Job Description

Executive Search - Vice President of Advancement,West LA (Near 405/Olympic) - Hybrid

Sterling Search Inc. has been exclusively retained to recruit the Vice President of Advancement for Make-A-Wish of Greater Los Angeles https://wish.org/la

The Greater Los Angeles chapter of Make-A-Wish has the privilege of granting life-changing wishes for children in our community facing critical illnesses. As an independent 501(c)(3) organization, it is governed by a local Board of Directors and generates $5.2 million in annual revenue (including about $1.2 million of in-kind).

A Wish impacts every person that touches it. The wish kid, volunteers, donors, sponsors, medical professionals, and entire communities. A wish is more than just a gift or a singular event in time; it creates lasting and meaningful change. For wish children, simply having their wish come true can give them the courage to comply with their medical treatments. Parents may finally feel optimistic about the future. Others may discover all they have to offer the world through volunteer work or philanthropy.

A New Chapter of Strength, Renewal and Reimagined Impact

For those familiar with the nonprofit landscape in the Los Angeles region, it’s well understood that Make A-Wish Greater Los Angeles has navigated its share of challenges over the years. Today, however, as a vital market within the national Make-A-Wish network, the chapter is entering a new era of strength and stability and working toward growth to meet the number of children waiting for a wish. In close partnership with the national organization, the chapter has begun to reimagine its future and set benchmarks for success and growth. With a new CEO at the helm, the chapter is already building a revitalized, highly engaged board, having added 8 new members, 2 national board members and with more in the pipeline. Supported by a $25K give-get expectation and many board members contributing at the $50K to 100k level, the chapter is well positioned for meaningful transformation and renewed impact.

At this moment, more than 500 children in the greater Los Angeles region are still waiting for their wishes to be fulfilled. These wishes are made possible through the generosity and dedication of our community—volunteers, neighbors, corporate partners and foundations.

The chapter’s re-imagination and renewal is being led strongly by new President & CEO – Aparna Pande who brings a powerful combination of corporate expertise, entrepreneurial success, and heartfelt connection to the mission as a longtime Make-A-Wish volunteer. A former executive at Fortune 500 companies including Disney and Mattel, she led multimillion-dollar businesses, driving growth, innovation, and high-performing teams. As an entrepreneur, she founded Kidstir, a subscription-based educational company she built from the ground up—successfully raising capital, forging national brand partnerships, and bringing new products to market before its acquisition in 2021.

Advancement

With this renewed energy, Pande is now seeking a dynamic Vice President of Advancementto help lead the chapter’s next phase of growth. The organization is well-supported by robust national resources, including advanced research and wealth screening capabilities, as well as the guidance of Chief Chapter Advancement Officer.

Like many Make-A-Wish chapters, the Greater Los Angeles chapter has adopted the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) a comprehensive framework built around six core components: Vision, People, Data, Issues, Process, and Traction, to strengthen operations and drive results. By integrating its principles into our fundraising strategy, we’ve reshaped our approach to be more disciplined, strategic, and goal-oriented, qualities essential for success in nonprofit fundraising and marketing.

The data for Greater Los Angeles points to a promising and highly strategic opportunity to build on existing and new relationships within the Make-A-Wish Greater Los Angeles community. By thoughtfully engaging long-time supporters, reconnecting with lapsed donors, and cultivating prospects who have participated in events, there is significant potential to accelerate fundraising success. Through the development of major gift portfolios, the chapter can unlock meaningful philanthropic investment from both current and past supporters.

In addition, there is a powerful opportunity to engage what is often referred to in healthcare philanthropy as “grateful patients” but in this case “grateful families. ” These are wish recipient families who have capacity that have experienced firsthand the profound impact of a wish during one of the most difficult times in their lives. It creates a uniquely fulfilling opportunity to express gratitude for the extraordinary care, compassion, and dedication shown by volunteers, medical professionals, and the organization, who together, helped bring light, hope, and joy to their families when it was needed most.

As a newer fundraising strategy, this approach has proven in recent years to be both deeply meaningful and highly successful—offering families the opportunity to give back in a way that honors their experience while supporting a sustainable platform for Make-A-Wish to continue to support future families facing similar journeys.

With a new dynamic Gala Chair, the event has been reimagined and redefined within Los Angeles society, elevating its profile to attract new levels of visibility, influence, and philanthropic investment in a way that hasn 't previously been done, and one that will create a powerful platform for much higher level of major gift multi-year sustainable giving.

Finally, the established community/3rd party fundraising events tap micro-communities throughout greater Los Angeles providing access across geographic, ethnic/cultural, industry-specific and affinity based communities. This extends to activating youth and their engaged school communities (parents, faculty, alumni) at independent, high-capacity public, and local universities.

Together, these resources and leaders will help bring the full strength, insight, and best practices to Make-A-Wish Greater Los Angeles, positioning the chapter to achieve the level of fundraising success and impact seen in other major metropolitan markets.

If you have the leadership, vision, and drive to join Pande and the Make-A-Wish team on this exciting journey, elevating the chapter to new heights and helping grant wishes for the children and families, this is your opportunity to make a lasting impact in your career.

The Vice President of Advancement represents the organization internally and externally, exercises independent judgment and discretion, and partners with and advises the CEO on issues related to fundraising. This role is responsible for managing the fundraising and marketing teams in one cohesive Advancement department and establishes the annual fundraising plan, goals and budget that drives organizational growth, ensuring long-term sustainability and alignment with the mission.

Duties and Responsibilities

Strategy & Planning

• Demonstrate exceptional leadership in developing and implementing strategic fundraising priorities, ensuring alignment with the organization's mission and goals.
• Foster a culture of accountability within the team by setting clear objectives, monitoring progress, and providing regular feedback to drive continuous improvement and achieve fundraising targets.
• Design and implement a comprehensive annual development plan, which includes benchmarks and evaluation procedures focusing on the optimal combination of individual and corporate giving, including annual/mid-level/major/planned gifts, workplace giving, corporate philanthropy and events.
• In collaboration with the CEO, oversee the execution of the Chapter’s signature gala event. Including setting goals, building budget and managing team to meet and exceed goals.

Leadership

• Be an active and engaged member of the Executive Leadership Team. Work in collaboration with ELT members and CEO to build a culture of collaboration and engagement. Identify challenges and recommend solutions, balance competing priorities.
• Lead the advancement department bringing together fundraising functions and Marketing and Communications together as a cohesive team focused on achieving common and individual goals to meet the needs of the Chapter and Mission.
• Foster a culture of philanthropy and collaboration among the various departments within the organization.
• Provide leadership in development of team communication and cohesiveness, sustaining culture and supporting staff during organizational growth.
• Identify and communicate to chapter leadership all potential opportunities and/or relationships that will increase funds and grant wishes.
• Advise the CEO and staff of current resources, trends, obstacles, and developments in revenue generation and donor relations.
• Assist with assessment and preparation of annual budgetary needs for areas of responsibility.
• Adhere to all Make-A-Wish America performance standards and internal controls, policies and procedures. Advise CEO on performance standards specific to communications, brand use, and fundraising.

Fundraising

• Maintain a portfolio of 75-100 donors who have an annual capacity of $25,000+.
• Oversee and continue to refine the evaluation and reporting system for fundraising providing leadership and the CEO with timely information and key metrics to measure progress toward goals.
• Actively seek out and develop new opportunities for revenue generation and strategic partnerships.
• Identify, develop and maintain long-term relationships with major donors, foundations and corporate contributors, and key stakeholders.
• Identify, cultivate, and solicit personally, and prepare CEO or Board members to solicit major gifts and sponsorships. Experience in forecasting expected revenue and expenses from all fundraising activities.
• Work with the CEO to utilize the CEO’s time effectively and efficiently in meeting with donors.
• Collaborate with the CEO and board members to manage and encourage board member Individual Development Plans (IDPs) and to leverage members' networks and experience.

Staff Management

• Attract, develop, coach, and retain high-performance team members, supervise Advancement Team, empowering them to elevate their level of responsibility, span of control, and performance.
• Set Advancement Team staff goals, monitor work, and evaluate results to ensure that the development department meets organizational objectives and operating requirements, and that the department's functioning and performance is in line with the needs and mission of the organization.
• Collaborate with Advancement staff and volunteers to develop systems to ensure consistent, high-quality project management.

Competencies

• Achievement Focus: Demonstrate persistence and overcome obstacles. Measure self against standard of excellence. Recognize and act on opportunities. Set and achieve challenging goals. Take calculated risks to accomplish goals.
• Business Acumen: Align work with strategic goals. Conduct cost-benefit analyses. Demonstrate knowledge of market and competition. Display orientation to profitability. Understand business implications of decisions.
• Business Ethics: Inspire the trust of others. Keep commitments. Treat people with respect. Uphold organizational values. Work with integrity and demonstrate strong ethics.
• Managing Constituent Focus: Develop new approaches to meeting constituent needs. Establish customer service standards. Monitor donor, partner and volunteer satisfaction. Donor and Volunteer centered mindset.
• Strategic Thinking: Adapt strategy to changing conditions. Analyze market and competition. Develop strategies to achieve organizational goals. Identify external threats and opportunities. Understand organization's strengths & weaknesses.
• Visionary Leadership: Act in accordance with vision. Communicate vision and gains commitment. Create a clear, compelling vision. Display passion and optimism. Mobilize others to fulfill the vision.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree from four-year college or university; or one to two years related experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 10+ years of diversified fundraising experience in a nonprofit environment, including special events, major gifts, annual gifts, direct mail, and corporate philanthropy. Working knowledge of planned gifts.
• Proven history in identifying, cultivating/stewarding, soliciting, and closing major gifts and corporate sponsorships. Proven ability to close six figure gifts.
• Extensive network and deep understanding of the Los Angeles philanthropic landscape.
• 5+ years of leading revenue-generating teams with direct supervision of staff.
• Experience developing and executing a relationship based fundraising program with an emphasis on gifts over $25K to include, but not limited to an understanding of DAF, CRT and CLT.
• Experience in integrating fundraising, marketing and communications teams and supporting cohesive planning across these programs.
• Proven career history that shows stability with an organization and a demonstrated ability to develop, nurture and build relationships.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills to clearly communicate with all employees, interns, volunteers, donors, the Board of Directors, CEO and other senior executives in a clear, business-like, and respectful manner, which focuses on generating a positive, enthusiastic, and cooperative work environment.
• Demonstrated ability to set and achieve or exceed goals.
• Adherence to deadlines, strong organizational and time management skills with attention to detail.
• Ability to be flexible and adaptable to situational changes.
• Experience working with CRM databases, Salesforce (preferred).
• Proficiency in Microsoft 365.
• CFRE credential a plus but not required.

Compensation:

This position offers an annual salary of $180,000 to $215,000 plus up to 10% bonus and comprehensive benefits, based upon qualifications and experience.

TO APPLY, CONTACT:

• Sarah Agee
• sarah@sterlingsearchinc.com
• 760-305-3981

Direct all correspondence emails and telephone calls to Sterling Search, Inc. Any resumes sent or telephone calls made to Make-A-Wish Greater Los Angeles will be redirected to Sterling Search, Inc.

Make-A-Wish Greater Los Angeles is an Equal Opportunity Employer.