Senior Director for Development

The Commercial Club of Chicago and Civic Committee Overview

The Commercial Club of Chicago works to shape Chicago’s future to make our region a better place for everyone to live, work, and do business. Since 1877 we have helped shape Chicago into one of the world’s greatest cities. The Commercial Club of Chicago is a membership organization of senior leaders in the region. Our members span the business, education, civic, cultural, and philanthropic sectors – unified by excitement for the future of Chicago. We believe cooperation and an open exchange of ideas are fundamental to success. Today, the Commercial Club continues to address social and economic issues of importance to the Chicago region.

In 1983, the Civic Committee was formed as an entity within the Commercial Club to identify key issues facing the State of Illinois and the greater Chicago region and providing leadership, high-quality research, long-term policy recommendations and programmatic actions for the benefit of the city and region. The Civic Committee is composed of the leaders of the Chicago region’s leading private sector employers and works with public officials and other civic organizations on transformational initiatives to promote our region’s social and economic well-being. The Civic Committee generally serves as the Commercial Club’s lead on policy and initiatives in public safety, business diversity, transportation and infrastructure, and state and local finance.

We also work alongside, and partially fund, the organizations established by us to tackle key issues head-on:

• Civic Consulting Alliance:  Civic Consulting Alliance has an effective model for addressing systemic problems and achieving lasting change. We leverage the power of public-private collaboration through a unique approach to management consulting, to channel Chicago’s proud history of civic engagement.
• Kids First Chicago:  Kids First Chicago’s mission is to dramatically improve education for Chicago’s children by ensuring high-quality public schools are accessible to all families. We believe a healthy education environment where kids, schools, and communities thrive is the key to a world-class city. We believe that those closest to our students – families, community members, and educators – are best equipped to design policies and systems that will improve equity and lead to stronger outcomes for our students, communities, and city.
• P33:  Our ambition is to transform Chicago into a tier one technology and innovation hub and promote inclusive economic growth.

For additional information on the Commercial Club and Affiliated Organizations, please refer to our websites at Commercial Club of Chicago or Civic Committee.

Terms of Employment

This is a full-time position with benefits, reporting to the Executive Vice President for Strategy and Planning. Initial employment will be on a probationary basis, with detailed evaluations and feedback for new employees at the 30-, 60-, and 90-day marks.

Commercial Club and Civic Committee Fund Development

The Commercial Club of Chicago is a 501(c)(3) that has approximately 500 individual members and the Civic Committee is a 501(c)(4) that has 90+ institutional members that are represented by CEOs and senior leadership in the region. Both the Commercial Club and Civic Committee are primarily funded by membership dues or contributions. We have embarked on an ambitious plan to deepen and grow our impact and that of our partners that will require major shifts in our existing fundraising strategies. As we expand our programmatic work and impact, we are cultivating support to the Commercial Club Foundation from member corporations and foundations to help us facilitate the business community’s engagement and impact in advancing shared goals. The Senior Director for Development will be a key leader in the expansion and diversification of our funding partners and in securing unrestricted and program funding for the organization and its partners.

Since this is a relatively new direction, we need to build systems to support expanded fundraising from foundations, corporations, and individuals, which will require coordination with our affiliated organizations and their fundraising efforts. Our most immediate goal is to raise nearly $200 million from corporate and philanthropic organizations to support the various initiatives under our public safety strategy of which $100 million has already been committed.

Position Summary

The Senior Director for Development is responsible for leading the organization’s fundraising and development strategies and goals. This leader will build a robust and comprehensive fundraising program, playing a key role in shaping the organization’s financial sustainability to create a stronger and more diverse network of stakeholders to enhance the Civic Committee’s impact. This is an ideal opportunity for a talented front-line fundraiser who can cultivate and strengthen relationships with key donors including CEOs and senior executives from the private, philanthropic, and nonprofit sectors, build teams, design systems, and execute a multi-year strategic plan in partnership with senior leaders.

The Senior Director for Development role requires an individual who is a strong leader, understands and is passionate about the mission and vision of the organization, and can articulate the Commercial Club/Civic Committee’s mission and initiatives to donors and prospects in a way that both educates and compels them to give. The successful candidate will have experience meeting or exceeding measurable fundraising goals utilizing multiple fundraising channels. Experience with all types of donors—corporate, private foundations, and individuals—is a plus.

Essential Functions

Fundraising

• Develop and implement comprehensive fundraising strategies to expand the share of the budget that comes from individual donors, corporation foundations and private philanthropy to support the programmatic and policy agenda. This includes completing a nearly $200 million campaign goal to raise resources for initiatives that are a part of the Civic Committee and Commercial Club’s Public Safety Task Force.
• Cultivate and maintain relationships with Chicago’s C-Suite executives and civically minded businesses organizations to grow support for the Civic Committee and Commercial Club’s programmatic and policy initiatives.
• Monitor and analyze trends and best practices in fundraising, integrating innovative strategies into the organization’s nascent framework.
• Develop and execute a strategy to leverage the current CRM (Salesforce) for coordination of fundraising efforts with affiliated organizations within the Civic Committee while also looking to enhance the CRM platform’s capabilities.

Event Planning and Execution

Collaborate with the events team to ensure seamless execution of donor events and programs, maintaining the highest standards of quality and professionalism.

Relationship Management

• Foster and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders, including corporate leadership, management, colleagues, members, donors, and community partners.
• Represent the organization at various civic and philanthropic events, cultivating new partnerships and opportunities.
• Support Development and Strategy team members in defining engagement goals and building competencies and skills.
• Maintain and develop an authentic and inclusive leadership style that effectively engages people across departments, cultures, identities, and perspectives.
• Possess an ability to recruit, hire and retain outstanding talent from diverse backgrounds and perspectives.
• Demonstrates a passion for fostering continuous learning and professional development among team members and staff.

Strategic Planning

Create a development strategy to contribute to and align with the organization’s strategic planning efforts, providing valuable insights and recommendations for growth and sustainability.

Operations

• Manage reporting and stewardship obligations and other funder requirements.
• Design, establish and support the adherence to business processes that ensure all financial and funder requirements are being met by program leads and finance and administration.

Communication and Collaboration

• Demonstrate a collaborative, trusting, and open approach to leadership that fosters innovation and experimentation.
• Commit to fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace.
• Display the skills and presence to publicly represent the organization before a variety of internal and external audiences credibly and compellingly.
• An unwavering commitment to the values and mission of the Civic Committee and the affiliated organizations.

Primary Responsibilities

To carry out this role, the Senior Director for Development would:

• Ensure organizational consistency of best practices surrounding development operations including data management, gift processing, fundraising policy/procedures, event management, and other related development operations to create efficiency and provide for improved decision-making.
• Review and implement new systems and strategies for enhancing fundraising coordination across the organization and with the affiliates. Identify, cultivate, solicit, and qualify prospective donors by conducting donor research and developing individual donor strategies, including tiered prospect lists and assessment of readiness.
• Design strategies to enhance donor retention, increase donor engagement, and identify new donors.
• Elevate donor engagement through effective communication, stewardship, and retention strategies to foster deeper relationships and support.
• Foster a positive, ongoing relationship with donors by maintaining contact and proactively educating donors on outcomes and results of the Civic Committee’s efforts.
• Provide fundraising strategy, direction, and support to the board in learning about the fundraising function.
• Manage senior leadership and member participation in solicitation of funds, including solicitation planning and tracking timeline with concrete steps.
• Provide background and briefing materials for donor visits and solicitation and appropriate follow-up.
• Develop fundraising policies and procedures, and strategies that align with the organization’s mission and vision, including campaign accounting, gift acceptance, reporting, and stewardship.
• Work with the leadership and finance teams to create annual fundraising goals, budgets, and fundraising projections.
• Collaborates with IT and outside experts to ensure seamless management and implementation of all fundraising applications.
• Prepare grant applications in collaboration with the policy team and other senior leadership.
• Collaborate with the membership team to enhance the Club and Civic Committee’s current CRM to create more transparency for fundraising and manage donor contributions.
• Provide analysis and reporting on the overall performance of fundraising against goals and strategic plans, thereby ensuring financial sustainability and growth for the organization.

Position Requirements

Education and Experience Requirements

• B.A. required and M.A. preferred in nonprofit or business management, social and economic policy, or other fields that align with our policy and programmatic agenda.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in fundraising from individuals and institutions, including major and planned gifts.
• Five+ years of experience leading diverse teams responsible for fundraising and donor event management.
• Tangible experience of having expanded and cultivated existing donor relationships over time.
• Verified track record of meeting or exceeding measurable fundraising goals in a medium to large, fast-paced nonprofit environment.
• Demonstrated fundraising success in corporate, foundation, workplace, individual and major gifts.
• Experience with capital campaigns is a plus.

Required Personal Attributes

The successful candidate will be a creative, highly intelligent, and self-confident leader with a proven track-record of success in a collaborative and entrepreneurial environment. Candidates will have demonstrated fundraising and data utilization capabilities, with a passion for connecting people with a mission and its programs. They must also have a high standard of professional and ethical conduct, integrity, and accountability. The ideal candidate will have experience in nonprofit social and economic policy organization, or as a major gifts officer for a major civic or cultural institution. The Senior Director for Development must have excellent relationship-building and management skills; be a strong strategic thinker and innovator; be focused and pragmatic; have superior written and oral communication skills; and be knowledgeable or intellectually curious about contemporary local and state policy issues.

Competencies

• Fundraising Expertise: Demonstrated success in developing the case for support, aligning organizational needs with funder interests, and developing and executing strategic, innovative fundraising plans to grow revenue and exceed goals. Ability to manage the fundraising process through relationships and donor and member engagement.
• Alignment & Coordination: Proven ability to work across organizations to share information and insights that inform strategies but also maximize the best use of affiliate management, members and volunteer board leaders’ talents and interests.
• Bias for Action: Demonstrated history of maintaining a sense of urgency and consistently driving progress to achieve goals.
• Forward and Generative Thinker: Demonstrated track record of utilizing new methods of donor engagement and connectivity, who will be driven by innovation in developing membership and event best practices in the post-COVID-19 world. Takes the initiative to develop new programmatic ideas and approaches that will resonate with donors.
• Executive Presence: Communication: Proven ability to engender confidence and trust internally and externally through clear communication, credibility, and leadership.
• Collaboration: Experience collaborating with senior executives, staff, and diverse groups / individuals to develop and implement shared strategies to achieve agreed-upon goals.
• Project Management: Demonstrated ability to manage a complex portfolio of multiple projects involving diverse stakeholders to achieve stated goals and deadlines.

Working Environment

The position is in Chicago. We believe that the path to achieving our missions requires our organizations and teams to regularly collaborate, work in teams, maintain collegiality, and provide a space for thought-partnership, all of which are best accomplished in person. However, we also recognize that appropriate flexibility is beneficial to the effectiveness of our employees and our organizations. With that in mind, we offer opportunities for employees to work in a combination of in-person and remote work (“hybrid” option).

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

The Club and its affiliated organizations are equal opportunity employers and do not unlawfully discriminate against employees or applicants for employment on the basis of any legally protected characteristic, whether actual or perceived, including, including, but not limited to, an individual’s race, religion, color, creed, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, marital status, pregnancy, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or other legally protected status. This policy applies to all terms, conditions, and privileges of employment, including recruitment, hiring, placement, compensation, promotion, discipline, and termination.

Compensation

Commensurate with experience; the Club offers a competitive benefits package, subject to specific policy eligibility guidelines.