Chief Marketing & Development Officer                                                           Washington, DC

The CMDO will have a sophisticated view of revenue generation, understanding that sustainable financial support is achieved through an integrated approach to marketing and development – one which explores all channels for the strategic engagement of SO’s various supporters. This includes harnessing the energy, goodwill and resources of SO’s impressive and ever expanding base of grassroots supporters around the globe, enlisting them as citizen advocates, broadcasters and ambassadors who will continue to fuel the movement; finding synergies with corporate philanthropic partners to amplify the reach and impact of programs and events; ensuring that private individual funders are able to match their philanthropic investment interests in ways that align with SO’s mission; and connecting with civic leaders across the globe to communicate the value and relevancy of investing political, social and financial capital into the movement.

RESPONSIBILITIES, CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE CMDO: The CMDO will champion a comprehensive, strategic and integrated approach to marketing and philanthropy that will diversify funding streams and aggressively grow SOI’s $60M in operating revenue as well as increase the $250M in aggregate revenue among SO’s accredited programs. The new CMDO will address many opportunities and challenges for Special Olympics. Among them, s/he will:

• Cultivate support for Special Olympics. The CMDO will operate with an awareness that SO is a global movement that relies on the passion and tireless commitment of its founders, volunteers, athletes and the friends who support them in the field. S/he will highlight SO’s distinctive ability to effect change along a grassroots to global continuum. This ability has enabled SO to cultivate a rich and varied set of assets that the CMDO will marshal in a manner that positions SO as a valuable strategic partner with the power to drive mutual benefit in cooperation with external partners. The CMDO will encourage Special Olympics leaders to form dynamic and impactful relationships with current and prospective supporters that tap into SO’s capacity for partnership at multiple levels (local, regional, global) and across numerous program offerings including healthcare, education, development and advocacy. Working closely with SOI senior leadership, accredited program managers worldwide, and board members, the CMDO will create a comprehensive plan for fundraising and strategic marketing that drives program development in a focused and sustainable manner and aligns with the overarching priorities and needs of the movement.
• Expand SO’s reach through integrated communications platforms. Digital media and social networking affords an unprecedented opportunity to develop highly personalized and tailored messaging for the engagement of SO’s mass audiences and diverse constituents. The CMDO will artfully coordinate outreach across all communications platforms including digital mediums, direct marketing, advertising, public relations, public forums, charitable events and SO’s athletic competitions which are held locally and regionally, and culminate at the world games providing a distributed media platform with enviable reach.
• Build capacity and partnerships within the organization. Mindful that SO is a complex and distributed organization in which the needs and ability to implement marketing and development programs vary by geography, culture and resources, the CMDO will provide counsel, training and support to internal stakeholders in a manner that is consistent with capacity and encourages cooperative partnerships among internal leadership that leverage collective resources and create opportunities for shared benefit.
• Manage a high-performance team. The CMDO will develop and lead a cross functional staff and cultivate a unified, innovative client-service culture across all units – guiding all public relations and external communications functions (branding, media relations, marketing publications and digital media) and areas of private philanthropy (direct marketing, major and planned giving, corporate and foundation giving) as a high-functioning and integrated team.

An ideal candidate will have at least 10-15 years of experience relevant to the management of a comprehensive, integrated marketing and development program within a large, complex, multi-national non-profit. S/he will have a demonstrated track-record of successfully partnering with multiple, geographically-dispersed internal clients with diverse needs and priorities to increase and diversify philanthropic support and create a cohesive and coordinated marketing and communications effort. The CMDO should exhibit the credibility and sophistication to effectively engage and leverage SOI executive leadership and key stakeholders in the cultivation, solicitation and stewardship of strategic relationships ranging from corporate philanthropic supporters to individual donors. S/he should also have the charisma, cultural sensitivity, and communication skills necessary to be an effective representative of SOI and a key liaison to its diverse constituents ranging from the general public to the media, policy makers, and high profile individuals and corporate leaders. A collaborative, open and innovative leadership style, well-suited to management in a complex setting, is a prerequisite as is the creativity, energy and political savvy needed to introduce and champion new ideas that will balance the urgency for achieving short-term priorities with the strategic need to follow through and keep focus on sustainable long-term objectives. S/he will exhibit a holistic approach to marketing, external affairs and resource generation and have successfully utilized as well as kept pace with constantly evolving digital age engagement and stewardship techniques exhibiting an appreciation for how these new tools dovetail with traditional marketing and development methods. An undergraduate degree is required, and an advanced degree is preferred. The CMDO will be able to travel frequently, both domestically and internationally.

Special Olympics has engaged Non Profit Professional Advisory Group to lead the search for the best candidate to fill this mission critical role. All potential candidates are encouraged to apply to soi-cmdo@nonprofitprofessionals.com as soon as possible, but no later than October 8, 2009. Applications including a cover letter describing your interest and qualifications, your resume (in Word format), salary history and where you learned of the position.

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