Director of Individual and Corporate Giving

CEO thrives on diversity and highly encourages applications from people of color and people with convictions.

CEO is an equal employment opportunity for all regardless of race, color, citizenship, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, veteran or reservist status, or any other category protected by federal, state, or local law.

The Opportunity

The Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) is seeking an accomplished Director of Individual and Corporate Giving with substantial development expertise to lead CEO’s strategic individual and corporate giving efforts. In this newly reimagined role, the ideal candidate will work closely with the Senior Director of Development and Executive Team to grow CEO’s giving programs by building and managing CEO’s portfolio of donors with a focus on growing major donors. This role will have primary responsibility for crafting a strategy to prospect and steward major donors, take a leadership role to help other staff strengthen their own fundraising skills, and bring best practices to CEO’s giving team. This new Director will manage one Stewardship & Development Associate and one AmeriCorps VISTA member, with a plan to add additional staff members to their team. The Director will work closely with CEO’s senior directors and Executive Team as the in-house expert advising on individual and corporate giving strategy and implementation. 

CEO launched its Individual and Corporate Giving Program in 2018 in order to build a pipeline of unrestricted support and increase community engagement. The Individual and Corporate Giving team is part of a larger fund development team which includes Institutional Giving and Volunteer Engagement and currently brings in approximately 5% of CEO’s charitable revenue. In FY20, the Individual and Corporate Giving team raised over $1 million, and under the leadership of this new Director aim to double this revenue in the next 2 years.

This full-time position ideally will be based in New York City or California, with an option for the right candidate to be based in other cities that CEO serves with an ability to travel for meetings as necessary post-pandemic. The Director of Individual and Corporate Giving will serve as a strategic thought-partner reporting to the Senior Director of Development. 

More About CEO

The Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) is dedicated to providing immediate, effective, and comprehensive employment services to people with criminal convictions. CEO’s programs help participants regain the skills and confidence needed for successful transitions to stable, productive lives. CEO serves 9,000+ participants a year, giving them the opportunity to support themselves and their families, and contribute positively to their communities.

Headquartered in New York City, CEO currently operates in 31 cities across twelve states. CEO has gained support to expand its programs through government, nonprofit, and private organizations. As the organization has grown, CEO has worked to scale its impact through the adoption of evidence-informed practices, enhanced employer engagement, training and economic mobility programming for its participants, and state and federal policy and advocacy efforts that address collateral consequences. CEO has an annual operating budget over $89M in FY22.

Candidate Profile and Key Qualifications

The ideal candidate will exemplify the following competencies and characteristics:

Established development expert with significant experience with individual giving and major and corporate gift solicitation required; experience supporting a national organization and/or affiliates is preferred Energy, maturity, confidence, and expertise to serve as a subject-matter expert on individual and corporate giving to position these categories within CEO’s fund development team at both the strategic and tactical levels Highly collaborative style with experience developing and implementing giving strategies with multiple internal and external stakeholders Nimble, resourceful, and responsive to the needs of internal colleagues and external stakeholders up, down, and across CEO Strong verbal and written communication skills; must be an experienced writer and editor capable of generating and finalizing error-free written content in a timely manner Experience with data and deadline-driven, detail-oriented project management as well as managing and prioritizing individual and team workflows  Significant supervisory experience and dynamic team management skills; experience with and commitment to supporting the professional development of diverse team members Desire to collaborate with the Senior Director of Development and Executive Team to set short- and long-term individual and corporate giving goals, and to liaise with Board Members to support effective fundraising efforts Event management experience is preferred, however CEO does not currently rely on major fundraising events to support its development budget Dedication to a diverse, inclusive, and collegial workplace Fluency with technology, including Google Suite and Salesforce Flexibility to travel frequently for donor visits, events, field trips, and trainings

Core Responsibilities

Responsibilities of the Director of Individual and Corporate Giving include but are not limited to: 

Develop and regularly refine CEO’s individual and corporate giving strategies, which should align with CEO’s values including racial equity, by assessing progress against clear goals and objectives targeted to discreet audiences  Build portfolio of donors by envisioning and implementing strategies for qualifying, cultivating, stewarding, and soliciting individual and corporate donors Direct Executive Team to engage Board Members and the Executive Team in donor solicitation and utilizing their networks and influence to build CEO’s donor portfolio Build and maintain a strong working knowledge of CEO’s work in both the criminal justice and workforce development arenas Ensure the internal infrastructure at CEO is best utilized to support development operations, including the utilization of Salesforce to keep donor and stewardship details accurate Conduct exploratory meetings with donors and prospects to determine their capacity and interest for giving and build their knowledge about and relationship with CEO Plan and execute donor cultivation events of various sizes, including visits to CEO sites Develop and maintain relationships with donors and prospects via phone calls, personal visits, ongoing written contact, and events Travel regularly for visits, events, field trips, and trainings Contribute to the creation of the budget, collateral materials, research profiles, and lists for targeted mailings and events

Collaborate with the fund development team to draft and distribute team communications  Liaise frequently with program staff, keeping them apprised of key information, and to support their funder relationships

Recruit, retain, and effectively manage a diverse team of communications professionals; provide coaching, guidance, and professional development opportunities for team members Work collaboratively with CEO policy, executive, fund development, and program teams to develop and coordinate individual and corporate giving plans and implementation

Compensation and Benefits

The salary range for the position is between $95,000 and $113,000 and is commensurate with demonstrated experience, abilities, and geographic location. CEO also offers a comprehensive benefits package, including medical and dental coverage, paid parental leave, participation in a retirement plan, sick and vacation leave, paid holidays and more. CEO encourages a workplace that promotes continual learning and teamwork, offering lunch and learns, team outings, holiday gatherings and more.

CEO's Staff Vaccination Policy: CEO has implemented an org-wide vaccination requirement that requires all new staff to be fully vaccinated or to have received one dose of the Pfizer or Moderna shot before their first day of work. We have made this decision for the safety of our participants and employees and to enhance our ability to continue to provide the vital services we offer to our participants. As part of the onboarding process, new hires will be asked to submit proof of vaccination status prior to their first day of employment. 

To Apply

This search is being conducted by Challenges and Solutions, LLC. If you need accessibility modifications to complete this application, please email the address below with your needs. 

To apply please email a cover letter and resume (with a subject of “CEO Giving”), in confidence, to: 

Mo Coffey at mo@challengesandsolutions.com