Founded in 1894 and headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) serves as both the National Olympic Committee and National Paralympic Committee for the United States. The USOPC is focused on protecting, supporting, and empowering America’s athletes, and is responsible for fielding U.S. teams for the Olympic, Paralympic, Youth Olympic, Pan American and Parapan American Games, and serving as the steward of the Olympic and Paralympic Movements in the U.S. The USOPC supports 55 National Governing Bodies of Sport (NGBs), collaborating to ensure that Team USA athletes have the resources they need to succeed on the world stage. This takes many forms, ranging from high-performance services to direct athlete stipends and grants, which help offset the significant costs of training, travel and competition. These investments fuel the journey of our nation’s elite athletes and empower them to reach their highest potential.
A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the USOPC is one of the only National Olympic/Paralympic Committees in the world that does not receive government funding for its Olympic and Paralympic programs (other than for select Paralympic military veteran programs), instead relying on the generous support of a committed community of donors and sponsors. Increasing philanthropic support for U.S. athletes is one of the USOPC’s highest strategic priorities. Hence, the organization established the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Foundation (USOPF) as the fundraising organization for the USOPC and is investing significant resources in its Development division.
Our nation stands apart from others in helping its athletes remain competitive with the rest of the world – our Olympic and Paralympic Teams are not just cheered by an enthusiastic national fan base but funded by one.
With the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles, the 2030 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in the French Alps, and the 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City on the horizon, and the $1 billion One for All campaign underway, the USOPF is expanding its philanthropy team for the long term – building a durable base of major-, principal-, and campaign-gift donors that will sustain Team USA well beyond any single Games. LA 2028 represents a historic opportunity to inspire future generations of philanthropic supporters and set the stage for the next several years of USOPC fundraising. The Central region holds substantial untapped potential: the Mountain West, anchored by the 2034 Salt Lake City Winter Games, offers a natural affinity the Foundation is only beginning to tap; Texas represents one of the country's largest and most distinct philanthropic markets; and Chicago and the broader region round out a footprint with significant room to grow. The role of Vice President, Philanthropic Giving–Central is central to capturing it.
The Vice President, Philanthropic Giving–Central is a senior leadership role within the USOPF, responsible for overseeing a robust philanthropic program across the Central region of the United States, encompassing major, principal, and campaign giving. Reporting to the USOPF President and Chief Development Officer, the Vice President manages a team of geographically based Philanthropic Giving Officers and collaborates with other Development leaders to achieve revenue goals. This individual works closely with the rest of the Development leadership team to drive programmatic growth as the USOPF significantly scales its operations, fundraising, and donor engagement. The Vice President also manages a personal portfolio of select prospects and donors with a giving capacity of $5M+, ensuring the success of the Philanthropic Giving–Central team and playing a key executive role in the Foundation's comprehensive fundraising campaign for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
While the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee will consider a broad range of backgrounds, the ideal candidate will have the following experience and qualifications.
Experience
- 15+ years of successful fundraising experience in a non-profit environment.
- Proven track record in fundraising, with experience managing teams and meeting revenue goals.
- Demonstrated success in cultivating, soliciting, and closing $100,000+ gifts and meeting significant revenue goals with the ability to earn the confidence of a wide range of internal and external constituents.
- Demonstrated experience in leading complex, multi-faceted, geographically diverse teams.
- Professional experience in a sophisticated development organization preferred.
Qualifications
- Appreciation for the Olympic & Paralympic Movements and the power of sport.
- Strong interpersonal abilities with significant experience building relationships with high-capacity donors that lead to transformational seven- and eight-figure gifts, as well as with volunteers, organizational leadership, community members, and other key constituents
- Familiarity with donor databases, analytics, and prospect management systems
- Superior written and verbal communication skills with ability to articulate an organization’s vision, values, and programs to donors, volunteers, and staff in an engaging, motivating, and compelling manner resulting in an outpouring of philanthropic support
- Exceptional attention to detail
- Resourceful and independent, yet able to work effectively and collaboratively within an integrated, team-oriented fundraising environment
- Professionalism, discretion, and confidentiality in matters of donor privacy
- Achievement-oriented and confident
- Creative, flexible, and innovative
- Thorough understanding of prospect development, including research, wealth screening, pipeline development, gift strategy, and data mining
- Working knowledge of planned giving, donor engagement mechanisms, and their role in the major gift solicitation cycle
- Demonstrated ability to build, mentor, and maintain a high-performing team through effective recruitment, motivation, leadership, and team development
- Ability to motivate peers, direct reports, and volunteers to reach goals
- Proven ability to translate complex organizational funding needs into compelling gift proposals
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience, advanced degree preferred.
The USOPC is committed to making decisions regarding recruiting, hiring, promoting, assignment, training, termination, and other terms and conditions of employment without unlawful discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, age, pregnancy, disability, work-related injury, covered veteran status, political ideology, genetic information, marital status, or any other factor that the law protects from employment discrimination.
The USOPC has retained DSG Fundraising & Advancement of DSG Global to assist in this confidential search process. Inquiries, nominations, and applications (current resumes and cover letters) may be submitted via the following link or directed to the leader of the search team:
https://talent-profile.dsgco.com/search/v2/23418
Gerard F. Cattie, Jr.
Global Managing Partner and Practice Founder – DSG Fundraising & Advancement
DSG Global
New York, New York
[email protected] | 212.542.2587