ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW
Today, despite steady and rapid Asian and Pacific Islander population growth, LEAP’s own leadership research indicates APIs continue to be underrepresented in leadership roles across sectors.
Founded in 1982, LEAP (Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics) is a national, nonprofit organization, with a mission to achieve full participation and equality for Asian and Pacific Islanders (APIs) through leadership, empowerment, and policy.
Despite being the most educated segment of the American workforce, Asians are the least likely among all racial groups to ascend to leadership roles. While they comprise around 13% of the U.S. professional workforce, Asians hold only 1.5% of corporate officer positions in Fortune 500 companies. For Asian women, this disparity is even more glaring, with less than 1% being promoted into C-suite roles. Furthermore, over half of Fortune 1000 company boards have no Asian representation. The nonprofit sector mirrors this leadership gap. Although 6% of nonprofit staff identify as API, very few hold executive leadership positions, such as CEOs or Executive Directors. BIPOC leaders, including API leaders, are often confined to smaller organizations with limited financial resources and growth opportunities. These statistics reinforce harmful stereotypes, suggesting that while API individuals are "good workers," they are not viewed as suitable leaders.
LEAP exists to disrupt this myth. Since its founding, the organization has been committed to ensuring API professionals are seen as contributors and transformative leaders equipped with the skills, confidence, and networks necessary to break through leadership and career barriers. LEAP believes that leaders are made, not born, and API representation at decision-making tables is critical to fostering a sense of belonging and inspiring future generations of API leaders.
Through its programs, LEAP strives to address these gaps by empowering API professionals at all leadership and career stages, ensuring they have the tools to succeed in the higher education, nonprofit, and corporate sectors, and advocating for increased funding and support to help API-led organizations thrive. With targeted leadership development, LEAP aims to build a future where API leaders are present across all sectors and industries, driving meaningful, inclusive change.
Guided by the philosophy of “Keep Your Values. Develop New Skills.®,” LEAP believes that Asian and Pacific Islanders can retain their culture, identity and values while developing new and vital skills that will enable them to be effective leaders in their organizations, their communities and the broader society. Over 2,700 LEAP leadership development programs, workshops, and presentations anchored by this guiding philosophy have been delivered to more than 150,000 people across the U.S., Canada, and Asia including: colleges and universities, nonprofit organizations and associations, student organizations, federal and state government agencies, and Fortune 1000 companies.
ROLE SUMMARY
The Chief Development Officer (CDO) oversees all revenue generation for LEAP. Reporting to the President & CEO, this leader is a central figure in the organization’s overall effectiveness and ability to advance its mission, goals, and objectives in serving the Asian and Pacific Islander community. The CDO oversees a current Development team comprising the Development Manager and Development Coordinator. The effectiveness of this position will be measured as follows:
- Sustained growth and diversification of LEAP revenue sources.
- Appropriate application of metrics, analytics, and data-based decision-making in guiding the Development team’s work.
- Enhanced engagement of Board members in LEAP’s fundraising efforts as both contributors and fundraisers.
- Meeting or exceeding development and fundraising goals via individual performance and that of direct reports.
- Growth in programs and services and the number of people participating in LEAP’s programs and services.
The CDO will be an enthusiastic and skilled fund development strategist and frontline fundraiser who has a genuine commitment to Asian and Pacific Islander leadership development as a means for social change and belonging. This individual will have a passion for the mission and vision of LEAP and will be eager to drive significant revenue growth by developing and motivating donors, sponsors, prospects, board, staff, and volunteers to achieve fundraising goals.
CANDIDATE PROFILE
While LEAP will consider a broad range of backgrounds, the ideal candidate will have the following qualifications/experience:
- Strong connection to and passion for LEAP's mission and vision.
- Ten-plus years of experience leading revenue generating functions and success in driving $4 million or more annually in business development or philanthropy in a nonprofit organization, including demonstrated success in a leading a development team and cultivating and managing relationships with multiple donor/sponsor sources over time.
- Solid track record of raising funds from diverse sources (e.g., individual and major donors, foundations, corporations and other grant organizations) by researching, identifying, nurturing, and engaging potential donors, funders, and supporters that align with the organization’s objectives and resulting in five and six-figure gifts.
- Proven track record of exceeding fundraising and marketing goals.
- Experience supporting a chief executive and leadership team and collaborating with a board of directors to effectively fundraise.
- Experience developing KPIs and metric dashboards inclusive of budgeting, revenue projections, and tracking of interactions.
- Demonstrated understanding of prospect research, social media, and emerging technology tools and how to leverage these technologies to connect with constituents and develop new funding streams.
- Experience managing budgets and revenue forecasts.
- Knowledge of and experience in planned giving and complex charitable giving vehicles such as deferred giving, charitable remainder trusts, gift annuities, wills, and bequests.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office and Google Apps tools (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Gmail, Google Docs, Sheets etc.), and experience with Salesforce, Slack, and Constant Contact highly desirable.
- Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, reflected in interpersonal interactions, decision making, writing, and storytelling.
- Ability and willingness to work a flexible schedule, including weekends, evenings and to maintain a travel schedule necessary to visit donors, prospective donors, partners and/or to deepen understanding of programs.
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience required. CFRE certification ideal.
- Must live in the U.S. with the ability to work remotely and to travel regularly on behalf of LEAP (with access to a major airport as well as licensure and access to operate a motor vehicle).
LEAP has retained the DSG Fundraising & Advancement Practice of the Diversified Search Group to assist in this confidential search process. Inquiries, nominations, and applications (current resumes and cover letters) may be submitted via the following link or directed to the leader of the search team:
https://talent-profile.dsgco.com/search/v2/21414
Gerard F. Cattie, Jr.
Global Managing Partner and Practice Founder, DSG Fundraising & Advancement
Diversified Search Group
The Chrysler Building, 405 Lexington Avenue, 49th Floor, New York, New York 10174
[email protected] | 212.542.2587