THANKS FOR PROPOSING A CLASS AT HUGO HOUSE 

SELECTION CRITERIA & LOGISTICAL INFORMATION  When selecting courses, we are looking for a fit with our current curricular needs, including a balance of genre, skill-level required of the students, and platform (such as workshop, generative, reading). When hiring teachers, we consider a combination of prior teaching experience, publication history, and the strength of teaching evaluations from Hugo House or other institutions. We're equally committed to hiring a teaching corps that's representative of different and diverse backgrounds, including but not limited to diversity of ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, age, religion, ability and culture.  An education committee of Hugo House staff members and rotating instructors reviews all class proposals. The committee members represent a range of ages, ethnicities, genders, religions and backgrounds.   

The basics:   
 

• A two-hour, multi-week class may be scheduled

1. Tuesdays at 5 pm or 7:10 pm
2. Wednesdays at 5 pm or 7:10 pm
3. Thursdays at 5 pm or 7:10 pm
4. Saturdays at 10am or 1:10 pm
5. Morning 10 am or afternoon 1:10 pm slots may be available on Wednesdays or Thursdays.
    

• A one-day class generally meets for three hours, either from 10 am - 1 pm or from 1:10-4:10 pm on Saturdays. We occasionally run longer one-day classes or two-day classes, depending on space availability.
• Alternate schedules may be possible. Please ask. 
• We are beginning to schedule more classes in our Capitol Hill location, so please indicate if you are willing to teach in-person using the class location selection.
• Generally, class enrollment is set at a maximum of fifteen and a minimum of five. If fewer than five students register for a class, it will be cancelled. Please indicate if you require a higher maximum number of students than five.

TIPS & SAMPLE COURSE DESCRIPTIONS 

When submitting a course description, please consider it your job application. It should be clear, concise, and free of typos. If you're including writers you'll be reading, their names should be spelled correctly. When a student reads your class description, they should think, "I like the way this person writes! I bet I could learn something from them!" Not: "I'm not sure how this person got a job as a writing teacher!" Our team may edit your course description for clarity and/or length, but we strongly prefer when course descriptions come in the door having been thoroughly thought through and proofread.   

Here are some tips for a great course description: The description should tell us what the class is about, why the topic is worth investigating, what's going to happen (generative writing? workshopping? discussion?), and what students can expect to come away with (a new story? three new poems? a better understanding of metaphysics?). 

Here are a couple of great examples:  

Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning Each week we will discuss an essay from Cathy Park Hong’s provocative new book of essays, Minor Feelings, and freewrite about our own personal experiences as Asian Americans, interrogating themes such as: coming of  age, the model minority myth, class, the white gaze, microaggressions, shame, family, language, and community. Let’s get personal and political as we examine what connects us or holds us apart in a candid and safe  space for exploration.    

Intro to the Short Story “Where does one begin?” asks Amy Hempel in an essay on short stories. Her answer: “With obsession and nerve and ground worth reporting on.” This two-day introduction lays down a few simple but fundamental craft concepts related to writing short stories. Students will generate and share new work in class while we look at the bold and felicitous work of pros like Hempel, Denis Johnson, Amy Tan, Jamaica Kincaid, Donald Barthelme, and Sandra Cisneros. Students should be willing to risk vulnerability and intimacy. They can expect to come away with two beginnings to new short stories.  

Finally, we're often asked about what gaps need to be filled in our catalog. We can't know this until class proposals come in each quarter, but one good way to answer this question for yourself is to look at the current quarter's catalog. What gaps do you see? What unique knowledge or viewpoint can you offer? What have you been reading that's really wound you up? What's happening in the world or around town that you'd like to interrogate? We love fresh, weird ideas and classes that aren't the same old, same old. World literature, translation, and multilingual courses are encouraged. Courses for beginning writers, or folks who don't even think of themselves as writers are encouraged. Courses in partnership with or inspired by other groups or organizations in town are encouraged (such as a writing or reading class based on an exhibition at the Wing Luke or NW African American museum, a writing class in conjunction with the launch of a book like Recipes for Refuge, or the like); we're happy to help arrange a collaboration if applicable.  

Job title: Development Director  
Reports to: Executive Director
Salary & Benefits: $55,000-60,000 salary, generous holiday and personal time off (including volunteer time off and floating holidays), plus medical, dental, and vision benefits, 403(b) match, and discounts on Hugo House classes
Classification: This position is full-time and non-exempt, operating on a Monday–Friday schedule with occasional evenings and weekends required.
Location: This role is on-site at our Capitol Hill, Seattle facility with the opportunity for a hybrid schedule.

Purpose: The Director of Development at Hugo House reports to the Executive Director and is responsible for strategically developing meaningful relationships with individual donors, foundations, corporations, and government agencies. The primary goal is to raise funds to support the continued operation and growth of Hugo House, its programs, and its racial equity goals. The Director of Development oversees all fundraising activities, including major gifts, institutional giving, membership, annual appeals, special events, government grants, online appeals, and grant reporting. This position entails supervising a Development & Events Assistant's daily work and collaborating closely with the Board of Directors, senior staff, donors, community members, and volunteers.

JOB SUMMARY
 The Development Director will be responsible for managing ongoing development efforts, including event fundraising and donor management for one of Seattle’s most beloved arts organizations. The Development Director will work alongside the Executive Director and the development team to complete departmental planning and reach contributed income goals.   

Development Oversight and Coordination: 

• Coordinate the Board's Development Committee to oversee fundraising strategy  
• Execute the annual appeal, along with online, direct mail, and in-person giving.  
• Steward foundation, individual, and corporate donors with the Executive Director. 
• Develop and manage the annual membership program calendar. 
• Oversee multiple donor database, Salesforce data entry, and acknowledgment workflow. 
• With Marketing, coordinate and collaborate on the design and production of development materials. 

Membership and Fundraising Operations: 

• Oversee member benefit fulfillment through collaboration and coordination across departments.  
• Work with Development & Events Assistant to ensure timely donor acknowledgment. 
• Coordinate direct mail and online membership campaigns. 
• Oversee production of monthly financial reports and perform analysis. 
• Work with finance staff to reconcile membership and revenue regularly. 
• Manage the Development department's budget. 
• With Marketing, coordinate regular online donor-facing web pages updates and strategize for improved conversions. 
• Manage renewal and upgrade strategy for donors and members. 
• Manage membership and fundraising communications on Poets.org pages. 
• With Marketing, coordinate strategic, targeted and segmented efforts to encourage donations and memberships through email newsletters, website messaging, and social media promotion. 
• Coordinate annual fundraising opportunities, including design, promotion, and execution. 

Grants Management and Assistance: 

• Assist with grants research, proposal preparation, regranting initiatives, and reporting. 
• Assist in data reporting for grants. 
• Assist Executive Director with grant proposal preparation, research, and writing. 

Fundraising Planning and Personnel Support: 

• Assist in annual budgeting process and goal setting. 
• Evaluate and report development budget progress and receivables. 
• Manage all forms of individual giving, including major donors, events, and campaigns. 
• Manage the Hugo House membership program. 
• Research and cultivate prospective individual donors. 
• Attend events and meetings to further donor relationships. 
• Utilize database for donor cultivation, tracking, and acknowledgment. 
• Support a culture of philanthropy among staff, volunteers, and board members. 
• Collaborate with administrative and support staff on development, from planning to execution. 
• Coordinate and collaborate with the board cultivation committee. 
• Support development staff, interns, and volunteers. 

Events  

• Manage a diverse and robust events calendar focused on passive community engagement, volunteer activities, friendraising, and local opportunities. 
• Implement a grassroots framework to enhance the authenticity and community connection of events. 
• Oversee the workflow of a Development & Events Assistant to ensure seamless coordination and execution of events. 
• Provide supervision to maintain high-quality standards in event planning and execution. 
• Connect all events and outward-facing services to potential areas of interest for funders. 
• Foster relationships that align community engagement initiatives with the organization's mission and funding priorities. 

POSITION QUALIFICATIONS 

• Share Hugo House's commitment to building an antiracist organization.   
• A minimum of 3-5 years of development experience in the nonprofit sector: 
• Individual & major donor relations 
• Annual fund management 
• Membership management 
• Grant writing 
• Event production 
• Demonstrated proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Salesforce or equivalent CRM software. 
• Experience managing relational databases preferred. 
• Must have strong writing and verbal communication skills. 
• Exceptional organizational skills: ability to prioritize and work independently. 
• Must be willing to work in a team environment to solve problems and further the mission. 
• Must enjoy working with philanthropic organizations and individuals. 
• Ability to exercise judgment and discretion in handling sensitive and confidential issues and information. 

 Applicants are urged to read about Hugo House and its mission at hugohouse.org before choosing to submit.

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1974 prohibits discrimination in employment. Recognizing its legal as well as social obligation to afford equal opportunity, Hugo House maintains an affirmative action policy as part of its inclusive hiring practices. It is Hugo House’s intent to maintain a diverse workforce that represents our community. Our approach to diversity is intended to provide not only equal employment opportunities to minorities, women, and persons with disabilities, but also to recognize and value people with ethnic, cultural, and other differences, such as religion, ancestry, language, national origin, culture, age, gender, sexual orientation, and marital status.