President of the Foundation

About Connecticut Children’s

Ranked by U.S. News & World Report as one of the best children’s hospitals in the nation and a recipient of Magnet designation for nursing excellence, Connecticut Children’s has a rich history of fostering a patient and family-centered environment with a focus on research, education, and advocacy. All children who come to Connecticut Children’s are welcomed, cared for, and protected within an atmosphere of acceptance and compassion.

Connecticut Children’s was established in 1996 in Hartford, Connecticut, as a free-standing pediatric health system and has since grown to 41 locations of care which spans Connecticut, Western Massachusetts, and Eastern New York. Connecticut Children’s serves as the primary teaching hospital for the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, has a teaching partnership with the Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University, and is a research partner of The Jackson Laboratory. With more than 1,000 medical staff, practicing in more than 30 specialties, Connecticut Children’s is a tertiary referral center that provides outstanding care to children of all ages affected by a wide range of conditions. It is one of the Northeast’s leading pediatric health systems with state-of-the-art facilities such as the Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center, two Level 4 neonatal intensive care units, the only pediatric Dialysis Center in Connecticut, and an award-winning pediatric Infusion Center.

In addition to state-of-the-art facilities and top-of-the-line medical care, Connecticut Children’s also has a team of scientist-champions working in Connecticut Children’s Research Institute (CCRI). These scientists advance the discovery of life-saving treatments that alleviate the suffering of children and youth worldwide. As the research arm of Connecticut Children’s, the CCRI specializes in Cardio-Oncology, Hematology / Oncology, Infectious Disease, Inflammation Biology, Population Health, and Regenerative Medicine, among other fields. Their physicians, nurses, clinical providers, researchers, and faculty form an ecosystem of innovation that emerged organically from Connecticut Children’s longstanding culture of operational excellence.

About Connecticut Children’s Foundation

Connecticut Children’s Foundation supports the health system by engaging patient families, donors, community members, philanthropic partners, and other constituents. The Foundation raises the financial resources needed to invest in people, research, technology, and state-of-the-art equipment, while also supporting the care that all children need and deserve. A dedicated team of professionals work closely with donors to match their passions and interests with the strategic needs of Connecticut Children’s. Additionally, the Foundation plans and implements some of the finest philanthropic events in the region, including its award-winning annual gala, and the UConn HuskyTHON – the third largest Miracle Network student dance marathon in the country, raising $1.48M for Connecticut Children’s in 2023. All of the Foundation’s efforts are under the overarching goal to generate support for Connecticut Children’s and help deliver life-saving care to more children.

Living in Connecticut

With Connecticut Children’s medical center and administrative offices located in the state’s capitol city of Hartford, Connecticut Children’s is part of a dynamic metropolitan area featuring a variety of amenities and attractions including world-class dining options, and a burgeoning entertainment scene. Access to the “Gold Coast” shore along Long Island Sound in Fairfield County is just a short drive or train ride away.

The cities and towns surrounding Hartford offer some of the best public schools in the state. Of course, Connecticut Children’s is an asset for the area too. Connecticut Children’s is a destination as well and is expanding their footprint across the region; with their new flagship Specialty Care Center in Westport, Connecticut, families in Northern and Southern Fairfield County can receive the best care closer to home. Transportation in the Hartford area is convenient, with Bradley International Airportjust miles from the city and an Amtrak train station in downtown Hartford.

Connecticut, home to the championship-winning UConn Huskies, offers a unique New England lifestyle that allows residents to enjoy outdoor activities year-round. Hartford is centrally located between New York City and Boston, a two hour drive from both cities and even closer to tourist ho tspots such as Mystic Seaportand Newport, Rhode Island. Additionally, just a few hours North, you can find the beautiful Green Mountains of Vermont and the White Mountains of New Hampshire; both great for hiking during peak foliage and in the summertime, or the perfect escape for a ski weekend during the winter. Connecticut’s shoreline boasts beautiful beaches and award-winning lobster shacks while Central Connecticut is home to many historical sites, theaters, restaurants, and museums. Throughout the state, bike and walking trails wind through Connecticut’s picturesque landscape.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
As an organization, Connecticut Children’s is committed to advancing equity in their workplace, workforce, and their marketplace. Connecticut Children’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Declarationhighlights the organization’s diversity, equity, and inclusion framework, which is designed to address racism, discrimination, and bias, and foster improvements in all areas of the institution. As the declaration notes, “by listening to each other, respecting each other, and holding different perspectives in the highest regard, Connecticut Children’s embraces the opportunity to create sustainable change that will define their future success.”

As part of their diversity, equity and inclusion journey, Connecticut Children’s developed the following statements:

• Statement onRacism, Discrimination, and Bias
• Connecticut Children’s Land Acknowledgement
• Statement in Support of Connecticut Children’s Gender Program

Connecticut Children’s established a Framework for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to ensure that all patients and their patients and families, team members, and volunteers are treated with respect.

The Framework is outlined below in three sections:

• Workforce: Building a diverse workforce that leverages the unique talents and abilities of everyone.
• Workplace: Fostering an inclusive work culture where everyone is valued for who they are and for their contributions to the organization.
• Marketplace: Ensuring patients, their families, and community partners all feel respected.

Additionally, Connecticut Children’s early success in dedicating efforts towards increasing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion has been defined by four of the nine pillars that their framework is based on:

• Culture audit and assessment: They understand the importance of co-creating their future direction. This approach includes interviews, focus groups, and an annual survey to incorporate the voices of team members as they shape their path forward.
• Strategic staffing: This effort will help to ensure a more diverse workforce through the adoption of new processes to attract more diverse candidates and achieve a greater balance across their workforce representation over time.
• Education and awareness: This involves building knowledge and skills among team members regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion through training and educational sessions, Pediatric Grand Rounds lectures, CME programs and other learning programs. It also involves raising awareness internally and externally about our progress.
• Community action: This ensures our diversity, equity and inclusion work has a broader impact on our community. We are committed to partnering with external organizations to address health equity and all factors that influence child health outcomes.

About the Opportunity

Connecticut Children’s Foundation seeks a dynamic leader with proven experience in all areas of nonprofit leadership, as their President of the Foundation. This individual will have a deep appreciation for the mission of Connecticut Children’s and drive the overall strategy of the Foundation alongside their Senior Team. The President of the Foundation will report to the President and CEO of Connecticut Children's.

The President of the Foundation is responsible for promoting awareness of Connecticut Children’s mission and its vision to inspire donors, volunteer leadership, physicians, and team members, in expanding the base for philanthropic support across the local and broader Connecticut community. In this role, the President benefits from the strong reputation of Connecticut Children’s. The Foundation currently has a staff of twenty-nine with one Senior Vice President and four Vice Presidents who report to the Foundation President. Connecticut Children’s is in the silent phase of the health system’s first campaign in support of a large-scale expansion on the Hartford campus of the health system.

The highlights of this campaign include building an inpatient med/psych unit for children with mental health needs, a new 50-bed, private room Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, an Advanced Cellular Gene Therapy Unit, and a Fetal Care Center with labor and delivery rooms which will be housed in a new eight-story tower connected to the existing building in Hartford, Connecticut. Additionally, Connecticut Children’s plans to expand services to satellite facilities in Fairfield County, including its flagship Specialty Care Center in Westport. The site also provides infusions, a sleep center, and a gym for physical therapy and occupational therapy, as well as pediatric imaging and diagnostics. This will eliminate long drives or train rides to New York City or other locations outside of Fairfield County so children can receive high-quality care, close to home. The President of the Foundation will have a critical role in the successful roll out of the campaign and in turn, the scope, reach and footprint of Connecticut Children’s.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership

• Partner with the CEO of Connecticut Children’s, other members of the Executive Management Team, and the Board, to align fundraising with the overall strategic goals of the institution.
• Provide a philanthropic vision that inspires donors, volunteers, physicians and staff, and advances Connecticut Children’s mission.
• Cultivate a strong and transparent working relationship with the Foundation and Corporate Boards that ensures open and regular communication around Foundation performance, milestones, and goals.
• Partner collaboratively with senior leadership to build a diverse and inclusive Foundation Board, that represents the expanding community of Connecticut Children’s and will be highly engaged and motivated to leverage contacts and secure resources.
• Uphold the nine pillars of diversity, equity, and inclusion with a particular focus in fostering an inclusive work culture where everyone is valued for who they are, and the contributions they bring to the organization.

Fundraising

• Strengthen and elevate the current fundraising program for Connecticut Children’s, including oversight and revenue achievement for annual, major, and planned giving, institutional funding, special events, and capital campaign initiatives.
• Design and implement a campaign timeline and organize the pipeline of prospective donors to ensure timely activity and progress towards campaign benchmarks and overall success.
• Dedicate significant time and attention to external contacts and constituents on behalf of Connecticut Children’s, with emphasis on high net-worth prospects throughout the Hartford, New Haven, and Fairfield County areas.
• Build and cultivate a robust portfolio of current and prospective donors.
• Set goals, objectives and plans to implement strategies for cultivation and solicitation that will lead to closing gifts.
• In collaboration with the Foundation’s Senior Team, regularly evaluate the progress of the fundraising program and the campaign towards goals and benchmarks.
• Prepare timely progress reports for the CEO of Connecticut Children’s, the Corporate and Foundation Boards, and the Campaign Cabinet.
• Partner with senior staff and campaign volunteers on solicitations by providing briefing and solicitation materials, providing strategic guidance, and assisting with donor communications.
• Manage the Campaign Cabinet by assisting in volunteer recruitment, coordinating meetings, helping set strategy, and training volunteers on campaign best practices.

Management

• Manage, motivate, and collaborate with the Foundation’s Senior Vice President, and Vice Presidents, and provide oversight, inspiration, and guidance to the entire Foundation staff.
• Assess the current development program to ensure achievement of Foundation revenue goals in support of Connecticut Children’s mission and direction.
• Develop strong and collaborative working relationships with the leadership of the health system’s service areas.
• Oversee the development of a best practice fundraising infrastructure, including systems, policies, and procedures to ensure effectiveness and accountability across the Foundation.
• Prepare and monitor the annual Foundation budget.

Key Qualifications

• 10+ years of front line fundraising and management experience with progressively responsible leadership, management experience, and fundraising success in the development department of a healthcare provider or comparably complex not-for-profit organization.
• Demonstrated ability to guide organizations through the full cycles of capital and annual giving campaigns with evidence of success, in both fundraising results and in building strong relationships with internal leaders and external donors.
• Deep commitment to shared leadership and to a collaborative, and transparent approach in the management of the organization.
• Successful track record of managing complex projects and processes, including mobilizing diverse groups of internal and external stakeholders around a common set of objectives
• Demonstrated success in securing major commitments (seven and eight figure gifts).
• Excellent analytical skills, including an ability to collect and evaluate data, and deliver progress reports in a timely and accurate manner.
• Superb verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to articulate mission, program objectives, and resource needs persuasively to potential donors.
• Demonstrated experience managing staff and multiple responsibilities and projects with a collegial, team building approach.
• An in-depth understanding of budgets and financial records associated with a comprehensive advancement program.
• Understanding and appreciation for the mission of a comprehensive health care institution and foundation
• Demonstrated commitment to promoting and enhancing diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Connecticut Children’s is an Equal Opportunity Employer that celebrates a diverse community. All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

For more information, please visit www.developmentguild.com

For more information about Connecticut Children’s, please visit: www.connecticutchildrensfoundation.org

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: From $300,000.00 per year

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday

Work Location: In person