CEO

About Gilda’s Club Chicago

For more than 25 years, Gilda’s Club Chicago has been a trusted source of support, connection, and hope for individuals and families navigating the impacts of cancer. Named in honor of the late comedian Gilda Radner and an affiliate of the Cancer Support Community, Gilda’s Club Chicago believes that no one should face cancer alone and that community is an essential part of healing.

Through a comprehensive range of evidence-informed programs and services, Gilda’s Club complements medical care by addressing the emotional, social, and practical challenges that often accompany a cancer diagnosis. Programs include professionally facilitated support groups, educational workshops, healthy lifestyle activities, creative arts programs, individual counseling, and opportunities for meaningful social connection.

All programs are provided entirely free of charge and are delivered through the organization’s welcoming River North Clubhouse, partnerships with hospitals and community-based organizations across Chicagoland, and a virtual platform. Gilda’s Club serves people of all ages, backgrounds, identities, and cancer experiences—including those living with cancer, caregivers and loved ones, and individuals who are grieving the loss of someone to cancer.

As cancer rates continue to rise and health disparities persist, Gilda’s Club Chicago plays an increasingly important role in ensuring that individuals and families have access to the emotional support, connection, and community resources needed to navigate the cancer journey. The organization is committed to reducing barriers to care and expanding access to support for medically underserved and under-resourced communities throughout the region.

In 2025, Gilda’s Club Chicago participants reported tangible improvements in connection, wellbeing, and daily life. The organization:

• Served 3,746 community participants (up 16.4% from 2024);
• Saw 21,045 visits to activities (up 18.5% from 2024);
• And served 2,757 new GCC participants (up 14.5% from 2024).

Gilda’s Club Chicago is a privately funded, community-centered organization with an annual operating budget of ~$2.5 million. Support comes from a diverse network of individual donors, foundations, corporate partners, and signature fundraising events, including Team Gilda. As an independent affiliate with its own governing board and budget, Gilda’s Club Chicago keeps locally raised dollars at work in the Chicagoland community while benefiting from the national research, training, and resources of the Cancer Support Community network.

In recent years, the organization has concentrated its energy across three priorities that continue to anchor its work:

• Program Delivery  —  Expanding access to support for people impacted by cancer—particularly those in medically underserved and under-resourced communities—through investment in the Wells Street Clubhouse, strengthened community partnerships, and growth in virtual and hospital-based programming.
• Development  —  Building a more diversified and sustainable fundraising program across individual, major, corporate, foundation, and healthcare funding sources while strengthening the organization’s long-term financial position.
• Marketing and Awareness  —  Increasing visibility and understanding of Gilda’s Club Chicago’s mission and services, elevating the organization from a “best-kept secret” to a more widely recognized resource for cancer support across Chicagoland.

These efforts have helped position Gilda’s Club Chicago for its next chapter. Working closely with the Board, staff, volunteers, and community stakeholders, the next CEO will have the opportunity to lead the development of a new strategic plan that builds on this foundation and charts an ambitious path forward for the organization.

Learn more about Gilda’s Club Chicago by visiting gildasclubchicago.org.

The CEO Opportunity 

In 2026, Gilda’s Club Chicago will welcome its next CEO as part of a thoughtful and planned leadership transition following more than two decades of leadership by its current CEO.

This is a pivotal moment for the organization. Gilda’s Club Chicago enters its next chapter with significant strengths: a respected brand, a deeply committed staff and volunteer community, and a proven track record of impact. At the same time, the organization is operating within an increasingly complex environment characterized by heightened competition for philanthropic resources and the opportunity to strengthen and modernize systems, processes, and ways of working to support its next phase of growth and impact.

For a leader energized by transformation, this represents a compelling opportunity to shape the future of the organization. The next CEO will have the chance to build on Gilda’s Club Chicago’s strong foundation while leaving a lasting mark—expanding its reach, deepening community and healthcare partnerships, elevating its visibility across Chicagoland, evolving legacy structures and ways of thinking, and strengthening the financial resources necessary to sustain and scale its impact for years to come.

The next CEO will be charged with leading that evolution and helping unlock the organization’s next level of impact. Working closely with the Board, staff, volunteers, members, and community partners, this leader will guide the development of the organization’s next strategic plan, establishing a clear vision for growth and ensuring Gilda’s Club Chicago remains a vital resource for individuals and families impacted by cancer for decades to come.

Reporting to the Governing Board, the CEO will have responsibility for the overall leadership, strategy, financial sustainability, culture, and operations of the organization. The CEO will lead a dedicated team of ~15 staff members, including senior leaders across programs, development, and marketing.

This is a highly visible and hands-on leadership role. The successful candidate will be an inspiring strategist, fundraiser, and relationship-builder who is equally comfortable serving as the organization’s chief ambassador, cultivating partnerships, engaging directly with members and staff, and rolling up their sleeves to address organizational opportunities and challenges. The next CEO will need to balance long-term vision with operational execution, bringing the leadership, discipline, and entrepreneurial mindset necessary to help the organization achieve its aspirations.

Key responsibilities for the next CEO include:

Strategic Leadership and Organizational Growth

• Lead the development and implementation of the organization’s next strategic plan, aligning stakeholders around a clear vision and set of priorities for the future.
• Identify opportunities to expand the organization’s reach, impact, and relevance while preserving the culture, quality, and sense of community that define Gilda’s Club Chicago.
• Champion thoughtful innovation, continuous improvement, and organizational effectiveness.

Fundraising and Financial Sustainability

• In partnership with GCC’s Chief Development Officer, personally cultivate, solicit, and steward relationships with major individual, corporate, foundation, and healthcare-sector supporters.
• Diversify and grow revenue streams to support long-term sustainability and future growth.
• Ensure strong financial stewardship, accountability, and effective resource allocation.

External Leadership and Partnerships

• Serve as the primary ambassador and spokesperson for Gilda’s Club Chicago.
• Elevate awareness of the organization’s mission, programs, and impact throughout Chicagoland.
• Strengthen existing relationships and cultivate new partnerships with healthcare systems, community organizations, corporations, philanthropic partners, and civic leaders.

Team Leadership and Organizational Culture

• Lead, support, and develop a talented and mission-driven staff while fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, inclusion, and continuous learning.
• Ensure the organization has the people, systems, and infrastructure necessary to support future growth.
• Maintain a visible and engaged leadership presence with staff, volunteers, members, and other stakeholders.

Board Partnership and Governance

• Partner closely with the Board to advance the organization’s mission and strategic priorities.
• Support Board recruitment, engagement, governance excellence, and fundraising effectiveness.
• Provide transparent communication, sound counsel, and thoughtful leadership to support informed decision-making.

Candidate Profile

While it is understood that no candidate will offer every desired skill, quality, and characteristic, the following offers a detailed, aspirational view of the ideal candidate profile:

A Mission-Driven Leader for the Next Chapter

• Deeply inspired by Gilda’s Club Chicago’s mission and motivated by the opportunity to expand its impact for individuals and families affected by cancer.
• Brings a genuine appreciation for the power of community, connection, and psychosocial support throughout the cancer journey.
• Leads with empathy, authenticity, humility, and emotional intelligence while maintaining the accountability, decisiveness, and resilience required of a CEO.
• Demonstrates a commitment to fostering an inclusive and welcoming environment for staff, volunteers, members, and community partners.

A Dynamic Ambassador and Accomplished Fundraiser

• Brings the presence, confidence, and charisma to serve as a compelling ambassador for Gilda’s Club Chicago throughout Chicagoland and beyond.
• An exceptional communicator and storyteller, able to articulate the organization’s mission, impact, and future vision in ways that inspire support and action.
• A highly skilled fundraiser with a demonstrated track record of securing philanthropic investments and cultivating strong relationships with individual, corporate, foundation, and community partners.
• Brings creativity, strategic thinking, and innovation to development, with proven success growing and diversifying revenue streams across multiple channels.
• Possesses a natural ability to thrive in highly visible, public-facing roles and build authentic relationships with a wide range of stakeholders.
• Demonstrates an instinct for elevating organizational visibility, strengthening brand awareness, and creating meaningful opportunities for engagement and partnership.

A Strategic Change Agent and Innovative Leader

• A forward-thinking leader who sees opportunity for growth and brings the energy, creativity, and strategic acumen needed to guide Gilda’s Club Chicago into its next chapter.
• Demonstrated success leading organizational growth, transformation, or change.
• Approaches challenges with curiosity and creativity, identifying new opportunities, partnerships, and approaches that increase impact, reach, and sustainability.
• Able to balance big-picture thinking with practical execution, translating vision into clear priorities, measurable goals, and organizational momentum.

An Entrepreneurial, Agile, and Hands-On Executive

• Equally comfortable setting strategy, cultivating donors, building partnerships, coaching staff, solving operational challenges, and rolling up their sleeves to get work done.
• Brings an entrepreneurial mindset, demonstrating initiative, resourcefulness, and resilience.
• Finds energy in the realities of leading a small but ambitious organization and embraces the breadth of responsibility that comes with it.
• Understands how to strike the right balance between serving as a strategic organizational leader and remaining close to the day-to-day realities of the organization.
• A thoughtful financial steward who understands how to balance mission ambition with long-term sustainability.

A Collaborative and Culturally Attuned People Leader

• Leads with respect, transparency, and trust, empowering talented staff while fostering accountability, engagement, and strong performance.
• Skilled at navigating change thoughtfully and collaboratively, bringing people along while maintaining forward momentum.
• Builds strong teams and healthy organizational cultures that support engagement, professional growth, and retention.
• An effective partner to the Governing Board, capable of engaging, inspiring, and leveraging board members as ambassadors, advocates, and philanthropic partners.

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Location

The successful candidate must be based in or willing to relocate to Chicago, Illinois.

While Gilda’s Club Chicago has a hybrid work model, the CEO is expected to be a visible, accessible presence at the Clubhouse (537 North Wells Street in the River North neighborhood) and to build relationships across Chicagoland, including regular presence at hospital partner sites, donor meetings, and signature events.

Compensation and Benefits

The salary for the role is anticipated to range from $175,000 to $225,000, with additional compensation potential, commensurate with experience. Gilda’s Club Chicago values its employees and offers a comprehensive benefits package.

Contact

DSG | Koya has been exclusively retained for this engagement, which is being led by Cheryl Stevens and Claire Hunt. Express interest in this role by filling out our Talent Profile or emailing the search team directly at [email protected]. All inquiries and discussions are strictly confidential.

DSG | Koya is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals living with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual living with a disability and need assistance expressing interest online, please email [email protected]. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.

About DSG | Koya

DSG | Koya, a DSG Global company, is the nation’s premier search firm dedicated to mission-driven leadership. Since its founding in 2004, DSG | Koya has had an exclusive focus on mission-driven clients and was founded on the belief that the right leader can transform an organization and have a deep and measurable impact on our world. DSG | Koya works with nonprofits & NGOs, responsible businesses, and social enterprises in local communities and around the world.

DSG Global is consistently recognized by Forbes on its top 10 list of “America’s Best Executive Recruiting Firms” and is an industry leader in recruiting transformational leaders for a changing world. The firm is deliberately different in its approach, with best-in-class teams who have decades of experience in cultivating inclusive leaders, understanding the dimensions of diversity, and building equitable teams.

Learn more about DSG | Koya via the firm's website.