Lois L. Lindauer Leads Philanthropy Search for Make-A-Wish
October 4, 2017 – Make-A-Wish Massachusetts and Rhode Island has retained Boston-based recruitment firm Lois L. Lindauer Searches to spearhead its hunt for a new vice president of philanthropy. Faith Eutsay is leading the assignment.
Reporting to the CEO, the VP of philanthropy is expected to enhance and lead a comprehensive development program as Make-A-Wish Massachusetts and Rhode Island continues to flourish, said the search firm. In addition to directing staff, the executive will work closely with members of the board of directors and play a key role on the senior management team.
The individual is charged with building upon and leading the organization’s comprehensive development program to support significant and continued organizational growth, the firm said. The executive is responsible for taking current activities to new levels and developing strategies for increasing the organization’s revenue generating capabilities in an efficient, sustainable and reliable manner.
The Right Background
The incoming executive must have 10 or more years of related, verifiable, successful experience working as a development professional, demonstrating a career trajectory of increasing responsibility, said the search firm. A proven track record of managing, mentoring and developing a high-performing team of development professionals is highly desired. Experience in planning, leading and executing major gifts programs, endowment/capital campaigns, annual fund and special events is also preferred.
Make-A-Wish Foundation of Massachusetts and Rhode Island is a Massachusetts not-for-profit, organized for the purpose of granting wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions. The foundation is an independently operating chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America.
Serving Advancement Needs
Lois L. Lindauer Searches serves the development/advancement profession. The firm specializes in recruiting chief development officers and their teams for the education, healthcare, science, arts and culture, advocacy and mission-driven non-profit sectors. It has led development 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.
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Ms. Eutsay has 20 years of development experience to help her meet client needs. A self-described “generalist,” she brings both frontline fundraising and management expertise to the Lois L. Lindauer Searches team. She has placed chief development officers, or the equivalent position, at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Babson College, Western Connecticut Health Network Foundation, Society for Science & the Public, and Whitinsville Christian School.
Development Leaders
The field of advancement is an extension of development/fundraising. Over the past two decades, educational institutions and charitable groups have shifted toward more integrated models of collaboration between communications, marketing, branding and development. Advancement represents the full integration of these functions under a single leader, the chief advancement officer. A recent search on LinkedIn of the title generated more than 30,000 results.
According to recruiters who specialize in the non-profit sector, advancement talent is being groomed all around the field and within organizations that understand the direct connectivity between messaging and contributed revenue. The function is only relevant to the non-profit and education sectors. In corporate setting, such executives are commonly referred to as chief development officers or a chief business development officer.
In general, the best training for such roles is experience. Industry conferences and summits can also help one learn benchmarking and best practices. And while the best fit for these roles ultimately depends on the culture of the organization, recruiters say that “tenacity and drive” are two traits always necessary for successful advancement and development officers.
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor; and Will Schatz, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
