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Chief Revenue Officer

The Chronicle of Philanthropy, the leading publication covering nonprofits, foundations, donors, and others involved in work to advance the common good, seeks a tested, entrepreneurial leader with a strong digital background who can expand on its successful content and advertising revenue business while also innovating to develop new products and partnerships that can be sold to nonprofit professionals or underwritten by companies and foundations.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy was founded in 1988 as a division of The Chronicle of Higher Education Inc. CoP currently reaches a loyal and influential audience of 338,000 people monthly across print, online, and newsletter channels.

To maximize its impact and better serve the growing and diverse social sector, in May CoP announced its plans to become an independent nonprofit organization, announcing that it has raised more than $6 million from philanthropic sources to advance an ambitious growth plan.

The chief revenue officer will act as a partner with CoP’s CEO and other organization leaders to focus on the continued evolution and transformation of CoP’s revenue streams with the goal of doubling revenue earnings in the first five years of operation and continuing to build its donations from private foundations and others.

The Chronicle has a long history of increasing its revenue, but until now it has not had the senior business or technology leadership to fulfill its potential.  

The chief revenue officer will take a leadership role in expanding the team of professionals who contribute to our revenue-generating efforts, including our ad sales director and our director of learning products, while also getting support and mentorship from the Chronicle of Higher Education’s business team in the first years of the Chronicle’s operations as an independent nonprofit.

 

Key Responsibilities 

  1. Developing a clear vision and strategy and executing a plan for the organization’s revenue growth across multiple products – including devising a subscription strategy that meets today’s needs, working with the Chronicle’s product leader to develop new digital products, live events, and other valuable content that nonprofit and foundation professionals need and will pay for. Working in collaboration with the CoP’s sales director and its director of learning products, the CRO will become an expert on the Chronicle’s audience and community, and ways to expand its reach.
  2. Driving revenue growth and audience engagement while delivering on all revenue goals. This will be measured by revenue growth (including philanthropic revenue), market and audience share growth, and building and sustaining year-over-year growth and retained earnings.
  3. Leading the diversification of revenue streams for the organization by shaping the business development for new products and services that leverage and build CoP capabilities and deliver high value for its audience and other consumers of its information. Key measures of success will include strong adoption of new and/or evolved products by nonprofit professionals, advertisers, and others.
  4. Establishing a disciplined, digital forward, data-driven, and metrics-based approach to the management of the business by developing and using compelling audience and business intelligence to support priority-setting and decision-making.
  5. Building and leading an effective business organization that delivers exceptional results to fuel the Chronicle’s mission of informing nonprofit and foundation professionals and expanding public understanding of the role nonprofits play in solving problems. The publisher must work collaboratively with the Chronicle’s journalists and technologists to determine and provide the services and products that will best serve audience needs and that advance the CoP’s commitment to editorial integrity.
  6. Ensuring a productive and efficient relationship with the Chronicle of Higher Education, which will provide transition services in technology and other key business activities as CoP works to build its own approaches. The publisher will play a key role in making sure CHE provides services in a timely way, and work with technology team members to transition to a streamlined, cost-efficient independent structure.
  7. Overseeing work to attract donations from foundations, donors, and corporations and to build upon existing efforts to attract underwriting for content-driven products.

 

 

Core Experience and Key Competencies

 

Experience

  • Bachelor’s degree required. Advanced degree preferred (MBA or similar degree).
  • 15+ years of experience in sales management, marketing, and/or general business or publishing management in a similar- sized organization.
  • Broad experience with a content-focused digital business is highly desired, as is experience with subscription and advertising-based businesses. Previous experience at a nonprofit is not required but is a plus.
  • Proven success helping organizations achieve revenue growth as well as shaping strategy and the business aspects of new products, including product- market fit, pricing, distribution, marketing, and sales approach.

 

Key Competencies

  • A strategist who has proven ability to shape smart organizational and product strategies that achieve revenue growth, expand market share, and serve audiences, advertisers, and other stakeholders well, especially in a digital marketplace.
  • A mission-driven leader who is inspired by CoP’s work to move readers from learning to action for social good and has deep appreciation for journalism and other forms of content.
  • A builder who thrives in creating entirely new teams and approaches
  • A doer who takes great pride in rolling up their sleeves and energetically getting things done.
  • An entrepreneur who is innovative and comfortable working in a constantly evolving marketplace.
  • Intellectually curious with a profound interest in the missions of philanthropy and nonprofits, and a focus on what’s coming next for the audiences we serve.
  • A strong communicator with excellent verbal and written communications skills
  • A collaborative and inspirational leader who builds bridges and works seamlessly with colleagues in all parts of an organization.
  • A values-anchored leader with impeccable personal values and a commitment to integrity and honesty in all activities, especially in preserving the Chronicle’s journalistic independence.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy is dedicated to equal employment opportunities for all applicants and employees. The Chronicle of Philanthropy encourages people of all races, colors, national origins, ancestries, creeds, religions, genders, ages, disabilities, veteran status, sexual orientations, and marital statuses to apply. 

 

 

The New CoP

The new CoP is expanding its journalism to better lift up diverse voices and stories of local nonprofits and deepening its explanatory journalism to help nonprofits and foundations understand what it takes to achieve strong results. It is also working to build a commons for sharing ideas that bring together people at nonprofits and foundations who don’t often have opportunities to learn from people with diverse ideological perspectives and experiences.

Stacy Palmer, who played a key leadership role in founding CoP in 1988 and will become CEO of the new nonprofit organization, explains:

“We are boldly reimagining our mission to both amplify our role as a trusted source of information for social sector professionals but also to double down on our collaboration with other global news outlets to ensure the public better understands the trillion-dollar world of nonprofits and foundations.”

“We believe the nonprofit world must play an essential role in rebuilding our nation amid the pandemic, economic and racial inequality, spiking gun violence, and high inflation, threats to democracy, and hyper-partisanship across the political spectrum,” Palmer said. “By expanding our staff and lifting ambitions, we can help overcome the problems that have deprived nonprofits of the resources, tools, and talent they need to change the world.”

The Chronicle of Philanthropy is well positioned to accelerate growth and innovation as it transitions to an independent entity serving a broader, more diverse audience. Significant accomplishments have already been achieved: 

  • The formation of an independent founding board of directors which includes: Trabian Shorters, CEO and founder of BMe Community; Ana Marie Argilagos, president and CEO, Hispanics in Philanthropy; Amanda Barrett, vice president and head of news audience, Associated Press; and Anna Nirmala, vice president of portfolio success, American Journalism Project. Also serving on the board are the Chronicle of Higher Education Inc.’s Chair of the Board of Directors Pamela Gwaltney and President and Editor in Chief Michael Riley.
  • The securing of more than $6 million in philanthropic funding, in addition to CoP’s current strong earned revenue streams, to support its new mission and growth. Grant commitments have come from some of the nation’s foremost foundations including the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Ford Foundation, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, Walton Family Foundation, Open Society Foundations, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, and The Heinz Endowments.

 

If you are interested in applying for the CRO position, please contact the Talent Consultant below with a one to two page letter expressing your interest in the role: 

 

Susan Gluck Pappajohn
spappajohn13@gmail.com

 

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