J.J. El-Far Email & Phone Number

Philadelphia, Pa, Us

Philadelphia, Pa, Us

Philadelphia, Pa, Us

❖ Strategic Leadership: Spearheaded strategy and execution of advancement events, exceeding fundraising targets and reducing expenses year over year with positive feedback from attendees, vendors, and volunteers. ❖ Community Engagement: Built and maintained relationships with hundreds of parents, alumni, donors, faculty, staff, and board members building trust while representing the school. ❖ Partnership Development: Cultivated a robust portfolio of corporate sponsors and local businesses offering in-kind and direct support for events and programs. ❖ Donor Stewardship: Was the top fundraiser for the school in FY24, bringing in many new donors, and re-engaging estranged ones. Managed a portfolio of major gift prospects and oversaw individual donor cultivation, including 5 and 6-figure gifts.❖ Platform Management: Led Raiser’s Edge database operations, ensuring accurate gift tracking, appeals, events, donor records, reporting, and analysis. Research and recommend technology platforms for the team.❖ Institutional Giving: Have brought in more than $2.5M in support while leading grant pursuits, research, and reporting for capital and program-related funding.❖ Alumni Network: Have grown alumni engagement through events and professional development initiatives.

Chair of Finance Committee

Brooklyn, Ny, Us

Chair of Institutional Advancement Committee

Philadelphia, Pa, Us

I was promoted to Managing Director in February, 2022.

Philadelphia, Pa, Us

❖ Fundraising Leadership: Designed and executed fundraising strategies, including a capital campaign and donor cultivation, as well as major gifts, including 5, 6, and 7-figure gifts.❖ Board Development: Cultivated prospective board members, securing resources and support.❖ Community Building: Founded and grew a giving circle with 100+ members in its first year.❖ Event Production: Produced key events, including the “PC NOW” benefit at Fitler Club with 150+ guests.❖ Development Operations: Created and managed development operations systems, platforms, and processes.❖ Partnership Cultivation: Built collaborations with local institutions like Mantua Civic Association, Delaware River Waterfront Corporation, Jefferson University Hospital, and Drexel University.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Us

❖ Strategic Development: Established fiscal sponsorship and led the strategic development of RADIOKISMET, named Best of Philly 2021 for Best Local Podcast, Philadelphia’s first dedicated podcast studio, a program of KISMET COWORK.❖ Partnerships: Cultivated partnerships with local organizations, like the Franklin Institute and Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Us

❖ Fundraising Strategy: Led and executed all strategic fundraising for this $1.4 million theater company and graduate program. Met or exceeded every fundraising target the company set for FY21. Stewarded a highly successful year-end appeal, COVID-related emergency funding, major grants ($300K+) and gifts ($20K+).❖ Event Production: Produced the annual benefit cabaret at Union Transfer with 600+ attendees and delivered our first virtual benefit, (exceeded target by $16K).❖ Donor Engagement: Oversaw board relations, cultivation, and management of a portfolio of 12,000+ donors and major gifts. Launched “Producers Circle” to engage new donors and close funding gaps.❖ Communications: Managed external communications, including print and digital media, social platforms, and the organization’s website.

Brooklyn, Ny, Us

❖ Artist Management: Managed a diverse roster of 30+ interdisciplinary artists, overseeing company management, international and national tour logistics, and production.❖ Creative Producer: Led contract negotiations, financial management, production for live events, print and digital marketing, artist and project recruitment, grant writing, contact management, human resources, line producing, scheduling and schedule building, fiscal distribution systems, payroll, staffing, budgeting, and curating as well as general office organizational systems and workflow encompassing all aspects of for-profit and non-profit administration.ArKtype is recognized as among the industry’s leading supporters of new, experimental work. They support risk in live performance – creating an ever-shifting mechanism for the fulfillment of artists’ visions for new work, international collaboration, production and touring.

Park City, Utah, Us

Managed the applications and reviews for over 600 applicants to the 2019 Theatre Lab, Sundance Institute's signature theater development program.

New York, New York, Us

❖ Organizational Transition: Guided the company through a financial transition to a multi-source revenue model, including new revenue streams like a Patreon page.❖ Venue Management: Opened and managed the company’s first venue in Brooklyn.❖ Development & Marketing: Secured grants, including a successful NEA application, and managed marketing strategies across digital and print media.Theater Mitu is a permanent group of collaborators committed to expanding the definition of theater through methodical experimentation with its form. Driven by a theory they call WHOLE THEATER, the company investigates global performance as a source for our training, work, and methodologies.

New York, Ny, Us

Stewarding the Harlem Arts Festival with a focus on strategic and sustainable development, major partnerships, individual giving, fundraising events, board development, and executive management.Established HAF as a 501 (c) 3 now in its 7th season producing artistic events with and for the Harlem community featuring the annual multi-disciplinary arts festival at the Marcus Garvey Park amphitheater. Presented over 150 artists to date; a major creator and supporter of local culture.Grew audiences by ≈40% each year since 2012. Attendance in 2017 ≈6,000; digital reach ≈15,000.Creative strategy and production for artistic and educational programs, community partnerships, artist application process and advancing contracts.

New York, Ny, Us

Founding Creative Director for the Harlem Arts Festival, a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization that produces year round artistic events for the Harlem community in NYC. I initiated and executed a creative vision for the organization including artistic programs, and production of the annual multi-disciplinary arts festival in Marcus Garvey Park's outdoor amphitheater, and surrounding area. My role encompassed leveraging strategic partnerships, event planning, including annual fundraising gala and 'HAF Sessions,' cultivating young patrons and individual donors, developing a marketing strategy, overseeing artist applications process, grant writing, and community outreach. In it's first year, HAF raised $13K on a Kickstarter campaign featured in the NY Times, and attracted 1,000 to the first festival. In the second year, our audience and our budget doubled, the third year attracted approximately 5,000 to the park for the festival and was featured on ABC News.

London, England, Gb

For four years, I have worked with the British Council US in the Arts program where I oversaw the day to day development and execution of our arts program strategy bridging the US and UK, including grants and budget administration; professional development for artists; creating and maintaining our strategies for partnerships; equal opportunity, diversity, and inclusion; monitoring and evaluation; and marketing and social media. Specifically:- Program development, project management and event production of performances, exhibitions, panels, conferences, publications and live streamed events. - Partnerships include: National Endowment for the Arts, US Institute of Peace, APAP, Theatre Communications Group, BAM, Studio Theatre, the Public Theater, Park Avenue Armory, St. Ann's Warehouse, HowlRound, Theatre Development Fund, Abrons Arts Center and Lincoln Center.- Consultation, exchange information, cultivate resources, and facilitate cultural exchange for artists, presenters, and other practitioners in the creative sector- Creation and execution of digital media and marketing strategy, evaluation reports, and database management.Key Producing Projects:- ‘What is the Role of the Arts Presenter in a Community in Crisis’ – APAP 2016 session- Tania El Khoury’s Gardens Speak at the National Building Museum in Washington DC with supplementary panels with Middle East Institute.- Relaxed Performance Peer to Peer Intensive at BAM featuring consultants and experts from the UK with Lincoln Center, the Public Theatre, TDF and TCG. - 8 city US tour and public program for Dreamcatcher, award-winning documentary film by British director, Kim Longinotto about a former prostitute rehabilitating others. Engaged local sex trafficking experts, educators and advocacy leaders;- ONEOFUS’ Cripfest on the 25th anniversary of Americans with Disabilities Act at BAM Fisher, with panels, lectures, performances, exhibition, and cabaret by disabled artists and advocates.

London, England, Gb

Promoted from Arts Program Intern in 2013The British Council is the UK’s worldwide cultural relations organization. The US arts program produces, promotes, and creates complimentary public programs around the best of British contemporary artistic practice engaged in global issues.Equal Opportunity, Diversity, and Inclusion Coordinator 2013-14 coordinated efforts and programs in three US offices and monitored, evaluated and reported outcomes.Key producing projects:- ‘Summit for Culture and Conflict’ at the Newseum in Washington D.C. with leaders from culture, policy, higher ed., and philanthropy, and the Asst. Secretary of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.- ‘Artists Exchange’ with Kwame Kwei-Armah and Tarrell A. McCraney at the Joe’s Pub, live streamed via HowlRound. - Live streamed panel “The Illusion of Power and the Power of Illusion: Viewing Media through an Artistic Lens,” at the Park Avenue Armory, hosted by British Council Director of Arts, Graham - Public program for Roadkill, a sited immersive theatrical production with St. Ann’s Warehouse, NYC and Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, including panel discussions in universities, and advocacy groups; a special showing for NYPD and FBI in NYC; and a digital and printed publication about sex-trafficking.

London, Gb

1-7 June, 2015. ART. CLIMATE. ACTION.2 Degrees Festival asks: What can we do together to create a sustainable future?International artists present cutting-edge responses to climate change, urging you to act now to build a more positive future. A programme of performance, debate and public installations will take place in tree-tops, office blocks and theatres in and around Toynbee Studios, at the crossroads of the East End and The City. 2 Degrees Festival is Artsadmin’s biennial celebration of art, environment and activism. It aims to inspire, connect, and empower people to create solutions for a sustainable future. 2 Degrees Festival is delivered by Artsadmin and supported by Arts Council England, the Ashden Trust, the European Commission Culture Programme as part of Imagine 2020.#2DegreesFestival Key Projects:-Climate Couch - A subversive take on the typical chat show featuring activists, writers, and artists with radical new ideas on climate issues.-Capitalism Works for Me! (True/False), a public installation by Steve Lambert, will travel around London to different iconic sites and commercial areas, engaging people in a deceptively simple true or false vote. -TREExOFFICE by Natalie JeremijenkoIt’s never been a better time to be a landlord in London, but what happens when the most coveted new office is constructed in a tree? In the canopy of an urban tree, TREExOFFICE offers an alternative to the conventional working space and economy.

Co-creator of international network of theater artists engaging in cross-cultural diplomacy through innovative theatrical productions. Included strategy for fundraising, institutional partnerships, marketing, and programming. Produced over 60 new works, organized workshops, play development and residencies by international artists. Ongoing programs included the Artist Response Forum, featuring artist responses to world events in site-specific locations and the Global Spotlight Series highlighting emerging playwrights around the world.

New York, New York, Us

Conducted time-sensitive customer support for grant applicants, detailed fact-checking for supporting documentation of applications, cultivated and developed donor base, media relations and special event support. Monitored implementation of programming.

New York, Ny, Us

Managed script library, updated databases of industry resources, ran professional networking events.

Waltham, Ma, Us

Created a professional interface between university administrators, current and prospective students, faculty, and staff by providing comprehensive administrative support, coordinating events, maintaining a script library with several hundred play scripts, and developing a tour program that attracted top students to Theatre Arts Department.

Coordinated performing artist acts in an ancient 3,000-seat amphitheater. Served as French and English translator.

Master’S Degree, Arts Administration And Cultural Policy

Bachelor Of Arts Degrees, Theatre Arts; International Global Studies

M.F.A Program, Directing And Theatrical Production