Cure Alzheimer's Fund Cure Alzheimer's Fund

OPEN POSITION: SENIOR PHILANTHROPIC ADVISOR

PURPOSE STATEMENT

Cure Alzheimer’s Fund (CureAlz) seeks a proactive and donor-centric fundraising professional to serve in a strategic frontline role as Senior Philanthropic Advisor and contribute meaningfully to the organization’s vital mission of funding research with the highest probability of preventing, slowing, or reversing Alzheimer’s disease. The Senior Philanthropic Advisor (SPA) will join a high-performing team of mission-driven professionals who have led the organization to higher levels of philanthropic success since its founding twenty-two years ago.

Working in close partnership with Development leadership, colleagues, and CureAlz’s Trustees and Board, the Senior Philanthropic Advisor will cultivate and steward high-net-worth individuals and families capable of major and principal gifts, deepening long-term relationships while inspiring transformational support for urgently needed scientific breakthroughs. Grounded in CureAlz’s venture philanthropy model, defined by speed, rigor, and collaboration, the SPA will help expand the organization’s community of committed investors in science and deliver the philanthropic resources that accelerate the path to impact.

POSITION OVERVIEW

Reporting to the Vice President of Development, Danny Harper, the SPA will personally build and manage a portfolio of high-net-worth individuals and families with direct involvement in the identification, cultivation, and solicitation of major and principal level gifts (five-, six- and seven-figures), and advance conversations for blended and/or complex planned gifts.

There will be further opportunity for this SPA to apply the organization’s venture capital business model—through which it acts proactively to identify research opportunities and synergies and creates a fast path to necessary resources—to their own exploration of new funding opportunities and engagements. This may include launching new events and engagement strategies focused on major gift, principal gift, transformative gift, and planned giving prospects, and employing novel donor engagement vehicles including the CureAlz Trustee group.

Key to this role is the ability for identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of high-net-worth individuals that provide the funding for critical scientific research. An aptitude for and experience as a successful relationship builder and the ability to become a trusted source of information about Alzheimer’s disease is essential for this role.

The Senior Philanthropic Advisor will work closely with senior staff colleagues, CureAlz Trustees, and the Board of Directors as a key part of the organization’s Development team. They must exhibit strong professional judgment and exemplify the mission, core values, and vision of Cure Alzheimer’s Fund including a compassionate, professional, and donor-centric demeanor in all communications with donors and other volunteers.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Identify and manage a portfolio of individuals and families capable of making gifts of $25K-$1M+ (major gift minimum is currently $10,001).
  • Architect programs and events to engage and cultivate major donors that near-term bring resources to Cure Alzheimer’s Fund and lead to significant long-term major gifts from individuals and families.
  • Identify opportunities for and execute State of the Mind cultivation receptions that individuals, groups, and organizations host for the benefit of Cure Alzheimer’s Fund.
  • Conduct donor research, as necessary.
  • Collaborate with other staff, within the Development team and across Cure Alzheimer’s Fund, to continue growing the major gift donor base and fostering the engagement of donors and prospects.
  • Prepare CureAlz leadership for successful meetings with donors and prospects through proactive planning and preparation.
  • Represent Cure Alzheimer’s Fund to diverse constituencies to extend the brand and encourage collaboration and contributions.
  • Work with staff and volunteers on a broad array of projects and events to drive resources for research.
  • Travel approximately 25% of the time, including some weekends, to represent Cure Alzheimer’s Fund.

QUALIFICATIONS & CHARACTERISTICS

  • Bachelor’s degree required; master’s degree preferred or relevant work experience.
  • Minimum of seven years of frontline fundraising focused on high-net-worth individuals. Demonstrated major donor cultivation strategy, planning, and implementation experience as well a s leading engaged volunteer committees.
  • Superlative diplomatic and communication skills, including an ability to work and communicate effectively with a broad spectrum of constituents (individual donors, business leaders, attorneys,and colleagues), across a broad range of cultural environments.
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite and CRM databases (Raiser’s Edge or Salesforce a plus), project management, and collaboration tools.
  • An entrepreneurial spirit, one that takes initiative and actively seeks to deepen current donor relationships and forge new ones.
  • Tested ability to work closely with high-level decision makers, board directors, and other top-level volunteers in a nonprofit environment.
  • Extraordinary attention to detail to successfully manage multiple simultaneous projects, priorities, and deadlines of varying scale.
  • Capable of working independently and collaboratively with moderate supervision.
  • Interest and knowledge in disease-specific medical research and/or demonstrated ability to convey information about other technical topics; prior experience in a complex research organization or academic medicine is helpful.
  • High energy, positive “can-do” attitude, flexibility, teamwork, and attention to detail, high degree o f initiative and good sense of humor.
  • Ability and willingness to travel and hold a valid driver’s license as occasional evening, travel and weekend work is required.

ABOUT CURE ALZHEIMER’S FUND

Headquartered in Wellesley, MA with staff around the country, the Cure Alzheimer’s Fund team is comprised of mission-driven professionals who share a commitment to finding a cure. The Board of Directors, Trustees, and select donors support all operating expenses, allowing every general dollar raised to go directly to support research initiatives. With 30 full and part-time staff and more than 1000 grants funded around the world, Cure Alzheimer’s Fund has contributed nearly $260,000,000 to Alzheimer’s research, with many projects resulting in breakthroughs that afford a deeper understanding of Alzheimer’s disease to get closer to a cure.

The vision for Cure Alzheimer’s Fund was set by our founders. Frustrated with the slow pace of research about the disease, they applied their experience in venture capital and corporate startups to build an organization specifically designed to accelerate research, make bold bets, and eradicate the disease. The organization’s unwavering focus on finding a cure is made possible by our Board of Directors, Trustees, and other core donors who finance our overhead expenses so that 100% of all general donations go to support research.

APPLICATION INFORMATION

Application Materials: submit your resume and cover letter to [email protected]
Location: Remote or hybrid; offices are in Wellesley, MA.
Salary: $140,000 to $180,000 depending on experience

Pearl Street Collective, the search firm with purpose, has been exclusively retained for this engagement. Adele Mezher, Esmina Perdiew, Jiberly Sandoval, and Shari Berenson are leading the search. Now part of the Lindauer family, Pearl Street is an award-winning retained executive search and talent strategy consultancy serving the nonprofit, education, and healthcare sectors. Through a blend of innovative partnership models and human-centered service, Pearl Street consultants serve as a seamless extension of our clients’ teams. Our approach, powered by the combined research capabilities and talent networks of Lindauer and Pearl Street, offers organizations the ability to build high-performing leadership teams that realize meaningful and lasting impact in their communities. Women-founded and led by a passionate group of professionals dedicated to redefining search for the mission-driven space, Pearl Street leads with purpose, radical empathy, active listening, and transparency. Pearl Street is recognized by Forbes as one of America’s Best Executive Recruiting Firms, appearing with Lindauer—a top-25 firm—on the prestigious list. In addition to Forbes, Pearl Street has been featured in Hunt Scanlon’s top recruiter shortlists for Nonprofits and Higher Education and named a Top Search Firm by Women of Color in Fundraising & Philanthropy for four consecutive years. Follow Pearl Street.

Alzheimer’s disease affects people from all backgrounds. Cure Alzheimer’s Fund similarly encourages applications from people of all backgrounds and will evaluate each applicant without regard to race, ethnicity, country of origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, genetic information (including family medical history), physical ability, or length of time spent unemployed. As a US-based foundation, we adhere to all US employment legal requirements. Unfortunately, we are unable to sponsor immigration applications or work visas.

If you require a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process, please contact Pearl Street at [email protected] or 800-285-0464.