Lindauer Seeking Chief Development Officer for SeriousFun Children’s Network
October 16, 2024 – Lindauer was recently retained by SeriousFun Children’s Network to lead in its search for a new chief development officer. Vice president Maureen Huminik and consultant Taylor Beard are leading the assignment.
Reporting directly to the CEO and working as a key member of the senior leadership team, the chief development officer will be tasked with expanding and diversifying SeriousFun’s fundraising efforts. They will oversee a talented team of nine development professionals and lead initiatives in individual giving, corporate partnerships, and major gifts, among other areas. The chief development officer will also collaborate with the board of directors and member camps to create innovative strategies that increase awareness and drive significant revenue growth.
This role is ideal for an experienced, strategic leader who is passionate about nonprofit fundraising and eager to make a difference in the lives of children with serious illnesses. The successful candidate will have a proven track record in exceeding revenue goals, cultivating high-level donor relationships, and developing long-term strategies that align with SeriousFun’s mission. By leveraging their expertise, the chief development officer will help ensure the sustainability and continued growth of this impactful organization.
SeriousFun Children’s Network, founded by actor and philanthropist Paul Newman, has been a beacon of hope and joy for children with serious illnesses for over 30 years. With a mission to provide transformative camp experiences that foster independence and resilience, SeriousFun has grown from a single camp into a global network of 30 camps and programs that serve children and families worldwide.
Lindauer serves higher and secondary education, hospitals, academic research centers, think tanks, research facilities, and foundations, as well as advocacy, public service, social justice and other mission-driven non-profits. The firm has led searches for the Boston YMCA, Center for Applied Special Technology, Healthy Minds Innovations/Center for Healthy Minds, the University of Texas at Austin, and the Cockrell School of Engineering, among others.
Deb Taft, chief executive officer, leads Lindauer with over 25 years of executive and senior-level experience across the non-profit sector, from education to healthcare/academic medicine to the youth service and voluntary sectors. Her expertise includes governance, strategic planning, fundraising, program and staff management, strategic marketing, analytics, and constituent engagement, as well as talent recruitment, retention, and development.
Related: Lindauer Assists Pacifica Graduate Institute in Recruitment of a New CEO
Ms. Huminik co-leads Lindauer’s healthcare and academic medicine practice and its advocacy, policy, and social enterprise practice. Her healthcare clients include City of Hope, Cleveland Clinic, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Mayo Clinic, Moffitt Cancer Center, and University of Tennessee Health Science Center, while her work in higher education includes Arizona State University, Binghamton University, DePauw University, New York University, and University of Massachusetts. Ms. Huminik has also worked with organizations and missions as diverse as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Catholic Charities, JDRF, YMCA, and YWCA. Prior to joining Lindauer in 2005, she held senior positions in Boston healthcare and social service organizations, including Newton-Wellesley Hospital, AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
Lindauer Recruits Chief Development Officer for Boston Medical Center
Lindauer has recruited Susie Posner-Jones as vice president and chief development officer of Boston Medical Center (BMC), the largest essential hospital in New England. The search was led by Lindauer assistant vice president Terri Rutter and senior consultant Elsa Gomes Bondlow. “Susie Posner-Jones brings an exemplary record of success in donor engagement, along with a dedication throughout her career to promoting health equity and addressing social determinants of health,” said Anthony Hollenberg, president of BMC. “She will elevate BMC’s nationally recognized care by deepening donor relationships and executing innovative fundraising strategies to support the expansion of patient services and hospital infrastructure.”
Ms. Beard brings to Lindauer and its clients several years of philanthropic consulting and project management experience in the non-profit sector. Throughout her career, she has partnered with a range of clients including American University, Carnegie-Mellon University, Chicago Urban League, Colgate University, Da Vinci Science Center, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Englewood Health Foundation, Folger Shakespeare Library, Fourth Presbyterian Church, Germantown Friends School, Instituto Technologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, Macalester College, Milwaukee Art Museum, Louisiana State University Athletics, National Cathedral School, Oregon Health and Science University Foundation, Pennsylvania State University Athletics, University of Massachusetts Amherst, University of Minnesota Foundation, University of New Mexico Foundation, University of the Arctic, Trinity College, and Upper Canada College.
Past Search
Lindauer recently helped to place Jessica L. Miley as senior vice president and chief development officer for Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) in California. Ms. Miley, a proven fundraiser in healthcare who has dedicated her career to serving children and families in need, will direct all fundraising and development programs for Orange County’s only pediatric healthcare system. The assignment was led by Libby Roberts, executive vice president and managing director, and Tensie J. Taylor, search consultant.
“Lindauer was an exceptional partner in the search process,” said Tom Capizzi, vice president, chief people officer at CHOC. “They truly took the time to get to know our mission, vision, and values. Through their stakeholder interview process, they were able to embrace our organizational culture here at CHOC as well as the unique Southern California philanthropic environment. They provided excellent counsel and support to our search committee, which led to us successfully finding our new leader for the CHOC Foundation.”
Related: Lindauer Recruits Chief Engagement Officer for Duke University
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
