ABOUT NEW YORK ROAD RUNNERS

New York Road Runners (NYRR) was founded in 1958 when a small group of passionate runners vowed to bring running to the people and has grown from a local running club into the world’s premier community running organization. NYRR’s mission is to help and inspire through running, aiming to empower people of all ages and abilities to improve their health and well-being through the power of running and fitness.

NYRR’s year-round offerings of races, community events, programs, and training resources provide hundreds of thousands of people with the motivation, know-how, and opportunities to start running and keep running for life. NYRR’s premier event, the famed TCS New York City Marathon, attracts the world’s top professional runners and committed amateurs alike, while also raising millions of dollars annually for charity and driving economic impact for New York City. NYRR is equally committed to the runners of tomorrow, passionately providing youth fitness programs that educate and inspire children in underserved communities in New York City, nationwide, and around the world.

ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY

The Senior Vice President, Philanthropy (SVP) will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of New York Road Runners as the organization embarks on a period of ambitious fundraising growth. Reporting directly to CEO, Rob Simmelkjaer, the SVP will partner with NYRR’s senior leadership team and Board to develop a compelling and effective philanthropic vision and spearhead transformational fundraising initiatives that position NYRR for unprecedented growth and impact. The SVP will be instrumental in driving the organization’s culture of philanthropy and major gifts fundraising.

The SVP will collaborate with senior leaders across the organization to establish and promote a mission, values, and donor-centered philanthropic approach with an emphasis on the importance of major gifts in achieving the organization’s goals. The SVP will build and implement the infrastructure and personnel needed to substantially grow projected revenue and establish a robust major gifts program. This includes managing, mentoring, and growing NYRR’s development team, which currently includes nine professionals. The SVP will also work closely with and manage the Development Committee of the Board to leverage key relationships and cultivate potential new Board members with philanthropic priorities that align with and can advance the organization’s fundraising goals.

The SVP will drive efforts to deepen and broaden NYRR’s engagement with its diverse community to increase awareness and connection with the organization’s mission, community programs, and giving opportunities. This includes growing NYRR’s philanthropic memberships and leveraging NYRR’s peer-to-peer fundraising initiatives, primarily its premier charity, Team for Kids, which has raised over $100M since its inception in 2002.

Watch NYRR’s 2023 Impact Report Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZCnmrjVdp8

Key responsibilities include:

Organizational Leadership: Philanthropic Vision, Goals, & Culture

• Partner with senior leaders and teams across the organization to establish a culture of philanthropy that centers NYRR’s mission, values, and strategic priorities and promotes the invaluable role of donor engagement and generosity in bolstering NYRR’s growth and impact.
• Engage, collaborate with, and guide members of the Development Committee of the Board as partners in direct fundraising and stewardship of potential Board members and major donors.
• Lead, manage, mentor, and grow the Development team with a focus on expanding capacity for major gift fundraising and meaningfully engaging NYRR’s diverse community and donor base.

 Development Strategy & Major Gifts Fundraising

• Develop, launch, and manage a multi-year strategic plan for fundraising, focusing on major gifts, including identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of major donors.
• Partner with and leverage NYRR’s key fundraising initiatives, including Team for Kids. Apply data-driven decision-making to regularly evaluate and optimize current development efforts.
• Develop and implement a strategy for a stewardship program aimed at cultivating deeper ties with major individual donors and institutional partners.
• Lead the planning and execution of individual donor strategies, with a focus on major gifts, including developing a major gifts program and overseeing NYRR’s first-ever capital campaign.

External Communications & Stakeholder Relations

• Serve as an ambassador for NYRR, promoting the strategy, case statements for fundraising, and vision of the organization, with an emphasis on the transformative power of major gifts.
• Strategically engage relationships with City, State, and Federal representatives to facilitate potential requests for program funding, highlighting the importance of major gifts in supporting NYRR’s mission and programs

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE: 

This is a unique opportunity for an experienced development leader to build and transform the philanthropic impact of a nonprofit organization that inspires thousands of New Yorkers to fall in love with running every year. The successful candidate will bring a runner’s persistence, determination, and adaptability combined with the leadership experience and skills needed to map an ambitious course, maintain an aggressive yet steady pace, and set new fundraising records, including:

• 10+ years of senior leadership experience in a nonprofit organization, including driving high-level philanthropic strategy, leading major gifts fundraising, and managing a development team.
• Demonstrated ability to create and implement an effective multi-year strategic development plan.
• Track record of success as a frontline fundraiser and experience with varied fundraising models including memberships, events, annual campaigns, major gift programs, and capital campaigns.
• Ability to lead, manage, and mentor a high-performing development team toward results while maintaining a collaborative and supportive work environment.
• Experience partnering with Board members on Board development and major gift cultivation.
• Knowledge of industry trends and best practices for fundraising in a dynamic nonprofit environment.
• Strong technical and analytical skills, including ability to leverage fundraising databases.
• A results-oriented approach and ability to collaborate with a wide range of stakeholders, including staff across all levels, Board members, key external partners, and volunteers.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and oral, with an ability to influence and engage a wide range of donors and build long-term relationships.
• A passion for being a part of the NYRR community, health, and wellness along with a commitment to the mission, programs, and future aspirations of the organization.

Other Requirements:

This is a hybrid position with staff expected to be in the office two days a week. All staff are required to work the NYC Half Marathon, Brooklyn Half Marathon, and the TCS NYC Marathon.

NYRR requires all employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 unless approved for a medical or religious exemption.

Compensation & Benefits

The salary range for this position is $250,000-$285,000, commensurate with experience, plus 5-10% annual bonus, and generous benefits. For more information, please visit: https://www.nyrr.org/about/careers/benefits

TO APPLY

Please submit a thoughtful cover letter and resume using the following link: https://loxo.co/job/MTM0OTMtdThtcDI4d29jdDI4dnpsYw==?t=1715095140479

New York Road Runners is an Equal Opportunity Employer