Fellowship for Non-profit Development and Arts Administration
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Story Pirates offers valuable training for emerging nonprofit development leaders through its fellowship program. The program has two goals: to generate a new class of powerful arts education advocates, and to produce resourceful, dedicated, and reliable fellows who can navigate any arts environment, having had a wealth of hands-on experience in a vibrant, nationwide arts education organization. We are currently seeking a potential Non-profit Development and Arts Administration Fellow for our New York office during the 2015-16 season.
Fellowships run from September through June. Fellows are expected to devote 26 hours per week, including three days full-time. Fellows receive mentorship, training, direct experience booking and managing arts education programs, one-on-one meetings with arts professionals, site visits to schools and venues, and access to special events.
MENTORSHIP
A mentor guides the fellow through the year, giving support, feedback, and individual attention on a daily basis. Mentors take responsibility not only for the fellow’s progress during the year, but also for helping the fellow to work toward long-term career goals in producing, arts education, arts administration, and not-for-profit development.
TRAINING
Development fellows receive extensive training in September and throughout the fellowship in the following areas:
- Advocating for arts education programming
- Maintaining relationships with clients
- Management of cast, teaching artists, and staff
- Scheduling workshops, performances, and events
- Invoicing and payment tracking
- Grants research and writing
- Organizing fundraising events
- Donor relations
HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE
Fellows are given the responsibility of managing educational programs and public bookings from start to finish, working directly with parents, teachers, and school administrators in a diverse range of communities in and around New York City. In addition to managing school programs, fellows receive training in creating and maintaining donor relationships, grant writing, outreach, corporate underwriting, and nationwide fundraising campaigns.
ONE-ON-ONE MEETINGS
Fellows will have the opportunity to meet one-on-one with every leader in the organization, to discuss their fields and experiences, as well as the projects they are currently working on at Story Pirates. When possible, meetings will also be arranged with arts and education professionals from outside the company, in the interest of working toward the fellow’s career goals. Fellows will also be invited to company forums, presentations, and seminars on special topics as they come up over the course of the year.
SITE VISITS
Fellows will visit schools and performance venues, first to gain an understanding of the programs, and eventually acting as full-fledged representatives of Story Pirates. This is a rare opportunity to witness the effect that a powerful arts education program can have on a school environment, or even on a general audience, and it will sometimes involve travel to other cities and towns in the area.
ACCESS TO SPECIAL EVENTS
Story Pirates hosts an annual benefit for its low-income school partners, with celebrities joining our mission to inspire kids to write and read. Fellows are an integral part of the benefit and would also receive complimentary tickets to many Story Pirates shows, including some of our AfterDark shows for grown-ups.
COMPENSATION
Each fellow receives a $100/week stipend as well as a monthly Metrocard to cover travel expenses.
REQUIREMENTS
Although the fellowship will not involve much direct work with children, we do prefer to work with people who are comfortable around kids. In addition:
- Completed undergraduate or graduate degree
- Some experience in arts administration, amateur or professional
- Strong communication skills
- Ability to work well in a collaborative environment
We strongly recommend that all potential fellows have a solid plan for housing in New York City before accepting a position, if they do not already live in the five boroughs. We fully understand that fellows often need to find additional employment to afford living in New York, and we do our best to build the fellow’s schedule around other obligations.
