Flexible/Hybrid (New York City Region)

Chief Advancement Officer, NAF

The Organization

The Aspen Leadership Group is proud to partner with NAF in the search for a Chief Advancement Officer.

NAF envisions a world in which all young people have equal opportunity for successful futures. It is a national network of education, business, and community leaders who work together to transform the high school experience and ensure students are college, career, and future ready. NAF’s educational design ignites students’ passion for learning and gives businesses the opportunity to shape America’s future workforce by transforming the learning environment — allowing students to make connections between their academic work and its real-world applications.

Since 1980, NAF has been partnering with high-need communities to improve outcomes for students by implementing NAF academies — small learning communities within existing high schools — which include cutting-edge, STEM-infused, industry-specific curricula and work-based learning experiences, all of which serve to sharpen analytic skills and encourage innovation.

NAF has grown from one NAF Academy of Finance in New York City to hundreds of academies across the country focusing on growing industries. During the 2021-22 school year, over 120,000 students attended 618 NAF academies across 34 states, plus DC, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. In 2021, NAF academies reported 99% of seniors graduated — well above both their non-NAF peers and the national graduation rate — with 87% of graduates planning to go to college.

NAF is committed to promoting inclusion, diversity, equity, and access (IDEA) across the nation and within the organization. In 2021, NAF invested and implemented new efforts into embodying these best practices internally, including, but not limited to, continued training of employees; the development and work of its Transformation Team; and applying and embedding an IDEA lens throughout all departments that positively impacts its employee experiences and culture.

Position Overview

Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, the Chief Advancement Officer will provide the vision and strategy for expansion of NAF’s resources by developing, implementing, and leading a comprehensive fundraising program to support the mission and goals of the organization. The Chief Advancement Officer will lead the Institutional Advancement team, as well as work collaboratively with multiple teams — including Programs, Partnerships, and Marketing & Communications — across the organization to establish and execute a plan for continued stewardship and growth of NAF’s funder base. The Chief Advancement Officer will develop cross-functional plans with an emphasis on the stewardship of existing donors toward renewals and the cultivation and acquisition of new donors to raise the resources needed to carry out NAF’s strategy and goals. A key immediate focus will be NAF’s new fundraising campaign with a matching component from our Chairman and Board of Directors in 2022, focused on new funding sources. The Chief Advancement Officer will be a member of NAF’s Executive Team and is responsible for securing and enhancing the revenue and resources of the organization, through fundraising and partnership development to support the growth and expansion of NAF.

NAF seeks a Chief Advancement Officer with a commitment to the mission of NAF — to ensure high school students are college, career, and future ready. A bachelor’s degree is required for this position as is at least ten years of experience as a professional fundraiser for sizable non-profit organizations. The candidate will have a record of attracting and securing significant gifts from individual donors, corporations, and foundations; and superior strategic ability at the prospective donor, departmental, and institutional level. Cover letters should be responsive to the mission of NAF as well as the responsibilities and qualifications presented in the prospectus.

How To Apply

To apply for this position, visit: https://opportunities.aspenleadershipgroup.com/opportunities/1067

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