Kansas City, Missouri, United States · On-site
Overview OMNI is honored to be retained by the Kansas City Symphony in their search for a Campaign Director. In only its 43rd season, the Kansas City Symphony (KCS) has already become one of America's most vibrant major …
Skills: Fundraising, Capital Campaign Management, Major Gift Strategy, Prospect Research, Pipeline Management
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The Campaign Director manages the daily operations of a major capital and endowment campaign to secure a new music venue. This includes tracking the prospect pipeline, preparing executive solicitors, and coordinating with volunteer leadership to meet fundraising goals.
Requires at least seven years of progressively responsible fundraising experience, specifically in staffing or managing capital or endowment campaigns. Candidates should have a proven track record in major gift strategy and proficiency with fundraising CRM systems like Tessitura.
OMNI is honored to be retained by the Kansas City Symphony in their search for a Campaign Director. In only its 43rd season, the Kansas City Symphony (KCS) has already become one of America's most vibrant major orchestras, quickly gaining national and international recognition. The Symphony is entering its third season with world renowned conductor and composer Matthias Pintscher as its Music Director, and the positive energy and buzz around this orchestra is intensely optimistic and forward-moving.
Continuously creating live music experiences in Helzberg Hall at the prestigious Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, the Symphony serves Kansas City's metro population of more than 2.2 million people and welcomes tens of thousands of visitors across a huge swath of the Midwest as well. The Symphony's 80 full-time musicians perform in diverse and dynamic musical experiences in orchestral and chamber formats each season. The Symphony also serves as the orchestra for the Kansas City Ballet and the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, enriching the community's cultural landscape.
While the Kansas City Symphony ranks among leading American orchestras, it also stands out as the most active and one of the most efficient of its peers. The lean operation of just over 30 full-time staff enables the organization to be fast and nimble, with the excitement of a startup but the polish, stature, connections, and resources of a major cultural institution. Its $25M annual operating budget is fueled by the strongest ticket sales per capita in the sector, along with healthy annual contributions and a $135M endowment provided by Kansas City's exceptional civic culture of philanthropy. A wide range of programming spans every genre from classical and concert opera to rock, film with live orchestra, and all manner of contemporary artists. The orchestra aspires to do more and to be more for all the people of Kansas City and surrounding regions, and the growth trajectory is exciting, rapid, and palpable.
Nothing signifies this rapid ascent more than the orchestra's debut on the world stage in 2024. While other orchestras are pulling back from global commitments, the Kansas City Symphony is boldly stepping forward, having accepted invitations to be presented in Europe's top concert halls, including Amsterdam's Concertgebouw, the Berlin Philharmonie, and the stunning new Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg. The orchestra's sold-out performances in 2024 triggered immediate re-invitations, and the orchestra returns to all three halls in 2026.
It is truly an exciting time for the Kansas City Symphony, and central to this forward motion is the newly created
position of Campaign Director.
The Kansas City Symphony is undertaking the largest fundraising effort in its history, a combined capital and endowment campaign designed to secure the future of the orchestra. The centerpiece of the capital effort is a new music venue at 49th and Main Street, adjacent to the Country Club Plaza. This will be a modern indoor live music venue, best in class for amplified offerings and catering to every contemporary music genre except classical, with an estimated peak capacity of 4,640 and every person in the audience within 145 feet of the stage. The Symphony will be the sole owner of the venue, and Music and Events Management, Inc. (MEMI), the venue and presentation arm of the Cincinnati Symphony, will operate and program it. The venue follows a proven model among major American orchestras, in which a presenting business in genres beyond orchestral music generates the sustainable revenue that secures the orchestra itself.
The venue project is capped at $70 million and is funded primarily through private philanthropy. Donors have quickly committed a large portion of the project need, and the Symphony will work with hundreds of additional donors to raise the balance over the next 30 months. The venue is scheduled to open in September 2028, with construction visible on the site this fall. The campaign is led by volunteer Campaign Co-Chairs and a campaign committee of board members and civic leaders, supported by the President & CEO, the Chief Development Officer, and the Development department.
The Campaign Director provides senior-level staffing leadership to move the campaign forward. The Campaign Director manages the daily operation of the campaign in close partnership with the President & CEO, the Chief Development Officer, and the volunteer Campaign Co-Chairs, ensuring that strategy becomes action: that prospects are identified and move through the pipeline, that solicitors are prepared and supported, that commitments are documented and stewarded, and that campaign leadership always knows where the campaign stands. This is a role for a seasoned campaign professional who finds satisfaction in making other people successful, including volunteers, executives, and donors alike.
Other duties as assigned.
The success of this role will be assessed on the steady, well-documented advancement of the campaign toward its goal. Specifically, this includes:
Applications will be accepted through July 20, 2026. Interviews are expected to commence in late July via Zoom, with finalist interviews occurring in person in Kansas City thereafter.
We appreciate your referrals to professionals who may have an interest in this outstanding opportunity. Formal interest accepted through the OMNI Executive Career Portal. Please direct all inquiries to:
OMNI Human Resource Solutions
OMNI and our clients are Equal Opportunity Employers.
Bold live music experiences that bring people together. We ignite passions, inspire wonder, and promote awesomeness.
In only its 42nd season, the Kansas City Symphony has already become one of America’s most vibrant major orchestras and has gained national and international recognition. With the 2024/25 season, the Symphony welcomes conductor and composer Matthias Pintscher as its new music director. Pintscher regularly conducts many of the world’s best orchestras and opera companies and ranks as one of the world’s foremost composers of orchestral music. Continually creating and advancing live music experiences in Helzberg Hall, located in the prestigious Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, the Symphony serves Kansas City’s metro population of more than 2.2 million people as well as welcoming visitors from around the globe. The Symphony’s 80 full-time musicians are an international dynamic force, all of whom live, work, teach and play in Kansas City. In addition to concerts in Helzberg Hall, Symphony musicians perform throughout the region on our portable stage, the Mobile Music Box. The Symphony also serves as the orchestra for the Kansas City Ballet and the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, adding to the rich cultural experiences that these organizations offer to the community. Every season, top international soloists perform with the Kansas City Symphony, including brilliant classical musicians, popular singer/songwriters, rock bands and other creative performers. The Symphony also accompanies a wide range of fan-favorite films, playing the soundtrack live as the movie is projected on a giant screen above the stage. The Symphony organization is comprised of musicians, conductors, orchestra managers, creative professionals, marketers, fundraisers, finance pros, data scientists, and more. We are a team united by our love of music, our pride in Kansas City, and our shared purpose to serve humanity through the performance of live music.
Offices: 1644 Wyandotte Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64108, US · 1601 Broadway Boulevard, Kansas City, MO 64108, US
Bold live music experiences that bring people together. We ignite passions, inspire wonder, and promote awesomeness.
In only its 42nd season, the Kansas City Symphony has already become one of America’s most vibrant major orchestras and has gained national and international recognition. With the 2024/25 season, the Symphony welcomes conductor and composer Matthias Pintscher as its new music director. Pintscher regularly conducts many of the world’s best orchestras and opera companies and ranks as one of the world’s foremost composers of orchestral music. Continually creating and advancing live music experiences in Helzberg Hall, located in the prestigious Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, the Symphony serves Kansas City’s metro population of more than 2.2 million people as well as welcoming visitors from around the globe. The Symphony’s 80 full-time musicians are an international dynamic force, all of whom live, work, teach and play in Kansas City. In addition to concerts in Helzberg Hall, Symphony musicians perform throughout the region on our portable stage, the Mobile Music Box. The Symphony also serves as the orchestra for the Kansas City Ballet and the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, adding to the rich cultural experiences that these organizations offer to the community. Every season, top international soloists perform with the Kansas City Symphony, including brilliant classical musicians, popular singer/songwriters, rock bands and other creative performers. The Symphony also accompanies a wide range of fan-favorite films, playing the soundtrack live as the movie is projected on a giant screen above the stage. The Symphony organization is comprised of musicians, conductors, orchestra managers, creative professionals, marketers, fundraisers, finance pros, data scientists, and more. We are a team united by our love of music, our pride in Kansas City, and our shared purpose to serve humanity through the performance of live music.
Offices: 1644 Wyandotte Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64108, US · 1601 Broadway Boulevard, Kansas City, MO 64108, US
