About SAGE:

Founded in 1978 and headquartered in New York City, SAGE is the world’s largest and oldest organization dedicated to improving the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ+) older people. In partnership with its constituents and allies, SAGE works to achieve a high quality of life for LGBTQ+ older people, supports and advocates for their rights, fosters a greater understanding of aging in all communities and promotes positive images of LGBTQ+ life in later years. SAGE is grounded in the spirit of “nothing about us without us.” The organization listens respectfully to the full breadth of voices of LGBTQ+ older people and seeks to positively impact all LGBTQ+ older people. SAGE’s work is data-driven, disciplined, and responsive to change. They work hard, continually improve, and are accountable for excellent outcomes. SAGE’s core values are: LGBTQ+ older voices come first; diversity and equity; collaborative teamwork and partnership; innovation; top performance in a diverse marketplace; respect, and compassion.

SAGE recently launched a new five-year strategic plan (2022-2027) that emphasizes scaling its impact on behalf of LGBTQ+ older people and diversifying its reach through an expansion of its organizational structure and decentralization of organizational leadership and decision-making. Part of this shift is the creation of two new divisions at SAGE, each with its own Executive Director. SAGE Serves™ will house the agency’s historical direct service programs in New York City and those replicated in South Florida. SAGE Venture™ will house existing and new mission based ventures and opportunities for profit-generating initiatives that align with the organization’s mission.

Read more about SAGE here.

Position: The Chief Development Officer (CDO) is a new position at SAGE and will serve on a newly structured leadership team at the organization. The CDO reports to one of SAGE’s two Executive Vice Presidents. This position will work in partnership with SAGE’s Chief Executive Officer and also will work closely with the Executive Directors of SAGE Serves™ and SAGE Venture™ to ensure these new divisions are resourced effectively. The COO will fuel SAGE’s work forward and support the deepening of SAGE’s overall impact in order to engage more LGBTQ+ older adults.

They will provide vision, strategy, and leadership to the development department and provide sophistication and rigor to SAGE’s national fund raising efforts. They will support SAGE in realizing and exceeding its annual revenue goals and will lead the development of a comprehensive, multi-pronged, multi-year fund raising strategy to significantly scale the organization’s revenue. The CDO will also provide oversight and directly engage in fundraising activities, monitor progress against annual and multi-year revenue targets and benchmarks, and oversee the development and refining of reporting mechanisms that measure progress toward objectives. They will carry this work out in strong partnership with SAGE’s Chief Executive Officer as well as with the Board and its development committee and development chair.

The CDO will be a prominent frontline fundraiser for SAGE, maintaining their own portfolio of individual, foundation, corporate, and planned giving donors, while also providing leadership and engagement in the identification, analysis, solicitation, and cultivation of potential individual donors. They will also play an important role in ongoing foundation and corporate fundraising campaigns, as well as provide leadership and engagement in the identification, analysis, solicitation, and cultivation of potential foundation and corporate donors. They will be community facing and ready to pitch and package SAGE’s work to prospective supporters at all times.

The CDO will have oversight over SAGE’s development team of ten people covering institutional partnerships, major gifts, special events, direct marketing efforts, and database and development operations – and will directly supervise at least three Director-level positions in the department. Additionally, the development department plays a role in prospecting, procurement, and reporting on some of the public government funding SAGE receives. Upon hiring, the new CDO will assess the capacity and roles on the team and build a strategy for scaling the department as needed by identifying additional positions and resources necessary for the continued growth of SAGE’s fund raising efforts and to propel forward the CDO’s multi-year fundraising strategy.

The CDO will be an essential member of SAGE’s Executive Team, which consists of the CEO, two Executive Vice Presidents, two division Executive Directors, the Chief People & Culture Officer, the Chief Experience Officer, the Chief Operating Officer, and the Acting Chief Officer for National Initiatives. The CDO will partner with other members of the Executive Team to build an organization and culture that is shaped by SAGE’s fundamental values of diversity & equity, collaborative teamwork and partnership (internal and external), top performance, innovation, LGBTQ+ older voices come first, and dignity and respect. To ensure top performance, SAGE strives for disciplined strategies and governance, disciplined people, disciplined allocation of resources, and disciplined execution.

Responsibilities:

  • Organizational Responsibilities
    • Serve as a member of SAGE’s executive leadership team and contribute to shaping and implementing the organizational strategy
    • Champion SAGE’s strategic priorities and SAGE’s organizational values, including diversity and equity, collaborative teamwork and partnership (internal and external), top performance, innovation, LGBTQ+ older voices come first, and dignity and respect
    • Liaise between staff and the leadership team in shaping and delivering communications to staff, ensuring greater transparency and buy-in across the organization.
    • Work collaboratively with SAGE’s CEO as well as SAGE Serves™ and SAGE Venture™ Executive Directors as well as SAGE USA and its core national initiatives to ensure these divisions have the appropriate resources.
    • Support the CEO and Board of Directors in their fundraising efforts, provide leadership and support to the Development Committee and its Chair, and report and present on revenue and development initiatives to the Board as a whole.
  • Departmental Responsibilities
    • Develop a fundraising strategy and workplan to establish, reach and exceed short, medium, and long-term goals and assess upcoming projects and potential new initiatives
    • Cultivate, steward, engage and solicit a portfolio of foundation, corporate, and individual donors, while exploring new funding opportunities and potential funder relationships
    • Work closely with the CEO, Executive Directors, other SAGE leadership and program staff to identify potential funding for current programmatic initiatives and new programs that further SAGE’s strategic plan and ensure timely and accurate reporting
    • Develop a departmental strategy with regard to team scale, structure and responsibilities aligned with the revenue growth SAGE requires to realize its goals
    • Supervise senior leaders on the Development team and serve as a strong team leader, uniting, motivating, and supporting the development team, while ensuring accountability through clearly defined and measurable goals
    • Oversee the development of, and ensure effective implementation of an ambitious strategy to fully capitalize on SAGE’s unique legacy planning opportunities
    • Ensure the management of the department’s database and operations, as well as other systems and processes to monitor the department’s work and ensure efficient workflows
    • Provide vision and strategy for mission aligned, cost-effective fundraising events that optimize revenue

Qualifications:

  • Demonstrated fluency and deep commitment to LGBTQ+ issues
  • Experience serving as a development department head at a similarly-sized organization or serving as a senior leader within the development team at a larger organization
  • Experience working in a multi-disciplinary organization with diverse funding streams
  • Demonstrated effectiveness leading and supporting fundraising efforts of a non-profit Board of Directors
  • An ability to engage with diverse stakeholders to promote trust, collaboration, and partnership
  • Demonstrable commitment to ensuring diversity, equity, and inclusion
  • Experience in and knowledge of the full spectrum of philanthropic fund development, including special gifts, major gifts, legacy giving, annual giving, special events, prospect research, proposal development, corporate fundraising and gift planning
  • Successful track record as a frontline fund raiser having engaged in personal authentic stewardship with supporters
  • An ability to improvise and take things as they come while communicating and pitching ideas
  • Strategic mindset, seeing ahead to future possibilities and translating them into breakthrough strategies
  • Organizational leader with deep experience and commitment to cross departmental collaboration
  • Strong team leader that builds effective teams that apply their diverse skills and perspectives to achieve common goals
  • Superior communication skills, both written and oral, and the ability to influence and engage diverse staff and donors
  • Secures and deploys resources effectively and efficiently

Salary & Location: SAGE offers a competitive salary and benefits package. The salary range for this role is $180-$220K. It is strongly preferred that this position be based in the New York City area. SAGE is operating on a hybrid basis with an expectation that designated staff are on-site, in person at least two days per week.

Equal Employment Opportunity:
SAGE is an Equal Opportunity Employer that does not discriminate on the basis of actual or perceived race, ethnicity, creed, color, religion, sex or gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, alienage or national origin, ancestry, age, citizenship status, marital or family status, family medical history or genetic information, veteran status, HIV serostatus, military or military discharge status, height, weight, disability or handicap, domestic violence victim status, employment status, socioeconomic status, criminal history or arrest record, sexual or other reproductive health decisions, natural hair or hairstyle, or any other status or characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws. SAGE is dedicated to this policy, with respect to all matters concerning employment.

How to Apply: This search is being managed by DRG, a talent advisory firm that partners with purpose driven organizations. Interested candidates should submit a resume and cover letter detailing their interest in SAGE’s mission and qualifications for the position HERE.

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