Chief Advancement Officer

SEARCH FOR THE CHIEF ADVANCEMENT OFFICER

KINGSLEY HOUSE

New Orleans, Louisiana

THE SEARCH

Kingsley House, Greater New Orleans’ most established and effective social services organization dedicated to educating children, strengthening families, and building community, seeks a seasoned, deft Chief Advancement Officer (CAO) to spearhead the organization’s essential fund development and communications functions.

Reporting to, and working closely with, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), the CAO will serve as a member of Kingsley’s multi-talented senior leadership team, with a broad mandate to plan and lead the implementation of fundraising and marketing strategies that will elevate and enhance the organization’s work and position Kingsley for its next century of service.

The ideal candidate will possess experience working in a matrixed development operation, as well as concrete knowledge of fundraising and communications best practices. In equal measure, the CAO must have the skills to develop and drive Kingsley’s advancement work forward, serving as the organization’s primary frontline fundraiser and managing a portfolio of individual and institutional donor relationships; overseeing the organization’s communications and marketing strategies; functioning as a partner to the CEO and Kingsley’s boards of directors in the organization’s advancement efforts; and adeptly leading a dedicated advancement staff team.

ABOUT KINGSLEY HOUSE

Now in its 125th year, Kingsley offers nationally-accredited and state-certified programs and services to more than 8,000 infants, toddlers, youth, parents, seniors, veterans, and medically-fragile adults in the Greater New Orleans area each year. The organization envisions a city and region where all young children are ready to succeed and all citizens are healthy and economically stable. To achieve this vision, Kingsley serves entire families via interconnected services and programs in the areas of education, health and well-being, employment, and family economic security.

Kingsley is the umbrella organization for three discrete entities: Kingsley House, Inc., the 501(c)(3) organization that houses Kingsley’s core programming; Kingsley Foundation, the supporting organization to Kingsley House, Inc.; and Educare New Orleans, a NAEYC-accredited, national model early learning center that is operated and managed by Kingsley House, Inc.

For more information, visit www.kingsleyhouse.org.

THE ROLE

The CAO will maintain primary responsibility for designing and executing a comprehensive fundraising program for Kingsley, employing a balanced mix of strategies to attract and retain funding from individuals, corporations, foundations, planned giving efforts, and special event opportunities. Across Kingsley’s revenue streams, the CAO will be responsible for raising approximately $750,000 in unrestricted funding and $500,000 in restricted funding for Kingsley and Educare programming and general operations annually. In concert with the CEO and Kingsley’s boards of directors, the CAO will establish performance measures and monitor results in order to evaluate the effectiveness of Kingsley’s fundraising program year over year.

The CAO will lead, manage, and mentor a four-person team, comprised of the Director of Annual Giving, the Director of Marketing and Communications, the Marketing and Communications Coordinator, and the Development Coordinator. Internally, the CAO will serve as a thought partner to the CEO and to Kingsley’s senior leadership team, providing input regarding agency-wide short- and long-term strategic and operational planning processes. Externally, the CAO will serve as an inspiring representative of the agency; the CAO will also support the CEO’s efforts to build effective external partnerships with key constituencies and stakeholders.

Woven throughout the entirety of their work, the CAO will foster a culture of philanthropy at all levels of the agency, while ensuring that fundraising and communications activities are carried out in keeping with Kingsley’s values, vision, mission, and overarching strategic objectives.

CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

Kingsley’s CAO will encounter several key opportunities for impact in the role:

Generate new philanthropic pathways for Kingsley

The CAO will be proactive in bolstering Kingsley’s existing contributed revenue streams – foundation grants, annual giving, and special event sponsorships chief among them – while cultivating new opportunities for growth, particularly in the areas of major and mid-level individual giving. In expanding the components of Kingsley’s fund development program, the CAO will be called upon to harness their own established relationships within the broader philanthropic community.

Collaborate with Kingsley’s committed and engaged volunteer leadership

The CAO will serve as a partner to the boards of directors of Kingsley House, Inc., Kingsley Foundation, and Educare New Orleans in their work on the agency’s behalf. The successful CAO will possess the gravitas to work productively across these board constituencies, leveraging the diverse expertise of Kingsley’s board members to lift the organization’s advancement efforts to new heights.

Spearhead institutional activities surrounding Kingsley’s name change

In 2021, the leadership of Kingsley announced its intention to adopt a new name for the organization – one that more accurately reflects the agency’s vision and values. The CAO will play an instrumental part in rolling out the organization’s name change and refreshed branding schematic.

Encourage new investment in, and engagement with, Kingsley

The CAO will have the opportunity to serve as a central, compelling messenger of Kingsley’s programmatic priorities and successes. In their interactions with board members, donors, potential prospects, and other stakeholders, the CAO will motivate partners to invest in, and engage with, the organization by presenting a cohesive articulation of Kingsley’s value proposition and a clear explanation of why the agency’s work is both essential and uniquely impactful.

THE CANDIDATE

The most competitive contenders for the CAO role will possess a solid combination of the following traits and experiences:

• An interest in, understanding of, and commitment to Kingsley’s mission, vision, and values.
• At least seven (7) years of successful experience in overseeing and managing development team(s) and overseeing development functions.
• A demonstrated track record of success in crafting and implementing comprehensive fund development programs.
• Familiarity and experience with a broad range of organizational advancement strategies, including annual campaigns, direct mail, endowments, planned giving, capital campaigns, marketing and public relations efforts, and special events.
• A demonstrated track record of personally closing gifts of at least five figures.
• Experience interacting with and/or managing the administrative functions of a development operation, including gift processing, donor and prospect information management, and grant reporting.
• A demonstrated ability to work effectively with governing boards of directors, board development committees, and high-level volunteers.
• A proven ability to work effectively and respectfully with a broad range of people from diverse cultural, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds.
• Excellent interpersonal skills; the ability to meet people with ease.
• Excellent and effective verbal and writing skills; the ability to edit effectively and communicate with tact and diplomacy when necessary.
• The capacity to meet deadlines, remain well-organized, prioritize workload, and work under pressure.
• A deep respect for the integrity of Kingsley’s program participants and their right to privacy and confidentiality.
• A willingness to maintain confidentiality with respect to personnel and proprietary agency information.
• A willingness to ensure compliance with all regulations and laws, as well as the code of ethics for fundraising professionals.
• A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university.

TO APPLY

Kingsley House has retained Arabella Street Strategies to assist the search committee in its identification and review of candidates for the CAO role. Please direct all nominations, inquiries, and applications, in confidence, to KingsleyHouseCAO@arabellastreetstrategies.com. No calls, please.