Job Posting – Chief External Relations Officer (CERO)
About
The Dream Center Foundation is organized exclusively as a nonprofit public benefit corporation.
- Why we exist? Promote social welfare in the community by funding the Dream Center and its affiliates. The Dream Center is a volunteer-driven organization that impacts approximately 40,000 people through multiple services every month.
- What we do? Connect broken people to a community of support by providing free resources and services that address immediate and long-term needs in the areas of homelessness, hunger, poverty, addiction, abuse, education and human trafficking.
- Founded: 2008
- Employees: 11+
- Location: Los Angeles, CA
Ideal Candidate
Dream Center Foundation is seeking a Chief External Relations Officer (CERO) to lead marketing, communication and fundraising efforts that drives growth and sustainability in the organizations mission. The CERO will create thought-leadership opportunities for the Dream Center (and affiliate entities) through media coverage, speaking engagements, and formal presentations. This leader will bring the vision of the Dream Center (and affiliate entities) using creative fundraising approaches, the advancement of available technologies, and leading-edge philanthropic thinking. The CERO will be responsible for leading their marketing, communications, and fundraising efforts to drive growth in fundraising and engagement in the organization’s mission. In collaboration with the SLT, the CERO will procure powerful and consistent communication of the organization’s value proposition, while overseeing all efforts to build engaging relationships with key customers.
This position participates in both the strategic planning process and the annual budget process to establish revenue and Foundation goals. One of his/her key responsibilities will be to create thought-leadership opportunities for the Dream Center (and affiliate entities) through media coverage, speaking engagements, and formal presentations. S/he brings the vision of the Dream Center (and affiliate entities) using creative fundraising approaches, the advancement of available technologies, and leading-edge philanthropic thinking.
Essential Functions:
- As brand champion and steward, ensure the brand identity, positioning and value is consistent across organizational communications.
- Lead an organized and strategic planning process for the department, resulting in an integrated Development & Communications Plan with measurable goals, benchmarks and tracking methods.
- Develop a comprehensive plan to measure the effectiveness of the organization’s brand messaging/positioning/campaigns, as well as outreach to and engagement of key audiences.
- Public Relations and reputation management that includes developing and implementing strategies to cultivate community, city, industry, and corporate partnership relationships
- Collaborate with appropriate committees and staff to build and grow a scalable international organization strategy and brand.
- Develop and implement an internal communications structure and strategy along with senior managers to foster culture in line with the brand and core values that influences wellness within the work environment.
- Assists the CEO in supporting the fiscal integrity, develop an annual budget, revenue projections and updates at Board meetings, while collaborating with senior staff members on annual planning, budgeting, and other relevant organization-wide initiatives.
- Support the CEO in creating and executing the organizational strategy including assessing strategic initiatives to be in line with the organization’s standards and objectives.
- Partner with the finance and accounting department to sustain efficient, effective and transparent financial tracking and reporting processes. Develop and produce regular analytic reports for the CEO and Executive Committee of the Board that synthesize the financial progress and trends of fundraising and other revenue activities.
- Demonstrate excellent interpersonal skills to effectively communicate with board members, donors, prospective donors, alumnae, and volunteers. Develop strong relationships with and secure the trust and confidence of board members, staff, volunteers, and others critical to organizational fundraising efforts.
- Demonstrate expertise through multi-year strategic and business planning. A broad-based knowledge and experience with the full range of fundraising modalities: campaigns, major gifts, annual funds, grants, events, corporate giving, planned-giving, endowments, Gifts in Kind, etc.
- Demonstrate highly motivated, adaptable, and strong culture fit. Build strong relationships across all departments. Build and lead a high-performing team.
- Advance existing new creative and implement mission-centered, standout donor recognition.
- Ensure the implementation of inspiring, memorable and scalable donor engagement strategies designed to strengthen relationships with current and prospective donors.
- Lead an organized and strategic planning process for the department, resulting in an integrated Development and Marketing & Communications Plan with measurable goals, benchmarks and tracking methods that include performances of events, campaigns, initiatives, and more.
- Ensure all philanthropic revenue and operational goals are met or exceeded quarterly
- Fulfill national and regional fundraising metrics via a personal portfolio of major donors and prospects using face to face solicitation skills
- Develop, coordinate outreach to and support of Dream Center programs and initiatives to advise, train and guide “best practice” learning and execution in development, capital campaigns, estate planning, and major gifts.
Experience
- 10+ years in non-profit industry or similar for-profit industries with communications and marketing experience with an established record of increasing philanthropic revenue
- Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree preferred in public policy, public administration, nonprofit management, or related field
- Effective leadership and management of advancement staff over a period of 7+ years
- Success at fund development, including knowledge of and success in attracting foundation and corporate grants; ability to identify, steward and solicit individual donors
- Solid, hands-on budget management skills, including budget preparation, analysis, decision-making and reporting
- Experience managing complex budgets
- Significant and proven leadership skills developed through several years of senior management positions
- Excellent organizational development, interpersonal, marketing, communications and media relations skills
- Highly organized with excellent administration and personnel management skills
- Excellent communication skills, both written and oral, strong presentation skills
- Ability to work respectfully with people from all socioeconomic backgrounds with an affinity for working with a culturally and politically diverse community
- Ability to build collaborative ventures with diverse constituencies
- Ability to interact with and engage with diverse volunteer and donor groups
- Is visionary, trustworthy, ethical, diplomatic, understanding and innovative
- Ability to convey a vision of the organization’s strategic future to staff, board, volunteers and donors
- Strong interpersonal skills including the ability to inspire, influence and motivate people
- Outstanding skills in relationship building, donor correspondence, and public speaking
- Experience scaling quality and quantity of content through a combination of tools, people and processes
- Proven track record developing and overseeing processes and implementation, as well as in KPI measurement, reporting and analysis
- Experience using various CRM and CMS platforms
- Ability to be a strategic, yet “hands on” executive, with superior multitasking skills; quick turnaround without sacrificing quality, and the ability to be flexible when needed
- Receive and apply feedback and advise ways to improve performance
- CFRE or ACFRE certifications
- Outstanding knowledge and skills related to MS Office, Google Suite, and Mac office products.