Job Description

Chief Advancement Officer

Position Purpose

The Chief Advancement Officer (CAO) is responsible for leading Morris Animal Foundation's philanthropic growth strategy and overseeing the financial resources that support the organization's mission.

Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer and serving as a member of the Executive Team, the CAO leads Development, Donor Experience, Advancement Operations, and Finance. The CAO is accountable for growing philanthropic investment, building high-performing revenue teams, strengthening donor engagement, expanding institutional and transformational giving, and creating the systems, processes, and accountability required to support long-term growth.

This role also may provide executive oversight of Finance and Accounting, ensuring strong stewardship, planning, analytics, reporting, forecasting, and alignment between organizational resources and strategic priorities.

Success in this role requires the ability to lead effectively within a matrixed environment, building alignment and driving results across functions, stakeholders, and constituencies with differing priorities and perspectives.

The Foundation seeks a growth-oriented executive who can build high-performing teams, drive accountability, translate strategy into measurable results, cultivate and secure transformational philanthropic investments, and lead organizational change. While experience in nonprofit advancement is valued, the Foundation is equally interested in leaders from enterprise sales, business development, strategic partnerships, revenue operations, customer success, healthcare, higher education, life sciences, animal health, and other environments where relationship-based revenue growth, stakeholder engagement, and team leadership are central to success.

Primary Accountabilities

1. Grow Revenue and Philanthropic Investment

Lead the Foundation's overall advancement strategy to increase annual, major, institutional, planned, and transformational giving.

Outcomes

• Revenue growth
• Stronger major gift performance
• Expanded institutional partnerships
• Increased legacy giving
• Campaign readiness
• Larger and more diversified revenue streams

2. Build the Advancement Engine

Create the infrastructure, systems, talent, and accountability needed to support sustained growth.

Outcomes

• Stronger pipeline management
• Improved forecasting
• Increased donor acquisition
• Higher retention and donor lifetime value
• Clear performance expectations
• Scalable advancement operations

3. Translate Mission Into Investment Opportunities

Partner with organizational leadership to connect scientific priorities with compelling donor opportunities.

Outcomes

• More effective cases for support
• Stronger donor engagement
• Increased transformational giving
• Greater alignment between science and philanthropy
• Clear campaign opportunities

4. Steward Organizational Resources

Provide executive oversight of Finance and Accounting and ensure sound stewardship of organizational resources.

Outcomes

• Strong financial planning
• Meaningful analytics and business intelligence
• Accurate forecasting
• Effective budgeting and resource allocation
• Financial discipline and transparency
• Alignment between financial and advancement strategies

Key Responsibilities

Advancement Leadership

• Lead all fundraising and advancement activities across the Foundation.
• Develop and execute annual and long-range revenue growth strategies.
• Establish clear goals, metrics, accountability systems, and performance expectations.
• Build and lead a high-performing advancement team.
• Create a culture focused on results, collaboration, learning, and continuous improvement.
• Evaluate organizational structure, roles, and capabilities and make changes necessary to improve performance.

Major and Transformational Giving

• Personally manage and cultivate a portfolio of high-capacity prospects and donors.
• Lead solicitation strategies for six-, seven-, and transformational gifts.
• Partner with the CEO, COO, trustees, and volunteers on key donor relationships.
• Strengthen planned giving, foundation relations, and institutional partnerships.
• Increase the effectiveness of major gift strategy and execution across the organization.

Campaign and Growth Strategy

• Lead campaign planning, readiness, and execution.
• Develop compelling funding opportunities aligned with organizational priorities.
• Build strategies that expand donor participation and deepen engagement.
• Oversee donor acquisition, retention, stewardship, and advancement marketing efforts.
• Utilize data, analytics, and performance reporting to improve growth and decision-making.

Finance Oversight

• Provide executive oversight of Finance and Accounting.
• Partner with the Controller and finance team on budgeting, planning, analytics, forecasting, reporting, investments, audit, and compliance.
• Ensure financial resources support strategic priorities.
• Promote strong financial discipline and transparency across the organization.

Executive Leadership

• Serve as an active member of the Executive Team.
• Contribute to enterprise strategy, planning, and decision-making.
• Lead through influence across a matrixed organization, building alignment among Science, Marketing, Finance, Operations, trustees, volunteers, and external partners to achieve enterprise-wide objectives.
• Partner closely with Science, Marketing, and Operations leaders.
• Champion organizational change and continuous improvement.
• Build productive relationships with trustees, donors, partners, and external stakeholders.

Experience and Qualifications

Required

• Significant executive leadership experience leading revenue growth, advancement, philanthropy, strategic partnerships, business development, sales organizations, customer growth functions, or comparable revenue-producing operations.
• Demonstrated success building and leading high-performing teams accountable for measurable revenue, growth, or performance outcomes.
• Proven experience managing through goals, metrics, forecasting, accountability systems, and performance management.

• Track record of personally securing significant philanthropic investments, corporate partnerships, enterprise accounts, sponsorships, contracts, strategic alliances, grants, gifts, or other revenue-generating opportunities.
• Experience leading relationship-based revenue generation efforts involving complex stakeholder engagement, long sales cycles, and high-value investment, partnership, purchasing, or philanthropic decisions.
• Equivalent experience leading complex revenue growth strategies, strategic partnership development, business development functions, or commercial growth organizations will be considered alongside traditional nonprofit fundraising experience.

• Strong financial acumen and comfort overseeing budgeting, planning, analytics, forecasting, reporting, resource allocation, and organizational performance.
• Demonstrated success leading within a complex, matrixed organization where influence, collaboration, and stakeholder alignment were critical to achieving results.
• Experience leading change, improving performance, and building scalable systems and processes.
• Exceptional communication, relationship-building, and influencing skills.
• Experience working with senior executives, boards, trustees, investors, donors, or other key external stakeholders.

Strongly Preferred

• Experience securing six- and seven-figure philanthropic commitments

• Experience leading fundraising, advancement, development, campaign, partnership, or growth organizations.
• Experience working with boards, trustees, investors, donors, or executive stakeholders.
• Experience in healthcare, research, science, higher education, animal health, nonprofit, or other mission-driven organizations.

Position Specifications

Full-time, exempt position. Job duties are performed in a general office environment and include sitting and operating a computer and other office machinery. Must be able to read, write, and communicate fluently in English. Proof of authorization to work in the United States required.

Work Location Requirements: Hybrid Work Model (some in-office work required at MAF's central office in Denver; the specific schedule will vary based on position duties, current projects, and organizational needs). Colorado candidates preferred; remote work may be considered in certain circumstances. MAF is not currently hiring in CA, HI, NY, or NJ. Candidates are welcome to apply if willing to relocate prior to start date. 

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