Kristina Starkey, development director for the San Diego Repertory Theatre, puts commitment and sincerity at the top of her list of qualities essential to anyone responsible for squeezing money out of potential contributors.

It doesn’t hurt also to have a deep love for theater and the arts. The fourth-generation San Diegan, who is responsible for raising $1.4 million each year for the nonprofit theater organization, spends a lot of her time as a volunteer with the San Diego Junior Theatre and the Coronado School of the Arts.

“You have to have a working knowledge of the theater to be able to do a good job,” she says. “I love the theater and both my daughters are involved in Junior Theatre — they want to become actors.”

The Rep operates on an annual budget of $2.4 million and manages the Lyceum Theatre complex in Horton Plaza. Starkey, 51, and three staff members are responsible for generating state and federal grants — the bulk of their budget — and for soliciting individual and corporate contributions. Individual donations represent about 17 percent of the budget total.

Starkey spent three years as director of development for the YWCA before joining the Rep close to two years ago. She has also held development positions with the San Diego Arthritis Foundation and the American Lung Association.

Starkey was a real estate appraiser when she gave birth 12 years ago to premature twins, Alexandra and John, both born with lung disease. That experience got her interested in the local chapter of the Lung Association, and she credits its executive director, Jack Damson, with giving her the opportunity to launch a new career. The twins are fine now. She says the best part of her job is meeting and forming relationships with donors. She acknowledges that this has been a rough year for fund-raising because of the events of Sept. 11, which, ironically, also happens to be her birthday. It’s not the only odd twist in her life. Starkey, a single mom, was once married. Her wedding day was Dec. 7, Pearl Harbor Day.

— Manny Cruz