Development CA

Kathleen Anderson

Development Director
Stockton Symphony Association
Stockton, California
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Years in current position: 3
Years in the field: 3

Majors:
B.A. Sociology
M.A. Interdisciplinary Education

Additional Training:
Non-profit volunteer for 30 years

Career Path:
Ecology Research Librarian
Office Manager and Medical Technician
Community Relations Director, Barnes & Noble

What are the most surprising, interesting or challenging aspects of your day-to-day work?
Alignment, constant change of staff, economic downturn, and loss of corporate support.

What inspired you to work for an orchestra?
Love of music, and the individuals on the board.

What advice would you offer to someone considering the orchestra field?
Trust you own instincts. Stay focused on a few primary goals. Do not let the board distract you from the primary focus of raising money.

Any other advice?
Get over the fear of raising money and relate to your patrons’ passion and love of music. Listen to your donors and respond to their needs.

Robin Eschler

Director of Development
Santa Barbara Symphony
Santa Barbara, California
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Time in current position: Less than one year

Majors:
Natural Sciences, Art
M.B.A.

Career Path:
Independent Contractor/Consultant, RLE Marketing
Advertising Specialist, Hewlett-Packard
Marketing Manager, Solfan Systems
Employment Specialist and Director of Business Development, Work Training Programs Director of Development, Rehabilitation Institute at Santa Barbara

What are the most surprising, interesting or challenging aspects of your day-to-day work?
Each day holds a surprise of varying magnitude and complexity.

What inspired you to work for an orchestra?
Interest in music and the arts.

What were your first steps toward a career in development?
For me, it was a brain that functions analytically as well as creatively. From marketing, it’s a small leap to development, as both are relationship driven.

What advice would you offer to someone considering the orchestra field?
Be prepared for multi-tasking, working in a fast-paced environment, and communicating with a wide variety of personalities and egos.

Sandy Galin

Director of Development and Marketing
New West Symphony
Thousand Oaks, Oxnard, and Santa Monica, California
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Years in current position: 1.5
Years in the field: 15+

Majors:
Liberal Studies (elementary education) 
UCLA Extension: Fund Raising, Broadcasting

Additional Training:
Relevant database training
Meet the Grant Maker presentations
Association California Symphony Orchestra conferences
CASE (Council for Advancement and Support of Education) conferences;
Association of Fund Raising Professionals training programs

Career Path:
Professional Choral Musician, toured nationally and internationally and sang locally as a soloist and with ensembles (Roger Wagner Chorale, Norman Luboff Choir, William Hall Chorale, Carmel Bach Festival, San Luis Obispo Mozart Festival, Los Angeles Bach Festival, etc.)
Assistant to the Director of Alumni Development and Contracts and Grants, UCLA School of Social Welfare
Assistant Director, Annual Fund, Occidental College
Director of Development, Cal State University Northridge, Colleges of Humanities and Science and Math
Assistant Director of Development, College of Social and Behavioral Science and the University Library
Director of Advancement, Pacific Oaks College and Children’s School
Director of Development, CHIME Institute

What are the most surprising, interesting or challenging aspects of your day-to-day work?
It’s a joy to work for a musical organization where all employees are invested in making it a success. Challenging: We have one administrative assistant, so all directors do an amazing amount of multi-tasking, including writing direct mail solicitations and press releases; creating graphics for programs, cultivation, and marketing materials; producing and managing cultivation/fund-raising events; writing grants; raising funds from individuals/businesses; building audiences; securing sponsorships; arranging ensemble concerts (with the General Manager); inputting prospect and donor data; and more, including working with the board of directors and auxiliary leadership. 

What inspired you to work for an orchestra?
I thought it would be a wonderful match for my musical and development background.

What were the first steps in your professional career?
I took hands-on jobs so I could learn all the aspects of development, PR, community relations, and marketing. When I outgrew a position (or there was no where to move up), I moved on so I could keep growing my skills.

What advice would you offer to someone considering the orchestra field?
Try to intern for a non-profit in high school or volunteer while in college. If you let the executive or development director know you’re interested in working in the non-profit world, you will find an excellent mentor.

Any other advice?
Be organized and flexible.
 

Michelle Lange

Director of Development
Monterey Symphony
Carmel, California
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Years in current position: 2
Years in the field: 10

Majors:
Business

Additional Training:
Fundraising workshops in a variety of areas 
Planned giving seminars 
Dale Carnegie leadership training 
Washington Center’s Women as Leaders Program 
Blackbaud University Raiser’s Edge Training

Career Path:
Personnel Management Specialist, United States Army 
Administrative Assistant, United Mailing; Jefferson Community College 
Substitute Teacher, DoDDS 
Executive Director, Lakewood Health System Foundation 
Annual Gifts Officer,  CentraCare Health Foundation
Fundraising Consultant, Monterey Symphony

What are the most surprising, interesting or challenging aspects of your day-to-day work?
The most interesting is the varied backgrounds of the people I meet each day. The most surprising is the vast wealth of our patrons. The most challenging is changing what has always been done.

What inspired you to work for an orchestra?
I began playing the piano at the age of seven and played flute and bassoon through high school. I’ve continued with piano and have always had a great love of all music.  Marrying my love for music with my passion for fundraising seemed to be a perfect match.

Would you have done anything differently?
Looking back, I would have been more assertive in taking leadership responsibilities.
What advice would you offer to someone considering the orchestra development field?
In the world of development, the two most important qualities I’ve found to be useful are to be a good listener and to have a good memory. Learn as much as you possibly can about everything that is going on around you and stay current with trends that are and aren’t working. I’ve also found that if you are passionate about what you do, it becomes contagious.

Any other advice?
This field (more so than others) has an overwhelming mix of personalities that are sometimes difficult to handle. It seems to be a world where they perceive themselves as unique and exempt from the way people function in the real world. At the end of the day, we’re all just people!

Cathy Mendoza

Director of Development
Modesto Symphony Orchestra
Modesto, California
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Time in current position: 6 months
Years in the field: 2

Majors:
Communications/Public Relations

Career Path:
Org. Communications Analyst, Empire Union School District
Business Development Director, American Heart Association

What are the most surprising, interesting or challenging aspects of your day-to-day work?
I am challenged by the sheer volume of things I need to do, things I want to do, and creative out-of-the-box things I’d love to do!

What inspired you to work for an orchestra?
The Modesto Symphony is a highly regarded non-profit and a vital part of the community I’ve lived in for 23 years. We have attended concerts for several years and I am thrilled to work for such a fine organization!

What advice would you offer to someone considering the orchestra field?
You must value relationships with your sponsors and donors more highly than you value the contributions they might make!

Michelle Weger

Director of Institutional Giving
Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra
Los Angeles, California
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Years in current position: 3
Years in the field: 10

Majors:
Music-Vocal Performance

Additional Training:
The Grantsmanship Center grant-seeking and proposal workshops

Career Path:
Church Choir Conductor
Editorial Assistant, The Grantsmanship Center
Administrative/Program Assistant at a grassroots, multi-disciplinary art center
Administrative Assistant/Data Manager for a large childcare/anti-poverty organization Administrative/Production Assistant, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra

What are the most surprising, interesting or challenging aspects of your day-to-day work?
Interesting: Development always has an eye several months to a couple of years down the road, and I like hearing about plans for exciting programs while they’re in the formative stages. Challenging: See “Interesting.” Also, it can be frustrating to write about specifics of a program when they haven’t been completely fleshed-out. I never want to make promises to funders that aren’t likely to be fulfilled, and I don’t want to pressure the artistic/production staff to shape programs to fit funding guidelines.

What inspired you to work for an orchestra?
Music has always been a part of my life, and once I decided that a performing career was not for me, working with LACO kept me actively involved in the field, supporting an art form I love and surrounded by people who are as passionate about music as I am.

Would you do anything differently?
When I worked for The Grantsmanship Center, I felt strongly that I didn’t want to participate in fundraising myself. It wasn’t until later that I realized there might be jobs in development that could allow me to use my background in music and my writing skills, and which were still in my comfort zone. Also, early on, I didn’t really have a complete picture of the different roles in an arts organization, and I wished I’d made the effort to research, do informational interviews, etc., so that I knew more about typical job functions and what would be expected of me—and the best way to use my skills to contribute.

What advice would you offer to someone considering the orchestra field?
Nowadays, with so much information so easily accessible online, if nothing else, prospective arts administrators should look at organizational websites to see what kinds of programming different groups offer and how they’re structured. Reading college course catalogs in the areas of creative industries and non-profit management can also offer a clue about the kinds of skills and experience one might need to have to work in this field. If at all possible, volunteer for an organization, even if on a casual basis, and use that time to observe what staffers do and pick their brains about this field.