Position Description

Title: Chief Development Officer            

Status: Exempt

Manager: President            

Last Updated: March 3, 2025

To Apply: Please send your cover letter and resume in one (1) PDF file to careers@upliftingathletes.org

About the Job:

The Chief Development Officer (CDO) is a dynamic, strategic leader who will shape and drive an ambitious fundraising strategy, securing transformational gifts and diversifying revenue streams to ensure long-term financial sustainability. 

As a key member of the executive team, the CDO will cultivate and steward high-impact relationships with individual donors, foundations, and corporate partners. The CDO will report directly to the Uplifting Athletes (UA) President and have primary financial development responsibilities.  The CDO will also regularly engage with the UA executives and Board of Directors to develop and fund future UA strategies and initiatives. The implementation of innovative fundraising initiatives will support and expand UA’s $2 million plus annual budget. The CDO will champion UA’s mission and vision, leveraging their expertise to align funding efforts with the organization’s bold goals for supporting Uplifting Experiences for Today’s rare disease patient community, research for Tomorrow’s rare disease patients and the development of Young Leaders who are the Future advocates for the rare disease community. 

This role demands a strategist with a passion for mission-driven fundraising, a track record of working with the biopharmaceutical industry securing sponsorship and charitable gifts, creating, and implementing an individual philanthropic campaign, and developing creative strategies for highlighting UA’s assets to Philanthropic Foundations. The ideal candidate will be a forward-thinking, results-oriented professional who understands 501 (c)(3) fundraising and is eager to play a pivotal role in advancing UA’s meaningful work.  

Responsibilities:

The Chief Development Officer will be responsible for:

• Maintaining a working knowledge of the issues related to the rare disease community. 
• In partnership with the executive team, create new annual programming to incentivize philanthropic support from UA’s current and prospective biopharmaceutical partners, as well as other corporate supporters.
• Developing and implementing strategic, comprehensive, and best-practice fundraising plans to leverage new and long-term support in support of UA’s programs, research, and young leaders. 
• Overseeing and participating in the identification, cultivation, and solicitation of new major donors as appropriate. 
• Leading the development and the expansion of UA’s prospect pipeline of individuals, corporations, and foundations through ongoing strategic research, cultivation, and stewardship activities. 
• Supervising donor database maintenance, gift processing, acknowledgments, and receipts, and ensuring adherence to fundraising accounting best practices and IRS regulations. 
• Supervising the expansion and implementation of cause marketing partnerships. 
• In partnership with the executive team, cultivating, communicating with, and further developing and engaging Board Members to ultimately increase their connection and commitment to UA. 
• In partnership with the executive team, identifying and cultivating potential new 501(c)(3) Board Members as well as preparing Board reports.
• In partnership with the President, assist in the creation of the annual budget for UA.

Qualifications 

• Bachelor’s degree required. 
• A dynamic, creative fundraiser and communicator.
• An accomplished track record of 10+ years of progressive experience leading effective, sustainable advancement programs, encompassing the full range of external relations strategies and tactics. 
• Commitment to UA’s mission, vision, and values, and its catalytic approach to support rare disease researchers, advocacy partners, patients and families. 
• Technologically savvy using social media, e-philanthropy, and other tech-driven approaches to fundraising. 
• Strategic understanding of various development campaign activities including direct mail, proposal and grant development, annual fund and planned giving, event planning and management, direct solicitations, cause-related marketing, leveraging fundraising databases and support systems for donor segmentation, research, and volunteer management. 

• A record of success in raising money by creating and/or expanding a culture of major gift philanthropy. 
• Leadership experience and proven ability to think strategically and create competitive, breakthrough philanthropic approaches. 
• Exceptional communication skills, both written and verbal, and the ability to use words to inspire in multiple formats. 
• Understanding of fundraising strategies for 501(c)(3) organizations. 
• Experience with development databases preferred. 
• Ability to travel and work evenings and weekends when required.

• Knowledge of the rare disease space is preferred.
• Demonstrated excellence in organizational and managerial skills.

About Uplifting Athletes

Uplifting Athletes is a national nonprofit established in 2007 that impacts the rare disease community through connections to sports and athletes. Uplifting Athletes supports people impacted by rare diseases Today through hosting Uplifting Experiences, drives to assist people impacted by rare diseases Tomorrow  by raising funds for rare disease research and builds pre-eminent Future leaders and lifeline allies for the rare disease community through our Leadership Development Program.

TODAY – The patients and their families

The Uplifting Experiences program has a top priority of harnessing the power of sport to inspire hope and joy in the lives of people impacted by rare diseases.  The objective of each Uplifting event is to provide an opportunity for members of the local rare disease community and athletes to connect. Uplifting Experiences are centered on affording people impacted by rare diseases a unique and memorable experience, while simultaneously allowing athletes to directly connect with the people impacted by a cause they support.

TOMORROW – The research

The Young Investigator Draft is the result of Uplifting Athletes’ commitment to cultivate resources that accelerate scientific advancement for rare disease treatments and potential cures while facilitating the next generation of rare disease researchers.  Young Investigator grants fund collaborative basic bench research in order to positively impact treatments and potential cures for the rare disease community. In its first 8 years, the Young Investigator Draft has awarded over $1.2 million to 64 next generation researchers and connected 39 patient advocacy partners to Uplifting Athletes through this process. 

THE FUTURE – The rare disease leaders

Uplifting Athletes was sparked by a few student-athletes putting their heads together to use the power of sport to overcome the challenges faced by people diagnosed with a rare disease. Over time word spread and evolved into an opportunity to develop student-athletes into future leaders and forever allies for the rare disease community.  These student athletes, through the Uplifting Athletes Leadership Development program, learn professional leadership skills, develop rare disease patient advocacy expertise and business and community networking prowess that will allow them to raise the awareness of rare diseases on their college campuses and beyond.  In the last 10 years alone, Uplifting Athletes has trained nearly 500 student athletes across 52 Division 1 colleges and 73 different teams.  Uplifting Athletes is proud of the impact that these athletes have had on the rare disease community and sees the endless potential for the expansion of this important program.

To learn more about Uplifting Athletes visit www.upliftingathletes.org

The statements herein are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed.  These statements are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required by personnel so classified.  Other duties may be assigned. 

Uplifting Athletes is an Equal Opportunity Employer and considers applicants for all positions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.