Audience & Donor Manager

Our client The Cabaret is growing again!

Founded in 2009 The Cabaret is a nationally acclaimed premier home for intimate cabaret where artists are uplifted audiences belong the next generation thrives and our community is strengthened through worldclass artistry and radical hospitality.

Reporting to the Chief Advancement Officer (CAO) the Audience & Donor Experience Manager is a seasoned relationshipdriven professional who leads The Cabarets guest services function while also supporting donor engagement and stewardship across the Advancement team. This is a current full-time role with some newly expanded responsibilities on The Cabarets growing staff. This role ensures that every audience member and donor experiences The Cabarets signature Radical Hospitality transforming transactional encounters into meaningful relationships that deepen loyalty and philanthropic connection to the mission. The Manager plays an essential role in strengthening organizational systems staff culture and operational readiness ensuring precision excellence and Radical Hospitality across every touchpoint.

As the leader of box office and frontofhouse operations this role oversees ticketing guest experience volunteer coordination sales reporting and patron/donor stewardship and hospitality. They work crossdepartmentally to ensure performance nights donor touchpoints and all audience communications consistently reflect The Cabarets commitment to excellence belonging and WOWlevel experiences.

This is a high-impact role suited for an experienced manager with strong leadership skills and the ability to grow into broader strategic responsibilities. With demonstrated performance and alignment with organizational values the position has the potential to progress into a future Director-level role supported by its high visibility within an entrepreneurial team and opportunities for mentorship and career development at one of Indys most beloved cultural institutions and leading nonprofit theaters.

All employees are expected to actively embody The Cabarets core Values: We Deliver the WOW We Practice Radical Hospitality We Welcome Everyone We Lift Each Other Up and We Do the Right Thing.

The ideal candidate pairs technical expertise and a passion for CRM excellence- combining accuracy attention to detail and a love of data- with positivity initiative curiosity warmth integrity and a genuine commitment to serving and caring for others. A flexible schedule is essential including the ability to work evenings and weekends during performances and events. The Cabaret presents 4050 performance nights annually in its awardwinningtheatre with show weekends typically occurring twice per month.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

Patron Services & FrontofHouse Leadership

• Lead elevate and refine all box office andguest services operations to ensure every patron and donor experiences seamlessservice warm engagement and The Cabarets signature Radical Hospitality.
• Serve as the organizations primaryfrontfacing guest services representative modeling hospitality standards thatcenter empathy responsiveness professionalism and belonging.
• Oversee comprehensive ticketingoperationsincluding website user experience phone services seating mapsholds sales and performancenight executionensuring accuracy efficiencyand a polished guest experience.
• Recruit train schedule and supervisevolunteers and FOH support staff cultivating a culture of teamwork careaccountability and valuesdriven excellence.
• Provide realtime problemsolving and conflictresolution during performances proactively anticipating and addressing guestneeds.
• Maintain welcoming aesthetically alignedlobby and reception spaces that reflect The Cabarets hightouch whitegloveservice standards.
• Lead ongoing Radical Hospitality and surpriseand delight initiatives by auditing guest donor and volunteer touchpointsand identifying opportunities to elevate experiences across the patron journey.
• Collaborate with leadership to embedhospitality standards into onboarding training evaluation tools and FOHvolunteer protocols aligning operational systems with organizational values.
• Support venueplanning and operationalreadiness by identifying environmental improvements including signageaccessibility audience flow and ambiance that enhance the guest experience.

Donor Experience & Stewardship Support

• Support donor hospitality at performances bycoordinating seating benefit fulfillment special requests and personalizeddonorcentered communications.
• Partner with the CAO to strengthen donorrelationships through thoughtful stewardship touchpoints and meaningfulindividualized interactions.
• Ensure accuracy across donor ticketingacknowledgments listings and recognition maintaining consistency withadvancement practices and stewardship expectations.
• Act as a key administrative partner in donorengagement by recording interactions tracking followup and supportingacknowledgment and stewardship workflows.
• Apply a developmentminded lens to allaudience communication and service supporting donor cultivation and retention.
• Use CRM data to personalize audience and donorexperiences manage preferences and contribute to longtermrelationshipbuilding strategies.

Ticketing Data Management & CRM Integration

• Oversee all ticketing setup maintenancereporting and reconciliation ensuring accuracy and timely delivery ofinformation to leadership for planning and analysis.
• Produce timely sales attendance andperformancelevel reports that support strategic decisionmaking andcrossdepartmental insight.
• Manage donations processed through theticketing system and ensure accurate donor tracking.
• Play a leadership role in the organizationstransition to an integrated CRM system merging patron and donor data tosupport a unified experience and enhanced organizational insight.
• Support implementation of new CRM ticketingworkflow and reporting systems that increase operational efficiencystrengthen data governance and advance strategicplan objectives.
• Partner with the CAO to standardize processesdocumentation and data protocols that reinforce accuracy alignment andcrossteam collaboration.
• Utilize and related tools tosupport transparent workflows timelines and accountability.

Audience Development & Outreach

• Lead the development and implementation ofaudience surveys collecting data that measures audience growth satisfactionand alignment with The Cabarets commitment to Radical Hospitality inclusionand belonging.
• Collaborate with Marketing to design andexecute outreachdriven strategies and promotional campaigns to authenticallyinvite and engage new audiences in mutually meaningful ways.
• Develop steward and grow group salesrelationships with community partners corporations and affinityorganizations supporting expanded reach and community connection.
• Analyze data dashboards CRM insights andaudience feedback to identify trends and inform audience developmentstrategies service enhancements and new opportunities.

Education & Community Engagement Support

• Partner with the Artistic team to coordinateticketing and front of house support for educational programs communitypartnerships student engagement opportunities and outreach activities.

Administrative & CrossTeam Collaboration

• Serve as an active member of the Advancementand crossdepartmental teams contributing to planning conversations andinstitutional alignment.
• Maintain organized efficient and welcomingadministrative and box office environments.
• Serve as the primary liaison with phonevoicemail and communication service providers.
• Support Advancement initiatives andorganizationwide priorities as needed.
• Participate in biweekly donor movesmanagementmeetings and biannual SMARTgoal evaluations as part of institutional rhythmsthat support strategic accountability.
• Contribute to crosstraining efforts acrossAdvancement FOH and Box Office to increase organizational resilience andoperational flexibility.
• Support staff culture that nurtures internalleadership collaboration and valuesdriven excellence.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

Required

• Bachelors degree or equivalent combination ofeducation and experience.
• 7 years of progressively responsibleexperience in guest services advancement hospitality management guestexperience theatre administration or related fields.
• Demonstrated success supervising staff orvolunteers managing highdensity service environments and coordinatingcomplex operational systems.
• Exceptional interpersonal andrelationshipbuilding skills with the ability to warmly and effectively engageaudience members donors sponsors and VIP guests.
• Ticketing software experience and expertise.
• Strong belief in The Cabarets missionvision and values with a passion for the performing arts.
• Excellent communication skillsclearempathetic and aligned with The Cabarets values.
• Strong organizational habits with sharpattention to detail the ability to manage multiple priorities and acommitment to accuracy in a performancedriven setting.
• Comfort working evenings and weekends duringperformance periods.
• Commitment to cultural equity inclusion andbelonging.

Preferred

• Experience with Office 365/Outlook.
• Experience with CRM/database management (TheCabaret currently uses Bloomerang).
• Understanding of philanthropic practices andthe donor stewardship cycle.
• Strong hospitality instincts and a desire togenuinely Deliver the WOW.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

• Ability to be physically engaged/active forextended periods during shows (work host stand etc.).
• Frequent use of computer phone and officeequipment.
• Occasional lifting (up to 20 lbs.) for eventsupport.
• Moving through theatre spaces to greet donorsand sponsors as needed.

THE CABARETS VALUES IN THIS ROLE This position exemplifies The Cabarets core values by:

• Delivering the WOW byorchestrating flawless detailobsessed audience and donor experiences thatsurprise delight and raise the bar for what Radical Hospitality feels like atevery touchpoint.
• Practicing Radical Hospitality byanticipating patron and donor needs resolving concerns with warmth andurgency and ensuring every interaction feels personal celebratory generousand human.
• Welcoming Everyone bycreating inclusive and accessible experiences stewarding processes that honordifferences and ensuring all audiences and donors feel truly seen and valued.
• Lifting Each Other Up bymodeling empathetic leadership supporting volunteers and staff with clarityand kindness and fostering a collaborative communicative egofreefrontofhouse culture.
• Doing the Right Thing bystewarding data systems and relationships with integrity communicatingtransparently and making thoughtful ethical decisions that strengthenlongterm mission impact.

The Cabaret offers a competitive total compensation package and fosters a culture that supports flexibility wellbeing and balance - including planned flex time during highintensity performance periods. We welcome everyone and are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. The salary range for this role is $65000 to $71500 plus benefits.