Chief Philanthropy Officer

Opportunity International is an international nonprofit organization that designs, delivers, and scales innovative financial solutions that help families living in extreme poverty build sustainable livelihoods and access high-quality education for their children. We equip families with the tools and training they need to build their businesses, improve their harvests, provide for their families, send their children to school, and break the cycle of poverty.

Inspired by Jesus’ call to love and serve the impoverished, Opportunity is dedicated to empowering them. For over 53 years, we’ve pioneered programs like trust group lending, microbanking, vocational training, and more to tackle economic hardships globally.

Today, in partnership with like-minded organizations, supporters, and practitioners around the world, Opportunity is building a worldwide movement striving to end extreme poverty in our lifetimes.

About the role

Opportunity International US (Opportunity) is seeking an experienced, enthusiastic, and energetic leader who feels called to the mission of Opportunity and specifically to mandate to build a large, vibrant and very engaged supporter base for Opportunity, in the United States. The ideal candidate will be an extraordinary leader of unquestioned personal and professional integrity, operational excellence, and US-focused business development experience, either in the nonprofit or commercial sectors, while displaying approachable humility. The ideal candidate is already a C-level player with a proven track record of building and leading businesses and teams focused on high net worth households, in the Service Sector.

The ideal candidate will have experience working closely with a Board, CEO, staff, and other constituents to achieve ambitious revenue and customer acquisition goals in a fiscally responsible manner. The candidate will have strong communication skills, both written and verbal, and the ability to represent the organization and its mission effectively to a diverse array of audiences. They will have the capacity to think strategically, execute with excellence, and build teams and people effortlessly.

The ideal candidate will be a warm, collaborative individual with the ability to quickly gain a real understanding of Opportunity’s unique culture and mission; a proven ability to take a front-facing role as lead advocate and fundraiser for Opportunity’s mission; and a readiness to be a key partner to the CEO and Board in cultivation activities. Above all, the Chief Philanthropy Officer will have unquestioned judgment and ethical standards and a demonstrated commitment to diversity and inclusion.

The Chief Philanthropy Officer (CPO) reports directly to the CEO and is a member of Opportunity International’s Executive Leadership Team. The CPO oversees a team of approximately 25 staff and has a rare opportunity to lead a thriving, mission-driven institution and build a large and vibrant donor and supporter community, a strong social and marketplace brand and, most importantly, scale charitable giving to enable the organization expand its missional outreach and outcomes.

The CPO will design, develop, and deliver a fundraising, social media and communications and branding strategy to engage individual donors and supporters; oversee all fundraising marketing and communications functions, including Development, Mass and Mid fundraising, Social Media, Event Management, Communications, Proposal writing, Reporting, and Data Analytics etc.

The CPO will lead Opportunity’s national teams of private fundraisers focused on engaging high-net-worth individuals and philanthropists, mid-level donors, sustainers, annual givers etc. As well as oversee Opportunity’s marketing and communications teams to build public awareness and engagement.

The CPO will have four direct reports: Senior Vice President of Philanthropy, Senior Vice President of Philanthropy Services, Sr. Vice President of Marketing, and Vice President of Communications.

The Chief Philanthropy Officer will be accountable for building a large base of donors and raising revenues which enable Opportunity to deliver on its missional and strategic goals. To that end, the CPO will set strategies that enable Opportunity to maximize both the value and number of long-term donor relationships, as well as expand the base of Opportunity’s donors. They will build necessary people, platforms, products, and processes; evaluate strategies regularly; and adjust systems as needed to achieve strategic goals. The Chief Philanthropy Officer will take a very hands-on and active role in building a large donor base, a rapidly growing donor engagement platform, and a world-class resource development team.

The Chief Philanthropy Officer will be a champion of Opportunity’s Values, its Vision, Mission and Motivations to be a place where Good Samaritans of all stripes can gather to help build a better life for people living in poverty. This person will bring commitment, ideas, and energy to enable Opportunity’s workforce live out our values ~ Commitment, Humility, Respect, Integrity and Transformation.

Key responsibilities of the role (including but not limited to)

Strategy

• Design, develop and deploy a clear recruitment and retention strategy that enables Opportunity to grow its individual donor base, across high net worth, mid-range and Sustainer supporters, rapidly.
• Build our public engagement strategy, PR capacity, and social media presence to enable Opportunity to present its cause and case to key constituencies on a massive scale.
• Increase the effectiveness of the organization’s private donor fundraising programs.
• Define and lead engagement strategies for our critical donor groups and support recruitment, retention, and engagement within those groups.
• Build the necessary people, platforms, products, and processes required to deliver on the private donor fundraising and communications strategies.
• Serve as a key member of the executive leadership team, ensuring that the organization’s values, mission and Christian motivation permeate all levels of the organization.

Private Giving

• Lead the private giving team to engage current donors, bring back those who have left, and recruit new donors and supporters to our cause.
• Build the people, processes, platforms, and products needed to achieve the organization’s goals.
• Build a large mid-donor program for Opportunity
• Invest in and build a strong Sustainer donor base at Opportunity ~ this is a new venture for Opportunity.
• Define and build Opportunity’s donor affinity programs ~ Board of Governors, Ambassador’s Council, Board Alumni etc.
• Launch Opportunity’s non-cash giving products
• Help Board members, the Chief Executive Officer, other Executive Officers, and other colleagues identify, cultivate, and engage existing and prospective donor relationships.
• Oversee and support the planning, development, and implementation of the organization’s marketing strategies, volunteer engagement, communications, and public relations activities, both internal and external.
• Direct the efforts of the marketing and communications teams and coordinate at the strategic and tactical levels with the other functions of the organization.
• Articulate and maintain the organization’s desired image and position with consistency across communications to all key stakeholders, both internal and external. Seek to protect and enhance the brand and presence of the organization.
• Effectively represent the organization in public and private forums – to partners, donors, donor prospects, regulators, media, and the Board of Directors.
• Ensure that private giving, marketing, and communications maintain the organization’s values, mission, vision, and strategic plans.

Planning & Budgeting

• Set fundraising goals that help Opportunity reach its objectives of outreach, financial viability, and transformation.
• Ensure proper planning, including goal setting, strategy identification, benchmarking, and evaluation to support development efforts.
• Establish revenue goals and implement performance metrics, objectives, and benchmarks using data analytics to drive decision-making for the team regarding programs and new initiatives.
• Ensure sound financial management of the resource development and communications functions.
• Develop annual budgets in support of the team’s operating plans.

Required Competencies

The following performance and personal competencies are required for the position:

Setting Strategy

• Quickly grasp the opportunities and challenges of Opportunity and the role.
• Strong analytical mindset that uses data to support thinking and decision-making.
• Flexibility to create nuanced plans and objectives that adapt to the situation and/or partners at hand, while creating an inspirational future for the organization as a whole.

Executing for Results

• Able to set clear and challenging goals while committing the team to improved performance, tenacious and accountable in driving results.
• Capacity to set priorities and achieve goals, individually and for teams. Balances financial wisdom and prudence with innovation and calculated risk-taking.
• Significant experience in major gift fundraising and marketing to high-net-worth individuals and businesses.
• Collaborate with CEO and his office on the management of key prospects and high priority donors.
• Able to build genuine, productive relationships and use them strategically to further the goals of Opportunity.
• Able to empower and inspire others to think creatively about opportunities.

Leading Teams

• Provide leadership that will challenge, inspire, and motivate the range of people involved in and with Opportunity locally, nationally, and globally.
• Lead cross-business services teams effectively.
• Operate at a senior general management level.
• Focus on getting results, building teams, developing culture and team spirit, partnering with peers, and managing CEO and board relationships effectively.
• Strong focus on building and managing day-to-day operations, processes, and platforms.
• Proven ability to recruit, mentor, lead, and develop a diverse staff, and a track record of building high-performing and loyal teams.
• A flexible, inclusive approach to leadership, which adjusts to different audiences and gives focus to colleagues’ work.
• The personal inclination and professional ability to be a positive and unifying figure who can lead by influence and example to create an integrated development culture across Opportunity.
• A commitment to transparency and the ability to build trust and confidence among a wide group of colleagues.

Relationships and Influence

• Excellent communication and presentation skills. An effective, inspiring communicator who can consistently articulate Opportunity’s mission clearly and compellingly and can adapt communication styles to varied audiences.
• Ability to confidently speak about organizational strategy and impact to high-net-worth individuals, foundations, corporations, government, multilateral agencies, and social investors.
• Has demonstrably and consistently influenced others with their perspective; builds and preserves trust, agreement, confidence, and respect among various constituencies. An unquestionable track record of working with multiple stakeholders and donors.
• Has a consensus-seeking but decisive approach that enables them to deliver solutions in difficult situations.
• Interpersonal Acumen and Character
• Has sound judgment and confidence, humility, and a focus on personal development and continued learning.
• Passionate about Opportunity’s mission and can promote and communicate the organization’s goals and objectives to external and internal stakeholders.
• Demonstrated passion for transformative work, high integrity, and mission-driven with an ability to inspire others.
• An inspirational individual with a heart for people living in poverty and a passion to make a transformational difference in their lives.

APPOINTMENT DETAILS

Location: US, Chicago (preferred). Possibility to also be located in one of the states where Opportunity International is registered. (Arizona, California, Colorado, Washington DC, Florida, Maryland, Minnesota, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Illinois)

Contract: Permanent

Salary range: $220-$260,000 gross per annum.