Development Associate

About Free Arts NYC:

Free Arts NYC empowers youth from underserved communities through art and mentoring programs to develop their creativity, confidence, and skills to succeed.

For 25 years, we have strived to level the playing field and create equity in the creative space by providing high-quality arts and 1:1 mentorship programs for the next generation. Every year, we partner with over 40 schools, community centers, and transitional housing facilities to provide free programming for 1,600 young people through 2 core programs. The team consists of 13 (FT and PT) and the 2 million dollar annual budget is raised through corporate engagement opportunities, foundation grants, individual giving campaigns, unique partnerships and an Annual Art Auction honoring major figures in the contemporary art world including: Futura, KAWS, Julia Chiang, Eddie Martinez, Sam Moyer, Lawrence Weiner among others.

The Teen Arts Program follows an in-depth, long term mentoring model for young people ages 13-21 who are interested in exploring the arts academically or professionally through three interdependent tracks. Opportunities include portfolio development, artist studio visits, skill building workshops, creative company visits and paid internships.

Free Arts Days pair 25-50 children ages 6-12, with a volunteer for an afternoon of art-making and mini mentoring.

Art Parties provide opportunities for teams and individuals to support the program through material preparation, individualized art kit packing and bag and game making initiatives.

About the Position:

The Development Associate position will provide an enthusiastic young fundraiser with the chance to work with and learn from an experienced development team, rooted in the contemporary art world. This position will interact daily with Free Arts NYC’s corporate volunteers and partners, as well as supporters in various industries across the city. This role will be integral to the development team and will facilitate art parties both online and in person, assist with all Free Arts fundraising events and track important relationship data. The Development Associate will work with all department members and report directly to the Development Manager.

Responsibilities Include:

Executing and facilitating Art Parties

• Attend and host all art parties scheduled by Free Arts NYC
• Coordinate the delivery and receipt of any required materials
• Take detailed attendance for each event and execute by for:
• Virtual events - open zoom rooms, assume host functions, track the chat, manage break out rooms and surveys
• In-person workshops - arrive 1 hour early, prepare the space for participants, gather all materials, provide instructions to attendees and assistance during the event as needed, restore the space afterward
• Take images at events for social media and promotion
• Maintain and upload in shared filing system
• Report to the Development Manager and development team on potential leads and interests of participants
• Support the development team with other tasks as needed

Tracking Data

• Use Salesforce to track engagement activity, event attendance, company partners, artists and income opportunities
• Update and maintain corporate partner data
• Update and maintain key donor data
• Update and maintain artist partner data
• Maintain and update corporate contacts in Mailchimp

Other:

Free Arts NYC is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to seeking a diverse staff with respect to gender, age, race, ethnicity, national origin, class, educational background, religion, sexual orientation, and physical ability. All applicants are welcome. Professional proficiency in English is required and individuals who have working proficiency, or more, in Spanish are strongly encouraged to apply. Any proficiency in other or additional languages is most welcome.

Hybrid Work Environment: Currently Free Arts is operating with a hybrid of remote and in office work and in-office presence is required ad hoc. This role will regularly require in-person attendance for events at Free Arts NYC’s office and other offices
across the city. Proof of vaccination is required for employment.

Physical Demands: The day-to-day operations of this role require the use of a MacBook Pro, the ability to appear and participate in video conferences and can for now be completed from a satellite or home office. This role occasionally requires the employee to report to the office or an event location and sit, walk and stand as well as
use hands repetitively to handle or operate standard office equipment and lift up to 30lbs. This job description is not designed to cover or constrain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required. When duties and responsibilities
change and develop, generally the job description will be reviewed and subject to changes of business necessity.

Requirements

Successful candidates for this position will:

• Enjoy meeting and interacting with many different people in various settings
• Have a passion for art and equitable access
• Approach work with a strong equity lens and be dedicated to the principles of equity and inclusion
• Feel confident speaking publicly with groups of all ages
• Diligently track information with a strong attention to detail
• Have writing skills that are clear and to the point with precise grammar

In addition, we prefer candidates to have:

• Any level of degree in a field related to art, marketing or communications.
• An interest in careers related to the contemporary art world and fundraising
• Some performance experience