framework, and sustainable systems, structures, and protocols capable of meeting CTG’s fundraising needs. This individual will provide motivational leadership while investing deeply in mentoring and training staff, maintaining a fierce commitment to their personal and professional development. The CDO holds primary responsibility for fostering the strategic, best practices participation of an array of CTG stakeholders in fundraising initiatives.

The CDO will spearhead an organization-wide strategic plan for CTG fundraising and drive the pursuit of corresponding fundraising priorities and major capital initiatives. This work will undoubtedly be supported by the inroads CTG is making into the broader Los Angeles community, energized by the consistent success of artistic risk taking that is bringing scores of new patrons into meaningful connection with the organization and an artistic model championing the ethos of ‘empowerment through storytelling.’

There is a great opportunity for growth within the Los Angeles community that does not require CTG to stand solely with the traditions historically prevalent in theatrical fundraising.

Candidate Profile
Center Theatre Group will consider a broad range of backgrounds. The ideal candidate will align with the following:

• Passion for theatre and live performance, deep appreciation for the mission and aspirations of CTG, and the ability to authentically engage and inspire others as a senior representative of the organization.
• 15+ years of experience in development with progressive levels of leadership responsibility, including experience with the following: individual giving, institutional giving, major gifts, annual fund/membership, planned giving, stewardship, development operations, special events fundraising, board management/relations, and leadership in a major fundraising campaign. Demonstrated success in change management, conceptualizing fundraising program growth, and in setting and meeting philanthropic goals. Preference for candidates with fundraising experience in a theatre, performing arts, or other complex arts and culture environment.
• Knowledge of and fundamental adherence to the principles, ethics, and best practices of modern fundraising.
• Demonstrated commitment to and understanding of how to build access, belonging, and engagement in the development function. Skilled at delivering solutions in evolving, multi-cultural environments.
• Ability to lead, recruit, evaluate, mentor, and develop a diverse team of development professionals and contribute to the ongoing fostering of a high-functioning, results-oriented, multi-racial/multi-ethnic workforce, as well as a dedication to both the personal and professional growth of the members of the team. Track record of maintaining clear goals and shared accountability.
• Demonstrated success in developing an impactful case for support and communications, strategic and innovative fundraising initiatives, and executing plans to achieve goals. Demonstrated experience engaging, cultivating, training, and working collaboratively with executives, senior staff, and volunteer leaders on development-related activities, providing them with the support necessary to increase their comfort level and success in fundraising.
• Track record of personally identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding major gifts from individual and institutional donors at the level of six to seven figures and greater.
• Forward thinker with a track record of utilizing new methods of constituent engagement and connectivity.
• Ability to extract and analyze data to make effective, efficient decisions about donor strategy and process. Working knowledge of modern data management practices and innovations that can streamline development processes and contribute to the integration of related functions.
• Knowledge of the Los Angeles philanthropic landscape strongly preferred though not required.
• Familiarity with Tessitura to aid in the management of donor communications and event management is a plus.
• Flexibility to travel.

Equal Opportunity Employer
Center Theatre Group is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any applicant on the basis of race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, color, ancestry, disability, age, national origin, pregnancy, veteran/military status, genetic information, or any other basis prohibited by law. CTG will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories for employment in a manner consistent with the requirements of the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance.

Download the full position description via the following link:
https://dsgco.com/search/23206-ctg-cdo

Center Theatre Group has retained DSG Fundraising & Advancement of DSG | Koya to assist in this confidential search process. Inquiries, nominations, and applications (current resumes and cover letters) may be submitted via the following link or directed to the leader of the search team:

https://talent-profile.dsgco.com/search/v2/23206

Gerard F. Cattie, Jr.
Global Managing Partner and Practice Founder – DSG Fundraising & Advancement
DSG | Koya
New York, New York
[email protected] | 212.542.2587