Executive Director

ASC is seeking a visionary, entrepreneurial Executive Director to:

• Take primary responsibility for organizational sustainability through the creation of new revenues and sustaining of existing partnerships.
• Recruit, support, and engage members of the Board of Directors.
• Lead business and legal operations.
• Ensure organizational legal and fiscal compliance.
• Partner with the Managing Director (MD) to identify and implement organizational goals, policies, and practices; build upon and further expand ASC’s strong brand reputation as a Sports-Based Youth Development (SBYD) leader; and nurture a strong, diverse, inclusive, and healing-centered team culture.

The ideal candidate will:

• Be an experienced and energetic fundraiser.
• Have an entrepreneurial, growth-oriented mindset and approach to work.
• Enjoy solving complex strategic challenges.
• Be well-organized, excellent at prioritization, and detail-oriented.
• Demonstrate excellent judgment and discretion.
• Be passionate and knowledgeable about SBYD and/or arts-based Positive Youth Development practices, social-emotional learning, and trauma-informed, healing-centered coaching.

ASC strives to implement the same core values and principles within our team that we do with the Poet-Athletes we serve. As a result, the organization is moving to a shared leadership model to collaboratively manage and oversee ASC’s impact and reach across Chicago. The Executive Director (ED) and the Managing Director (MD) will both report to the Board of Directors. The ED will collaborate with the MD who focuses primarily on staff and program operations, government funding and grant reporting, and impact measurement.

Executive Director Responsibilities

Fundraising and Resource Development

• Actively and successfully prospect, cultivate, and steward existing and new individual and institutional donors, corporate partnerships, major gifts, and foundation grants.
• Perform in line with budget and growth revenues from special events, corporate partnership, individual giving, and grants. Target growth of 5-10% annually.
• Manage a successful annual giving program by planning strategies and goals, overseeing direct mail and online appeals, and analyzing donor data.
• Leverage pro bono or low-cost consultation opportunities to strengthen the organization and/or improve outcomes.
• Secure positive public recognition for ASC via securing relevant awards, speaking at conferences and in other public fora, and securing media coverage.
• Establish sponsor benefits for ASC fundraising events, ensuring proper recognition and benefit fulfillment. Support the Director of Development and Communications in developing and pursuing additional strategies to ensure events achieve/exceed revenue goals.

Board Governance

• In collaboration with Board leadership, identify, cultivate, recruit, and engage new Board members to ensure new and diverse skills, perspectives, and resources.
• Promote member engagement and leverage the Board to advance the mission and work of the organization.
• Support and empower Board members to act as governors, fundraisers, advocates, and responsible fiscal stewards.

Business and Legal Operations

• Develop and oversee the risk management framework and other necessary processes and policies to ensure ASC’s sustainability and growth.
• Oversee the annual audit and supervise ASC’s external accounting firm.
• Establish and maintain good governance while ensuring compliance with 501c3 and other appropriate nonprofit laws and regulations.
• Support the MD as needed with staff development and personnel matters.

Executive Director and Managing Director Shared Responsibilities

Organizational Leadership and Management

The ED and MD will work together to provide visionary and values-based leadership for the organization. Both roles will cultivate and sustain meaningful and impactful relationships with ASC staff, Executive and Development Board members, and external partners. The ED and MD will lead the creation and implementation of a 2 to 3-year organizational strategic plan, ensuring that proposed delivery actions align with organizational goals and are connected to the overall fundraising strategy. With support from the Board and external accountant, they will develop and manage the organization’s annual budget and long-term financial strategies.

Fundraising and Brand Awareness

As the executive leaders for the organization, both the ED and MD will serve as the external faces and voices of ASC. They will share in the responsibility of representing ASC in public forums, collective impact and philanthropic spaces, and the Chicago nonprofit sector as a whole. They will continuously refine and update the case for support for ASC to effectively communicate organizational impact and will both support the Director of Development and Communications with foundation and corporate grants management.

America SCORES National Network

Contribute to the health, mission, and work of the overall network by actively participating on the America SCORES National Leadership Council and as part of the network as a whole. Includes biweekly calls, travel to both an annual leadership retreat and annual SCORES conference, and contributions to national and regional campaigns and events.

A successful candidate has:

• Experience sufficient to lead an organization - such as, minimum of 7 to 10 years demonstrated success leading, fundraising for, brand-building, and/or scaling high-impact initiatives or organizations (Required).
• Knowledge and/or experience: working within the communities served by ASC or Chicago Public Schools; soccer and/or SBYD, service-learning, and/or poetry knowledge or passion; and Spanish fluency.
• Enthusiasm for ASC’s mission and programs; core values of Teamwork, Leadership, and Commitment; and the healing power of sport and spoken word.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills with the ability to write and deliver clear, structured, articulate, and persuasive correspondence, presentations, proposals, and reports.
• Demonstrated aptitude in general business practices including budgeting and strategic planning with a track record of impactful senior leadership in a mission-driven organization.
• Demonstrated success in executing fundraising events that meet/exceed fundraising targets.
• Experience preparing foundation grant applications and managing funded projects.
• Proficiency with CRM or fundraising software.
• Experience working effectively and collaboratively with a Board of Directors or other volunteer and leadership groups.
• Knowledge of and experience with the philanthropic landscape of Chicago.
• Successful track record of nonprofit revenue development including individual, foundation, corporate, and special event fundraising.
• Experience in managing the governance of a 501(c)(3) nonprofit or similar youth-serving organization.

Job Specifications

• Physical demands include handling the storing, packing, and setting up of sporting equipment weighing up to 20 pounds and going up and down up to four flights of stairs at a time at program sites.
• Must submit to, and clear, a CPS background check.
• Upon hire, must provide proof of up-to-date COVID-19 vaccination (ASC will provide reasonable consideration for medical or religious exemptions).
• Ability to work occasional nights and weekends to support programming and fundraising events.

Compensation includes 100% employer-funded medical and dental (BCBSIL PPO/HMO) insurance for full-time employees, access to an Employee Assistance Program, and 6 weeks of PTO (combination of vacation days, holidays, and CPS breaks) in the first year of employment, with increasing accrual thereafter. A monthly transit and phone subsidy is provided.