LifeMoves, Chief Philanthropy Officer

ORGANIZATION 

Since 1987, LifeMoves has been a nimble, results-driven organization whose mission has been to provide interim housing and supportive services that create opportunities to aid in the rapid return to stable housing and long-term self-sufficiency. Last year, LifeMoves returned over 2,000 people to housing and stability for 86% of families and 67% of individuals who engaged in their programs. With 26 interim housing communities and support services from Daly City to San Jose, LifeMoves provides its neighbors experiencing homelessness a temporary place to call home while providing intensive, customized case management through both site-based programs and community outreach that teaches and reinforces skills that clients need to return to and sustain stable housing. LifeMoves embodies the entrepreneurial energy of an emerging growth company. The executive team is committed to employee satisfaction and the ongoing development of a work culture and environment that increases and maintains morale, productivity, and engagement.

To learn more about LifeMoves, please visit www.lifemoves.org. 

OPPORTUNITY 

LifeMoves seeks an energetic, creative, and inspiring development professional to lead a highly productive team to ensure it meets its ambitious goals of increasing private funding. With an annual budget of nearly $75M, the LifeMoves Board of Directors and Senior Leadership have a goal of growing annual private revenue from $26M currently to $35M next year. The Development Team also stewards nearly $75M in public funds. The Chief Philanthropy Officer (CPO) plays a key leadership role in advancing LifeMoves' philanthropic vision and driving the organization’s overall development strategy. Overseeing major gifts, corporate partnerships, grants and contracts, individual giving efforts, and development operations, the CPO leads a dedicated team of 27, including a growing team of Vice Presidents of Philanthropy, focused on a multi-year initiative to strengthen and expand support from all levels of private philanthropy. This effort aims to build lasting relationships with donors, volunteers, companies, foundations, and community partners, ensuring the financial resources needed to support LifeMoves' mission and ambitious growth plan while driving the organization’s continued impact and long-term sustainability.

This role qualifies for a hybrid schedule (a minimum of 2 days in the office, 3 days remotely, and a maximum of 3 days remotely).

ESSENTIAL JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

Key Responsibilities of the Chief Philanthropy Officer include:

• Develop, direct, implement, and manage a multi-year, multi-million-dollar fundraising plan;
• Evaluate the organization’s Development program, including annual giving, public and foundation grants, major gifts, corporate and planned giving, endowment gifts, multi-year campaigns, special events, and volunteer services;
• Direct a multifaceted Development department to continually enhance fundraising programs in the following areas: foundation and public grants, fundraising and community events, major gifts, corporate sponsorship, and volunteer leadership. The goal is to surpass the current $110M in raised funds;
• Lead the Philanthropy team within the Development department to meet & exceed private revenue goals. Additionally, lead the team to create a pipeline of new funding prospects. Develop and implement plans for the financial support of LifeMoves and involve the CEO, Board of Directors, and volunteer support groups in this work;
• Work directly with major and principal donors toward successful solicitations;
• Work with the CEO, the Resource Development Committee, and the Board to establish Development policies and long-range planning for Development;
• Advance a best-in-class development function by strategically investing in operational systems, technologies, and platforms to enhance efficiency and effectiveness;
• Plan and lead the overall fundraising program and strategies for LifeMoves. Partner with executive leadership and the Board to advance philanthropy by inspiring creative thinking for fundraising asks;
• Supervise capital and major gift campaigns and special initiatives;
• Initiate and cultivate donor contacts and identify potential major donors;
• The CEO, CFO, and senior management team determine revenue goals and monitor revenues;
• Collaborate with the CFO to set an annual expense budget and track progress;
• Lead, direct, and supervise staff by recruiting, developing, and coaching staff to create a motivated, high-performing team that can reach the strategic goals and objectives of LifeMoves. Provide effective leadership to the team through one-on-one team meetings, mentoring, expectation setting, regular feedback, performance management, and cascading communications.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

Fundraising Leadership & Donor Engagement

• Develop and execute a comprehensive fundraising and development operations strategy aligned with LifeMoves organizational goals with a focus on scaling private philanthropic support;
• Establish revenue goals, monitor progress, and adjust strategies to optimize performance across multiple fundraising channels;
• Oversee a diverse range of fundraising initiatives, including major gifts, corporate partnerships, planned giving, direct response fundraising, grants, and events;
• Directly engage with major donors to secure significant gifts and cultivate enduring relationships;
• Employ innovative fundraising methods, integrating traditional techniques with modern, data-driven strategies.

Donor & Stakeholder Relationship Management

• Build and sustain strong relationships with key stakeholders, including donors, board members, corporate partners, and volunteers;
• Work collaboratively with other LifeMoves department leads and teams to ensure alignment and integration of efforts that support Development and broader organizational goals, fostering cross-departmental partnerships that maximize impact;
• Harness the expertise and networks of the Board and volunteers to enhance fundraising success and increase event participation.

Team Leadership & Resource Optimization

• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing Development team, fostering a culture of collaboration and excellence;
• Build out the Development Operations team to ensure robust systems, processes, and analytics that map to LifeMoves' increasing fundraising goals and evolving donor engagement strategies;
• Align team roles, staff capabilities, and budget resources with strategic fundraising priorities, including event planning and donor engagement activities;
• Provide leadership through consistent feedback, coaching, and performance management to achieve LifeMoves' fundraising and event goals.

Financial & Data Acumen

• Provide strategic oversight of annual budgeting and revenue forecasting to ensure alignment with organizational goals and sustainable financial growth;
• Utilize data and analytics to evaluate donor behavior, forecast trends, and identify opportunities for revenue growth and diversification;
• Collaborate with leadership to establish key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics that assess the impact and effectiveness of fundraising initiatives;
• Ensure financial transparency and accountability across all philanthropic activities, fostering trust with donors, stakeholders, and internal teams.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB)

• Embed DEIB principles across all aspects of philanthropy and donor engagement, ensuring practices reflect the diversity of the communities we serve. Demonstrate success in engaging donors, staff, board members, and stakeholders from diverse backgrounds to build trust and strengthen philanthropic impact;
• Lead efforts to recruit, hire, and develop a diverse, equitable, and inclusive team, ensuring staff are reflective of the communities served and equipped to advance DEIB priorities within LifeMoves;
• Foster a culture of shared leadership by embedding DEIB principles into decision-making processes, ensuring diverse perspectives are actively included and valued;
• Champion a strengths-based communications approach in fundraising, emphasizing the resilience, achievements, and potential of the individuals and communities served, while reframing narratives to avoid deficit-based messaging.

Requirements

The ideal candidate for this position is an innovative, resourceful professional with exceptional interpersonal skills and a high degree of professionalism and integrity. They will be a compelling, mature, charismatic leader with the ability to move a team forward by inspiring and motivating people with creativity and energy. The Chief Philanthropy Officer should possess excellent verbal and written communication skills and create a collaborative environment conducive to open and direct communication with individuals of varying degrees of involvement with LifeMoves and its work. They should be a results-oriented leader who can think strategically, generate new ideas, prioritize, plan, multitask, and set goals and objectives, as well as implement and follow through while meeting financial goals and deadlines.

COMPETENCIES

Passion for/Experience with LifeMoves Mission

• Demonstrate a deep commitment to LifeMoves' mission of helping homeless families and individuals achieve stable housing and self-sufficiency in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties;
• Prior experience working in a nonprofit focused on homelessness, housing, or a related social impact field, with a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities in this space.

Fundraising Experience

• Exhibit a track record of expanding fundraising revenue and achieving ambitious goals, especially in events, major gifts, corporate partnerships, annual giving, and capital campaigns;
• Possess a minimum of 12 years of progressive fundraising experience, with success leading multi-million-dollar campaigns and initiatives;
• Demonstrated experience leading a fundraising team responsible for generating similar or greater revenue and/or managing a team of fundraisers of comparable or larger size than LifeMoves fundraising and development operations team.

Senior Leadership Experience

• At least 5 years of senior leadership experience managing and developing a fundraising team.

Technological Proficiency

• Demonstrated expertise in utilizing a sophisticated tech stack, including online donation platforms, CRM platforms, and analytics tools, to drive strategic decision-making and optimize donor engagement;
• Proven ability to oversee the integration of technology into fundraising and philanthropy operations, streamlining processes, and driving organizational efficiency;
• Experience leading teams in adopting and optimizing technology, including AI-driven tools, to track donor giving patterns, forecast revenue, and uncover new opportunities for growth through predictive analytics and enhanced data insights.

Philanthropic Network

• Familiarity with the Silicon Valley philanthropic community is preferred, with experience collaborating with a sophisticated board of directors.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

Development Team of 27 employees, directly supervising five department managers. 

TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS

Up to 25% annually. 

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described here represent those that an employee must meet to perform the essential functions of this position successfully. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions. While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly required to talk, hear, and communicate with both adult professionals. The employee must frequently use hands or fingers and handle or feel objects, tools, or controls. The employee must frequently stand, walk, sit, and reach with hands and arms. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities this position requires include close vision, distance vision, and the ability to adjust focus.

Benefits

In addition to a competitive annual base salary of $250,000 to $300,000, this rewarding role also includes an exceptional benefits package which includes medical and dental, optional vision, Paid Time Off (PTO)for vacation and sick time (15 days of PTO/year), paid holidays (13/year and one floating holiday), HSA, FSA, EAP, 401k, life insurance, short- and long-term disability, legal benefits, Tickets At Work program, pet insurance, education support benefits, student debt repayment support, and $280 in monthly Commuter Benefits, and ultimately a job with a highly regarded, mission-driven organization and team who will inspire you daily! 

TO APPLY

Please submit a resume online at https://apply.workable.com/j/0B7745B30E/.

LifeMoves is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Affirmative Action (EEO/AA) Employer committed to building a culturally diverse staff that represents the communities we serve. We provide equal employment opportunities to all individuals without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, marital status, physical or mental disability (non-disqualifying), sexual orientation, membership or non-membership in an employee organization, personal favoritism, lived experiences or any other non-merit-based factor. Candidates who are bilingual/bi-cultural, of color, Native/Indigenous, with disabilities, who identify as LGBTQIA+, or who are members of other marginalized groups are strongly encouraged to apply. Together, we aim to create and sustain inclusive, equitable, and welcoming environments where everyone can thrive.

If you require disability accommodation during the application process, please contact the Human Resources Department at (650) 685-5880.