Backyard Sports Cares (BYSC) seeks a Chief Advancement Officer to join our team and lead our organization’s fundraising, marketing and communications efforts.
The Organization
Backyard Sports Cares, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is dedicated to providing high quality sports programming to children in underserved communities as well as children with special needs in Westchester County, New York. Our goal is to serve young children with limited access to community programs in order to build a lifetime love of sports, encourage a healthy lifestyle, and develop social and leadership skills that will have an enduring impact on their lives.
Backyard Sports Cares employs a dedicated group of skilled teachers and coaches who serve as instructors and role models. These professionals are assisted by young athletes and student leaders who volunteer as peer mentors. The program consists of weekly skill sessions and competitive game play for boys and girls in pre-K through high school. Backyard Sports Cares partners with schools and community agencies to offer on site early morning, recess, afterschool and summer sports activities.
Chief Advancement Officer
The Chief Advancement Officer will lead and implement an integrated development, marketing and communications strategy that raises the organization’s visibility and secures a diverse and sustainable revenue portfolio to support BYSC’s program growth and strategic goals.
This position manages and leads all major gift, direct mail and event sponsorship functions annually. It also identifies and pursues opportunities to build new revenue streams such as principal gifts, planned giving, donor and foundation prospecting and research, and multi-year fundraising campaigns.
The Chief Advancement Officer works closely with the Executive Director, the Board, and staff to enhance and support the overall mission of the organization.
At BYSC, we believe that fundraising, marketing and communications are interconnected. Each of these critical components play off each other to help each succeed on their own as well as an integrated whole.
Our Ideal Candidate
Our ideal candidate will be an ambitious professional with an entrepreneurial spirit, who takes initiative and has a passion for community development. We seek a collaborative and dependable team player, who executes sound judgment, inspires donors, and can effectively carry out the daily functions of this position. The ability to establish and maintain outstanding working relationships with internal colleagues, Board Members, community partners and our donors is crucial.
Specific Duties will include:
Development
- Leads fundraising and resource development initiatives aligned with programmatic and strategic goals to grow revenues through corporate, individuals, foundations, state/federal funding, and entrepreneurial ventures.
- Expands BYSC’s portfolio of major gift donors by assessing giving potential, identifying target ask amounts, and developing personalized cultivation/solicitation strategies to secure annual/multiple year gifts from each donor.
- Develops meaningful donor stewardship through recognition, ongoing communications and consistent reporting on the impact of donor investments.
- Implements anniversary and special project campaigns in partnership with the Executive Director, Board of Directors and staff.
- Educates and trains Board members and fundraising volunteers in donor cultivation and nurtures a culture of appreciation for supporters.
- Leads production and expansion of donor communications that are timely, relevant, and engaging.
- Ensures ethical and confidential handling of donor and prospect information.
Communications & Marketing
- Responsibility for implementing the organization’s communications & marketing strategy to enhance BYSC’s image and position within the community by overseeing all internal and external communications.
- Helps ensure that the organization’s mission and vision are practiced throughout the organization and that all communications are on brand.
- Prepares, coordinates and distributes the organization’s print and electronic communications, printed and e-newsletter and press releases.
- Coordinates media interest in the organization and ensures regular contact with target media and appropriate response to media requests.
- Ensures that the organization’s website and social media are kept current and are effective tools to provide the public with information about our current programming and work.
Skills/Abilities and Experience
There are innumerable ways to learn, grow and excel professionally. We respect this when we review applications and take a broad look at the experience of each applicant. We want to get to know you and the unique strengths you will bring to the work. We are most likely to be interested in your candidacy if you can demonstrate a majority of the qualifications and experiences listed below.
- A passion for the BYSC’s mission along with familiarity with how sports and recreation can positively impact the lives of children.
- A college degree or equivalent experience with at least 3 years of fundraising experience.
- Results-oriented with a high degree of initiative to accomplish established metrics and goals.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Ability to successfully source prospects and develop new donor contacts.
- Exceptional interpersonal skills with high emotional intelligence to inspire, motivate, and manage donor relationships effectively.
- Ability to develop and implement successful cultivation and solicitation strategies.
- Excellent phone, video, and in-person presentation skills to convey the right information at the right time.
- Extensive experience, skills, and comfort using technology, donor software and MS Office programs.
- Ability to take direction and be a team player, while also working independently and strategically with external constituents.
- Ability to set priorities, balance demands of multiple tasks, and meet deadlines.
- Willingness and ability to occasionally work evenings and weekends, as needed.
The Selection Process
To apply, please submit a cover letter describing your previous professional experiences and illustrate how those experiences have prepared you for this position. The cover letter must be followed by a resume, combined into a single PDF. Applications should be submitted to Steve Tseckares, Executive Director, Backyard Sports Cares. No phone calls or letters, please. Applications will be reviewed and acknowledged on a rolling basis.
This position is exempt, full-time (40 hours a week). Our offices are based in White Plains, NY and there is no support staff for this position. We are open to a flexible work schedule, including hybrid work, once the individual is established in the role.
The annual salary range is $70,000 to $90,000. Compensation commensurate with experience.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $70,000.00 - $90,000.00 per year
Experience:
- CRM software: 3 years (Required)
- Microsoft Office: 5 years (Required)
- Marketing: 3 years (Required)
- Leadership: 3 years (Required)
Ability to Commute:
- White Plains, NY 10601 (Required)
Work Location: In person
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