Senior Vice President of Philanthropy and Engagement

About the Company

The Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Chicago (EFGC) is a not-for-profit organization serving 44 counties in Illinois since 1946, with a mission to improve the lives of people affected by epilepsy through education, advocacy, research, and connection. We offer a wide variety of programs and services, all at no charge, including clinical counseling, case management, support groups, and recreational and educational events for all ages. We promote epilepsy education and awareness, fighting stigmas and supporting advocacy efforts that connect to the general public and support people living with epilepsy, their families, and the communities in which they live. We are a 501(c)3 tax exempt charitable organization existing under the laws of the State of Illinois and operating as a local affiliate of the Epilepsy Foundation of America.

About the Role

The Senior Vice President of Philanthropy and Engagement is an enterprise-level leadership position. This role is responsible for crafting strategy and implementing systems that achieve goals in fundraising to support a culture of philanthropy, donor stewardship and sustained investment for the Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Chicago (EFGC). Serving as a chief architect of fundraising and partnership, this role is responsible for developing and executing strategies to grow the base of support from $3.2M to $4.2M over the next several years, including EFGC’s individual, community, and corporate fundraising strategies, donor communications, events, and engagement activities. The SVP of Philanthropy and Engagement serves as a visible ambassador of EFGC, and cultivates sustaining-level relationships, focusing on growing a pipeline of major gift individual, corporate and institutional donors (e.g. wealth management firms, community trusts) while stewarding and expanding sustaining donors through stewardship efforts. This role also manages and develops a team that spans corporate and community relations, fundraising events, marketing, brand, and public relations, while overseeing development operations, including gift administration, fundraising activities, and volunteer events. A key member of EFGC’s staff leadership team, this role participates in agency decision making, strategic planning, and direct engagement with EFGC’s Board of Directors.

Responsibilities

Fundraising Strategy & Planning

• Inspire and promote a culture of philanthropy and giving throughout the organization, community, and Board.
• In partnership with President & CEO, set annual fundraising goals for corporate and individual giving, with specific targets for major gifts, annual appeals, sponsorships, and grants.
• In partnership with President & CEO, develop and implement a comprehensive fundraising strategy that aligns with EFGC’s mission, goals, and priorities.
• Create and implement a project plan to align with a fundraising strategy that supports agency goals.
• Lead staff to develop quarterly goals and deadlines.
• Evaluate current fundraising and donor communication activities and identify opportunities for growth and impact.

Individual Donor and Corporate Engagement

• Champion meaningful relationships with stakeholders and lead team members in their cultivation and stewardship efforts.
• Attend networking events, utilize memberships, and cultivate opportunities to speak on behalf of EFGC and its mission.
• Cultivate, solicit, and steward relationships with a portfolio of individual donors and corporate partners, ensuring they are engaged and recognized for their support.
• Manage the process for driving lead generation for new corporate and institutional partners.
• Partner with Board of Directors to grow pipelines and cultivate corporate and individual prospects.
• Lead the vision for sponsorship strategy and acquisition for the year.
• Lead team responsible for volunteer activities that cultivate donor and corporate engagement.
• Oversee team responsible for fundraising events and 3rd party fundraisers, including 5-6 annual events.

Donor Communications & Stewardship

• Ensure effective and timely recognition of constituent engagement (individuals and corporate partners), including through thank-you letters, donor events, and public acknowledgment.
• Lead the development of compelling donor communications, including newsletters, impact reports, annual reports, digital media, and tailored collateral.

Data Management & Reporting

• Lead the organization, optimization and accuracy of the Salesforce donor database.
• Analyze and interpret fundraising data, provide regular reports to inform strategic decisions and track fundraising progress indicators.
• Oversee the tracking, analysis, and reporting of all fundraising activities, ensuring accurate donor records and engagement metrics are maintained in the donor database.
• In partnership with team, regularly report on progress toward fundraising goals, KPIs, and overall development strategy effectiveness.

General Duties

• Oversee a team of fundraising, event, and communications professionals.
• Foster a collaborative, results-driven culture focused on relationship-building and donor-centric strategies.
• Work both independently and as an active team leader.
• Support key stakeholder relationships and serve as an organizational leader in absence of the CEO.
• Follow all organizational policies and procedures.
• Other duties as assigned by the President & CEO.

Qualifications

Education: Bachelor’s degree required.

Required Skills:

• Minimum of 8 years, required, 10 years, preferred, of professional fundraising experience at a non-profit organization, with a track record of meeting or exceeding fundraising goals and growing a development program creatively and strategically.
• 5 years managing fundraising professionals, required.
• Demonstrated success securing six and seven-figure gifts from individuals and institutions.
• Experience building relationships with donor portfolios required.
• Salesforce, Blackbaud, or other donor platform experience required.
• Event management experience required.
• Excellent writing and public speaking skills.
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to partner effectively with data and information teams to inform donor strategy and decision-making.
• Experience collaborating with communications colleagues to deploy mediaand marketing strategies in service of organizational advancement.
• Excellent public presentation skills

REPORTING RELATIONSHIP: This role reports directly to the President & CEO.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

• Sitting - Frequent (25-35% of day)
• Standing - Occasional (0-40% of day)
• Walking - Frequent (0-75% of day)
• Lifting: 10 - 40lbs – Occasional (0-35% of day)

TRAVEL: 50% local travel throughout the Chicagoland area; occasional out of state travel for industry conferences and events.

BENEFITS: Health, dental, vision, short-term disability, long-term disability, life insurance, 403(b) plan (with eligibility-based employer contributions), flexible spending account. EFGC currently follows a hybrid work schedule where employees may work remotely or from the office located at 17 N. State, Suite 650, Chicago, Illinois 60602. The work structure is based on the demands of specific tasks and job duties.

APPLICATIONS: Qualified candidates should submit a cover letter and resume to: HumanResources@epilepsychicago.org

Equal Opportunity Statement

We value Integrity, Trust, Respect, Compassion and Making a Difference. EFGC is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive company culture. EFGC does not discriminate against candidates and employees because of their disability, sex, race, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, age, veteran status or any other protected status under the law.