Working in close collaboration with the Chief Advancement Officer (CAO) and serving as a member of the organization’s Executive Team, the Vice President (VP) for Advancement provides leadership and direction to establish and maintain comprehensive fundraising strategies and activities for the CDC Foundation. Reporting to the CAO, the VP for Advancement serves as secondary level of supervisory leadership to the CAO in his/her absence.

The VP for Advancement is responsible for strategic oversight and revenue growth of various streams of Advancement business and the infrastructure needed to achieve goals; this may include Public-Private Partnerships, Public Partnerships, Major Gifts and Individual Support, Annual Campaign and Advancement Services activities to reach or exceed the Foundation’s annual and long-term fundraising objectives. The VP for Advancement supervises Director-level Advancement staff, ensuring strategy efficiency and effectiveness across units while contributing to cross-departmental collaboration and alignment within the Foundation. Additionally, in close coordination with the CAO, the VP for Advancement will identify, develop and cultivate new revenue streams and/or financing models to support the organization’s growth trajectory

The VP for Advancement must be able to aggressively pursue higher-end prospective donors with diplomacy and tact and develop, present, and negotiate comprehensive proposals to support unrestricted and restricted fundraising goals. He/she works synergistically and strategically with the Foundation staff and executives, CDC and public health colleagues, and private-sector partners to develop partnerships of mutual interest and benefit to the field of public health. The VP for Advancement will help lead the Advancement team’s efforts in managing a broad portfolio of major partners, both new and repeat, for the CDC Foundation, representing the organization with a wide range of external constituencies. The VP for Advancement will engage in the CDC Foundation’s Strategies for Impact fundraising campaign, providing strategic oversight to this Advancement effort alongside the CAO and serving as lead fundraiser on select strategies.

The VP for Advancement also oversees operations and strategic functions to achieve efficiencies and operational excellence for the department. This may include leading the department’s donor database management and reporting, systems governance and change management, expense budget planning and management, human resource coordination, and transitioning the department to a prospect portfolio model.

He/she will support the CAO in creating a culture of collaboration and excellence within the Advancement department and instill a growth mindset in the team as we aim to unlock new resources to support and grow the CDC Foundation.

Duties and Responsibilities

Work collaboratively with Foundation leadership and CDC staff to obtain revenue to support CDC-wide and public health priorities.
Solicit six- and seven-figure gifts from corporations, foundations, organizations and individuals.
Provide management and strategic oversight for various streams of Advancement business, such as Public-Private Partnerships, Public Partnerships, Major Gifts and Individual Support, Annual Campaign and Advancement Services.
Lead Advancement’s contributions in the income projection process and setting of the annual fundraising goal.
Represent the CAO internally and externally in his/her absence.
Develop and manage relationships with existing and prospective partners and solicit, cultivate and steward these partners for long-term engagement with the Foundation, including coalition management and large-scale projects with multiple revenue streams.
Monitor all prospect and partner contacts to ensure positive and purposeful donor relations.
Recommend involvement of board and executive staff when vital to any stage of the partnership-building process.
Cultivate key partners and prospective donors for the Foundation; prepare proposals for priority programs.
Assist with edits and review of fundraising correspondence, acknowledgments, proposals, reports, agreements and stewardship materials for donors and prospects.
Maintain a working knowledge of the CDC Foundation’s and CDC’s programs and priorities to use as a basis for major gift proposals; maintain a high level of knowledge about programs to discuss with and present to donors, prospects and members of the public health community.
Represent the Foundation with a wide range of external constituencies, including public health and other organizations, foundations, corporations, potential donors and CDC colleagues.
Serve as Advancement representative for the Corporate Roundtable working group.
Attend Corporate Roundtable and Board events as assigned.
Remain current on fundraising best practices and how to best apply them to the CDC Foundation’s resource mobilization model.
Undertake other responsibilities as assigned.

Qualifications and Skills Necessary

Ten (10) years of fundraising or equivalent business development experience; a demonstrated leader in his/her field.
Highly energetic professional with strong emotional intelligence and a track record of developing effective fundraising strategies, building mutually fulfilling donor relationships and closing gifts in the six- and seven-figure range.
Extensive communications, analytical and organizational skills; bachelor’s degree and/or advanced degree or health/scientific experience a plus.
Demonstrated management experience leading a high-performing team to meet fundraising objectives.
Demonstrated knowledge of the principles and methods of planning and implementing large-scale fundraising programs.
Demonstrated expertise in working with and managing staff to develop funding proposals that will be aligned with donors’ interests and CDC Foundation mission, vision and values.
Ability to work independently and solve complex problems creatively and diplomatically.
Executive presence with the ability to portray confidence and trust along with a professional image and demeanor.
Keen situational awareness, motivation and “can do” attitude.
Ability to overcome obstacles and exceed objectives along with the ability to adapt quickly to changing scenarios.
Polished written and verbal communication skills; excellent public speaker with ability to facilitate dialogue among various stakeholders in both meeting and conference call settings.
Ability to manage multiple, high-intensity activities simultaneously and effectively.
A demonstrated ability to complete assignments in a timely and effective manner and deliver results under tight deadlines and within budget.
Excellent computer and data management skills/proficiency in Word, Outlook and Excel required; Salesforce software experience preferred.
Willingness to travel.
Adherence to the Code of Ethical Principles of the Association of Fundraising Professional (AFP) and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE).

About the CDC Foundation

The CDC Foundation helps CDC save and improve lives by unleashing the power of collaboration between CDC, philanthropies, corporations, organizations and individuals to protect the health, safety and security of America and the world. The CDC Foundation is the go-to nonprofit authorized by Congress to mobilize philanthropic partners and private-sector resources to support CDC’s critical health protection mission. The CDC Foundation manages hundreds of programs each year impacting a variety of health threats from chronic disease conditions including cardiovascular disease and cancer, to infectious diseases like rotavirus and HIV, to emergency responses, including COVID-19 and Ebola. Visit www.cdcfoundation.org for more information.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, mental or physical disabilities, veteran status, and all other characteristics protected by law.

We comply with all applicable laws including E.O. 11246 and the Vietnam Era Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974 governing employment practices and do not discriminate on the basis of any unlawful criteria in accordance with 41 C.F.R. §§ 60-300.5(a)(12) and 60-741.5(a)(7). As a federal government contractor, we take affirmative action on behalf of protected veterans.

The CDC Foundation is a smoke-free environment.

Relocation expenses are not included.

CDC Foundation jobs

Vice President for Advancement