Title: Chief Advancement Officer
Department: SEO Executive Office
Reporting to: William Goodloe, President & Chief Executive Officer
Location: Hybrid – 2-3 days/week in office; some nights, weekends, and travel required.
All candidates must be within commutable distance of SEO’s offices at 55 Exchange Place, New York, NY 10005, upon hire.
ABOUT SEO
Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO) is a non-profit organization with a rich history of supporting underserved students. Founded in 1963 by Michael Osheowitz as a mentoring program, SEO has evolved significantly over the decades. It expanded its reach in 1980 with the launch of SEO Career, a summer internship program for college students, and later established international presence in London, China, Vietnam, and Ghana. SEO currently boasts a network of 25,000+ alumni, including $12,000+ in the U.S.
SEO Scholars is a free, eight-year, academic program that transforms public high school students into college graduates. SEO Scholars successfully educates and mentors underserved, low-income public high school students to and through college.
Over the past 10 years, under the leadership of Board Chair Henry Kravis and CEO William Goodloe, the organization has roughly quadrupled in size while expanding the Scholars Program nationally to San Francisco in 2011, North Carolina in 2022, and Miami in 2024. SEO also prepares young professionals for entry into coveted careers through programs that include SEO Law, Alternative Investments, Tech Developer, and the Leadership Institute. Throughout its journey, SEO has garnered numerous accolades, including 11 consecutive 4-star ratings from Charity Navigator, and has successfully raised $8 million annually through its award dinners. Despite challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic, which necessitated the addition of virtual programming in 2020, SEO has maintained a commitment to providing educational and career opportunities to underserved students while adapting and expanding its impact.
POSITION OVERVIEW
SEO saw rapid and unprecedented expansion during the pandemic, prompting the need to grow and redesign our C-suite. Over the last three years, we have welcomed three new Executive Committee members to oversee critical functions within the organization— SEO Professional Programs, SEO Scholars Program, and national operations. In the same period, we have also doubled the organization's workforce and budget, expanded SEO's regional footprints in North Carolina and Miami, and opened a second site in Oakland, CA, to accommodate our growing Scholars program in San Francisco.
The SEO Chief Advancement Officer is responsible for strategic development planning and activities supporting the NYC SEO Scholars program and SEO general program/operating support, representing 40% of organization's $51M budget with the goal to grow support by at least $10 million next 3-4 years. A particular focus will be on national foundations, corporate donors, and major individual donors. The CAO is expected to be a front-line national relationship builder and major donor solicitor, managing a portfolio of prospects, and supervising an approximately nine-member development team.
Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) William Goodloe, the CAO will be a leader in lifting the current org-wide development efforts to new levels of success by broadening ways to attract and more deeply engage with national foundations, corporations, and individual philanthropists over time – to become strategic sources of revenue. The CAO will also work closely with SEO’s professional programs and its Marketing & Communications team to utilize SEO’s legacy of impact closing opportunity gaps to increase national brand recognition as a whole. The CAO will serve on the Executive Committee of SEO’s Executive Leadership Team.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Fundraising:
Strategic Leadership:
QUALIFICATIONS
COMPENSATION & BENEFITS
The benchmarked compensation range for this position is $250,000 - $300,000.
SEO offers a competitive compensation package and comprehensive benefits plan, including low-cost health, vision, and dental options, a generous holiday schedule and PTO policies, disability coverage, fully paid time off for new parents, and employer contributions to health reimbursement and retirement accounts. We are constantly working to improve our benefits each year based on the needs of our employees. We value wellness and strive to consistently use a DEIB lens to put people first and foremost.
The compensation listed in this posting reflects what SEO believes it will pay for this position at the time of this posting. Consistent with applicable law, compensation will be determined based on the skills, qualifications, and experience of the applicant along with the requirements of the position, and SEO reserves the right to modify this pay range at any time.
EEOC Policy
At SEO we are committed to cultivating a team that embodies the backgrounds and experiences of the constituencies we serve and the communities we live in, and a workplace that reflects the impact we make in the world. Candidates from all communities – including people of color, women, members of the LGBTQIA+ Community, veterans, and people with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.
Equal Employment Opportunity is not just the law, it is our commitment.
Sponsors for Educational Opportunity is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer – M/F/D/V. We will consider all qualified applicants for employment regardless of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, marital status, veteran status, pregnancy, parental status, genetic information or characteristics, or any other legally protected status.
If you need accommodation while applying for a role with SEO, due to a disability, please email SEO Talent.
ABOUT STANTON CHASE
Stanton Chase is a top global retained executive search firm and leadership consultancy where global expertise meets local insight with personalized service. The Stanton Chase D.C. office specializes in C-Suite placements at mission driven organizations. For more information, please visit us at: www.stantonchase.com
Interest & Referrals
Jeff Perkins
Managing Director
Global Practice Leader, Social Impact
(202) 248-5088
Charles Nailen
Managing Director
(202) 248-5088
Abbey Corona
Senior Associate
(202) 248-5088
Title: Chief Advancement Officer
Department: SEO Executive Office
Reporting to: William Goodloe, President & Chief Executive Officer
Location: Hybrid – 2-3 days/week in office; some nights, weekends, and travel required.
All candidates must be within commutable distance of SEO’s offices at 55 Exchange Place, New York, NY 10005, upon hire.
ABOUT SEO
Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO) is a non-profit organization with a rich history of supporting underserved students. Founded in 1963 by Michael Osheowitz as a mentoring program, SEO has evolved significantly over the decades. It expanded its reach in 1980 with the launch of SEO Career, a summer internship program for college students, and later established international presence in London, China, Vietnam, and Ghana. SEO currently boasts a network of 25,000+ alumni, including $12,000+ in the U.S.
SEO Scholars is a free, eight-year, academic…