We teach underrepresented students the art and technology of game development through computer science, coding, animation, music, and storytelling. We provide private-school-level college-access services and ensure our students earn the maximum in scholarships. We connect our alumni to mentorship and internship opportunities at leading media and technology companies, generating a new and diverse talent pipeline.

“At Urban Arts, we imagine a world where historically disadvantaged young people gain economic mobility though meaningful careers as creators, thinkers and leaders in the creative and technology fields,” says Philip Courtney, CEO of Urban Arts.

Mission & Vision

Urban Arts designs and implements educational programs rooted in the arts and technology for underrepresented students. Because a quality education shouldn’t depend on a child’s zip code.

We teach underrepresented students the art and technology of game development through computer science, coding, animation, music, and storytelling.

We provide private-school level college-access services and ensure our students earn the maximum in scholarships.

We connect our alumni to mentorship and internship opportunities at leading media and technology companies, generating a new and diverse talent pipeline.

Urban Arts inspires students from low-income communities to harness their creativity and access technology, generating lifelong success through exceptional educations and state-of- the-art careers.

Our students learn to collaborate, problem solve, and lead. Our video game design course is an engaging entry point to teach computer sciences. It requires creative investment paired with exceptional technical skills. These courses craft future leaders and creatives in tech, media, and entertainment.

The U.S. tech industry has an estimated market value of $1.6 Trillion. In New York, the digital games industry is directly responsible for 4,600 jobs, $489 Million in wages, and $1.3 Billion in economic output. Business of this scale should look like all of us. Attracting a skilled, diverse and inclusive workforce is both an industry priority and an equity imperative.

Urban Arts is 30 years old, and we’ve served over 260,000 students across 150 schools.

Programs

Our work emphasizes success in STEAM from high school to college to career through these powerful programs.

Our mission is to inspire students from low-income communities to access their creativity and harness technology, generating lifelong success through personal growth, exceptional educations and state-of-the-art careers. A skilled, diverse and inclusive workforce is an industry priority and an equity imperative.

Our Impact

Urban Arts believes a quality education shouldn’t depend on a child’s zip code. So, we design and implement educational programs rooted in the arts and technology for underrepresented students.

We teach game development through computer science, coding, animation, music, and storytelling. We provide private-school level college-access services and ensure our students earn the maximum in scholarships. And we connect our alumni to mentorship and internship opportunities at leading media and technology companies, generating a new and diverse talent pipeline.

Position Overview

Reporting to the CEO, the Chief Development Officer (CDO) is a member of Urban Arts’ Executive Team and is responsible for all aspects of revenue as well as overseeing marketing, public relations, and board growth. The CDO will provide inspirational leadership to a team of five development and marketing professionals.

As the Chief Development Officer (CDO) at Urban Arts, you will lead the organization's efforts to develop a comprehensive fundraising strategy, build a strong board, and raise our public profile. You will play a vital role in securing the resources needed to drive our mission forward and expand our impact in the digital game design world.

Key Responsibilities

Fundraising Strategy: Develop and execute a dynamic fundraising strategy tailored to the unique needs of a digital game design nonprofit. Identify and cultivate potential funding sources, including individual donors, foundations, corporate partners, and government grants.

• Devise annual and long-term fundraising strategies, projections, and budgets that align with institutional goals and the Urban Arts’s values, programs, events, and contributions to the community.

• Build upon the existing fundraising roadmap to develop a comprehensive plan to expand revenue through individual, corporation, foundation, multilateral, and government partnerships.

Board Building: Lead the process of building and strengthening our board of directors. Identify, engage, and recruit individuals who are passionate about our mission and can provide valuable support in areas such as fundraising, networking, and governance.

• Routinely interface with the Board to review the campaign and annual development strategy and execution in conjunction with the CEO.

Donor Relations: Cultivate and steward relationships with individual donors, sponsors, and partners. Create a donor-centered approach to engagement, ensuring that supporters are well- informed and enthusiastic about our mission.

• Identify and manage a portfolio of high-net-worth donors and prospects that requires a systematic approach of cultivation, stewardship, personal visits, outreach, and engagement.

• Identify and secure new foundation support and manage a portfolio of high-net-worth donors and prospects that requires a systematic approach of cultivation, stewardship, personal visits, outreach, and engagement.

Public Profile: Develop and implement a comprehensive communications and marketing strategy to elevate Urban Arts' public profile. Work with the Marketing team to share success stories, engage with our community, and promote our work in the digital game design space.

• Enhance the image and visibility of Urban Arts at the national and international levels by collaborating with internal marketing and stakeholders, providing support related to messaging, strategy, and technology.

Financial Management: Oversee the budget and financial management of development activities, tracking income, expenses, and financial health. Make strategic adjustments as needed to meet development goals.

Leadership and Team Management: Provide leadership and guidance to the development team, fostering a collaborative and results-driven work environment. Encourage team members to innovate and achieve fundraising objectives.

• Baseline, assess and evolve comprehensive development staff capability at Urban Arts, including Major Gifts, Corporate, Estate, and Annual fundraising. Support and mentor the day-to-day activities of the fundraising team to maximize their performance and grow in their abilities.

Board Engagement: Collaborate with the Board of Directors, providing regular updates on fundraising progress and recommending strategies for achieving development goals. Engage board members in fundraising activities as appropriate.

• Partner with Board members in executing strategic outreach and engagement with potential and existing funders.

Professional Experience/Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in fundraising with a deep knowledge of developing major gifts from individual donors, foundations, and corporations coupled with a minimum of 5 years’ experience in managing and growing fundraising teams and strategies.

• Demonstrated ability to leverage strategic interactions with funding decision-makers, such as foundation program directors, federal agencies, individuals, and corporate entities.

• Experience in reviewing and refining fundraising operations, from budgeting to projections to tracking interactions, dashboards, reports, and deadlines in a CRM.

• Experience with designing / supporting / executing major events fundraising.

• Experience in communicating fundraising goals, strategies, and performance indicators to all levels of staff and Board.

• Demonstrated leadership skills with the ability to mentor and motivate staff around aggressive fundraising goals.

• Commitment to the Urban Arts mission and service with demonstrated experience positioning clear value to funders.

• Exceptional communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills coupled with the ability to relate and engage with executive supporters, colleagues, and Board members.

Education

• University degree or equivalent acceptable combination of education and experience. Graduate degree and/or CFRE designation is preferred.

Compensation

• Compensation and benefits will be commensurate with experience.