Vice President of Advancement & Revenue Strategy

Description

Role Overview:

Boys & Girls Clubs of North Central Illinois (BGCNCIL) is entering a transformational chapter of growth.

The Vice President, Advancement & Revenue Strategy is a senior executive leadership role responsible for building and scaling a best-in-class revenue engine that fuels life-changing impact for thousands of youth across our region. This role exists to turn belief into investment, strategy into scale, and mission into measurable results.

This is not a “maintain the status quo” position. We are seeking a seasoned fundraising and revenue leader with a proven track record of closing seven-figure gifts and leading organizations raising $10M+ annually. The ideal candidate brings the ambition, discipline, and leadership capacity to help scale BGCNCIL to $25M+ in annual revenue within three years.

The Vice President will personally lead major and principal gift efforts, capital campaigns, and strategic partnerships while aligning marketing and communications to revenue outcomes. This leader serves as a trusted partner to the President, CEO, and Board of Directors and plays a central role in shaping the organization’s long-term sustainability and reach.

How This Role Lives Our BLUE Values

This executive role is grounded in our BLUE values, which define how we lead and work:

• Believe – You believe deeply in the power of opportunity for every child and inspire others to invest boldly in that belief.
• Learn – You use data, discipline, and reflection to continuously improve strategy, performance, and outcomes.
• Unite – You build trust with donors, board members, staff, and partners, aligning people around shared goals.
• Elevate – You raise expectations, revenue, and impact—bringing out the best in people, teams, and systems.

Key Responsibilities

Revenue Leadership

• Personally lead and close major and principal gifts, including six- and seven-figure solicitations
• Develop and execute a multi-year fundraising strategy to achieve $25M in annual revenue within three years
• Serve as lead strategist and executive sponsor for all capital campaigns, including planning, donor strategy, board engagement, and execution
• Drive growth across major gifts, individual giving, corporate partnerships, foundation support, and planned giving
• Maintain an active personal portfolio of top donors and prospects
• Lead donor cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship at the highest levels

Business Development & Earned Revenue

• Lead business development initiatives that generate earned revenue, including fee-based school and community partnerships
• Identify, negotiate, and secure mission-aligned strategic partnerships
• Apply sales discipline, pipeline management, and forecasting rigor to partnership development

Marketing & Brand Strategy

• Oversee marketing and communications to directly support fundraising, donor engagement, and revenue growth
• Ensure marketing strategy is tightly aligned with development goals, capital campaigns, and donor pipelines
• Guide storytelling and communications that clearly articulate impact, urgency, and return on investment
• Ensure consistent, compelling brand messaging across all platforms

Strategic Growth & Board Partnership

• Design and lead a three-year revenue growth roadmap with clear milestones and accountability
• Partner closely with the President, CEO, and Board to advance fundraising strategy and campaign success
• Prepare and present clear, data-driven fundraising reports to executive leadership and the Board
• Identify new donor segments, markets, and growth opportunities aligned with mission and long-term sustainability

Team Leadership & Culture

• Recruit, lead, and develop a high-performing development and marketing team
• Establish clear performance expectations, metrics, and accountability tied to revenue outcomes
• Coach team members in major gift strategy, donor engagement, and fundraising excellence
• Foster a culture that balances high expectations, collaboration, and professional growth

Operational Excellence

• Oversee development and marketing operations, including CRM systems, data integrity, compliance, and reporting
• Ensure accurate forecasting, revenue projections, and performance dashboards
• Use data to refine strategy, improve effectiveness, and drive results

Requirements

Required Qualifications

• Demonstrated track record of raising $10M+ annually required; experience scaling to $20M–$25M+ preferred
• Proven experience personally closing major gifts, including six- and seven-figure donations
• Capital campaign leadership experience required, including planning, execution, and board engagement
• Deep expertise in major gifts, private philanthropy, and integrated fundraising strategies
• Strong business development and sales acumen, including earned-revenue partnerships
• Senior leadership experience managing fundraising teams with measurable revenue results
• Exceptional relationship-building, communication, and negotiation skills
• Results-driven executive who thrives in high-growth, high-accountability environments
• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred

Who Thrives in This Role

This role is ideal for a leader who:

• Wants real authority paired with real accountability
• Is energized by ambitious growth goals
• Believes culture and performance go hand in hand
• Sees fundraising as leadership, not just transactions
• Wants their work to directly shape the future of youth across an entire region