Hiring Announcement


Fundraising Assistant
Part-Time – ~10 hours per week
The Lyric Theatre – Blacksburg Virginia

Lyric Theatre

Our Organization:
The historic Lyric Theatre has been a part of the Blacksburg community since 1909 when it first opened as a store-front silent movie house. As motion pictures increased in popularity, and the town grew, the theatre moved and expanded several times before eventually settling into its current building in 1930. After thriving for nearly fifty years as an independent movie house, the Lyric succumbed to the market pressures of corporate multiplexes and home video. In 1994 a group of committed citizens came together and formed a not-for-profit corporation, The Lyric Council, Inc., to restore and preserve this beloved community venue. The Council’s mission is to enhance community participation in arts and culture by maintaining and preserving the Lyric Theatre; partnering with community groups to provide a diversity of films, live programs, arts information, gallery opportunities, and exhibitions to the community; establishing and promoting Blacksburg, Virginia, as an arts destination for the region.


Current Fundraising Needs:
When the Lyric became a nonprofit organization in the late 1990s, a major renovation was conducted to bring the theatre up to current standards at the time, while also preserving or recreating some historic features of the original theatre. Wear and tear from normal use of the theatre for the past 25 years has taken its toll – some seats are breaking, original wall tapestries are shredding, the lobby carpet is worn out, and the auditorium needs new paint, among other things. Additionally, we plan to upgrade the technologies and refresh the lobby to serve the needs and desires of current and future members. To do this, we need to raise funds to pay for this major renovation.


Position Summary:

The Fundraising Part-Time Assistant reports directly to the Lyric’s executive director and will work with the Lyric staff and the board committees to help organize and track fundraising efforts.

Responsibilities include:

  • Attend monthly fundraising and related workgroup meetings

  • Take and disseminate meeting notes to relevant parties

  • Maintain the donor database, including processing donations, producing reports for the committee, and updating fundraising goals

  • Maintain written and verbal communications with donors, including sending marketing materials, writing thank you notes, and answering questions donors may have

  • Help Lyric staff and board members with fundraising events and programming as needed, understanding that some events may occur in the evening or on weekends

Required Skills:

  • Strong organizational skills.

  • Experience with note-taking, data entry, and customer service.

  • Strong oral and written communication skills

  • Knowledge of basic accounting and database management

Preferred Skills:

  • Demonstrated experience with marketing, content creation (graphic design and basic video creating/editing), and promotion strategies, including social media, email campaigns, and event coordination

  • Demonstrated excellence in customer service

  • Knowledge of fundraising strategies, including grant writing

Compensation:

$15-16 per hour with approximately 10 hours of work per week. Payroll is processed monthly.

Submit:

Cover letter, resume, and three references by September 1st, 2024 to Seth Davis, Executive Director, execdirector@TheLyric.com.


The Lyric Theatre is a not-for-profit 501 (c) 3 organization overseen by The Lyric Council Board of Directors. The Lyric Council was first formed in 1995 with the goal of restoring The Lyric Theatre and is now the governing body of The Lyric.

The Board of Directors consists of twelve members, elected by Lyric members annually, who serve for three-year terms. All Lyric members are invited to nominate and vote for new Board members at the Council’s annual meeting, usually held in February. Board members meet monthly to discuss the Theatre’s financial reports, programs, and other theatre business.

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