The Vision: As Charleston continues to grow into a dynamic cultural hub, the Charleston Symphony (CSO) is embracing an ambitious vision for the future—one that elevates artistic excellence, deepens community impact, and ensures long-term sustainability. With the region’s population projected to surpass one million by 2028, the CSO is committed to serving as a cultural leader, fostering transformative musical experiences, and expanding access to the arts for all. Rooted in nearly 90 years of history, the CSO is at the forefront of innovation in orchestral music, driven by our core values of excellence, collaboration, and integrity. Our musicians, staff, and supporters are united by a belief in the power of music to inspire, unite, and enrich lives. Through world-class performances, educational initiatives that reach over 20,000 students annually, and a steadfast commitment to artistic and financial growth, we are shaping the future of orchestral music in Charleston and beyond. The CSO is at a pivotal moment, solidifying its place as a premier cultural institution and an industry leader in redefining how a modern symphony serves its community. With ambitious goals for artistic growth, operational excellence, and community impact, we seek to engage a Strategic Partnerships Manager to ignite robust philanthropic growth by promoting the unmatched value of partnering with a deeply impactful arts and cultural institution.  

The Opportunity: The Strategic Partnerships Manager will play a pivotal role in advancing the Charleston Symphony’s mission through elevated philanthropic support by cultivating and expanding a dynamic portfolio of institutional supporters. This position is responsible for leading the development and execution of a comprehensive engagement and stewardship strategy that deepens relationships, delivers measurable value to partners, and strengthens the Symphony’s role within the regional business community. The Strategic Partnerships Manager will primarily pursue marketing-driven sponsorships by articulating the unique value of brand exposure to the Charleston Symphony’s thriving audience base. This position will steward each partnership with the highest level of personalized care and storied Charleston hospitality that the Symphony regularly delivers to individual supporters, ensuring meaningful, enduring connections between the local and regional business community and the CSO.

Key Responsibilities:

Cultivating Lasting Impact through Community and Collaboration

• Lead the strategic growth of the CSO’s local and regional business partnerships portfolio through proactive identification, cultivation, solicitation of corporate partners for Masterworks, Pops, and Chamber sponsorships aligned with the Symphony’s brand and programming.
• Design and implement an integrated stewardship plan for corporate and institutional partners that offers meaningful recognition, tailored engagement opportunities, and a measurable return on investment for each corporate partner.
• Serve as a key relationship manager with corporate and institutional supporters, ensuring exceptional communication, fulfillment of benefits, and long-term relationship development.
• Establish and lead a Community Partners Advisory Council to foster networking among business supporters, provide a platform for peer engagement, and offer insight to CSO leadership on corporate priorities, community impact goals, and opportunities for mutual value creation.
• Collaborate cross-departmentally with the Advancement, Marketing, and Artistic teams to align partnership opportunities with CSO programming, special events, and organizational priorities.
• Develop compelling partnership proposals, presentations, and impact reports that articulate the value of support while building lasting enthusiasm for the CSO’s work in performance, education, and community engagement.
• Represent the CSO at performances, community events, and networking functions to expand visibility and cultivate prospective business relationships (necessary nights and weekend work required).

Voicing the Vision: Championing the Charleston Symphony

• Research, identify, and support the pursuit and management of grant opportunities, ensuring alignment with the Charleston Symphony’s strategic goals and funding priorities.
• Monitor legislative activity and policy developments impacting the arts sector while cultivating and maintaining strategic relationships with elected officials, civic leaders, and key stakeholders to strengthen public support at the local, state, and regional levels. Represent the CSO at advocacy events to amplify the organization’s voice and visibility.

Desired Skills

• Robust experience in corporate fundraising, government relations, or related fields with proven community connections to facilitate access to leaders and decision-makers.
• Demonstrates a polished, proactive, and service-oriented mindset with a commitment to excellence in execution.
• Brings poise, discretion, and professionalism to every interaction while upholding the highest standards of quality, responsiveness, and attention to detail in all aspects of relationship management.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to craft persuasive corporate and grant proposals with compelling advocacy materials.
• Proven ability to build and maintain relationships with business leaders and community stakeholders.
• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and capable of managing multiple projects simultaneously.
• Passion for the mission of the Charleston Symphony and a meaningful understanding of the role of cultural institutions in community enrichment.

About Charleston Symphony Orchestra

The Charleston Symphony is celebrating its 89th season of serving the community through engaging musical performances and enriching education programs. Founded in 1936, the CSO remains a cornerstone of Charleston’s arts and culture scene, performing Masterworks and Pops series at the newly renovated Charleston Gaillard Center. In recent years, the CSO has expanded its education programs and now invests more than $530,000 annually to reach students throughout the tri-county region. As the largest full-time performing arts organization in the state, the CSO serves close to 50,000 adults and children annually. Employing 24 full-time “core” musicians and more than 100 guest musicians throughout the season, the organization has a $3.5 million budget and relies on philanthropic support to cover 55% of annual operating expenses. Every year the orchestra hosts more than 150 concerts and activities throughout South Carolina, including education and family experiences, community engagement events, free performances, chamber music, main series concerts, and more. To continue learning about the CSO, visit charlestonsymphony.org.

Connections working at Charleston Symphony Orchestra