Chief Advancement Officer

Cornerstones of Care • Kansas City, MO

2d

About The Position

Cornerstones of Care is seeking a Chief Advancement Officer to guide our philanthropic strategy and external engagement efforts during one of the most significant periods of growth and transformation in our 150-year history. With a strong Sanctuary-aligned culture, a highly engaged executive team, a supportive Board, and major strategic investments underway—including our Cornerstones of Care Education Campus, a significant piece of our multi-year Bridging the Future Facilities and Capital Improvements Master Plan (Bridge Plan)—our agency is poised to expand its impact across Kansas City and the state.
Following a recent comprehensive Advancement assessment led by The Philanthropy Place and anchored by interim leadership, Cornerstones of Care has a refreshed organizational structure, donor engagement strategies, and a fundraising roadmap with defined opportunities ready to leverage and activate. For the right leader, this is a rare opportunity to shape an advancement function with a strong foundation already in place, a supportive environment, and a clear path for meaningful, measurable impact.
Who You Are:
The ideal candidate is a strategic, relationship-centered fundraiser who is energized by building on identified opportunities and helping take an established nonprofit to its next level of visibility, impact, and contributed revenue. They bring a strong track record of securing transformational, leadership, major, and mid-level gifts; building healthy donor pipelines; developing high-performing teams; and nurturing a culture of philanthropy across complex organizations.
This person will step into a structure where portfolios are already built, a thoughtful multi-year plan is in place, and cross-functional partners, including a supportive CEO, value and understand philanthropy. This leader will join an agency that is ready for bold, strategic advancement growth – and eager for a partner who can activate it.

Requirements

• 10 years of senior-level fundraising leadership experience with a demonstrated record of securing six- and seven-figure gifts.
• Demonstrated experience implementing and managing a wide range of donor gift categories from transformational, principal/leadership, major, mid-level, and annual giving.
• Proven ability to grow philanthropic revenue to $5M+ annually in a complex, multi-site nonprofit.
• Expertise building advancement systems, managing CRM platforms, and operationalizing data-driven fundraising infrastructure.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and grow high-accountability, growth-driven teams.
• Ability to forecast, budget, report on, and manage revenue pipelines aligned with organizational financial needs.
• Exceptional storytelling and donor-relationship skills.
• High emotional intelligence and trauma-informed leadership aligned with Sanctuary commitments.
• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s preferred or equivalent senior-level advancement leadership experience.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s preferred or equivalent senior-level advancement leadership experience.

Responsibilities

• Oversee and advance the organization’s philanthropic strategy, positioning the team to successfully achieve a two‑year contributed‑revenue goal exceeding $11–12 million.
• Serve as Cornerstones of Care’s chief philanthropic strategist and chief relationship officer with a personal portfolio of high-capacity donors and institutional partners.
• Shift Advancement from an event-heavy, reactive culture to a mission-centered cultivation model by redesigning signature events and evaluating the efficacy of all events—including the Spirit Gala—to ensure they prioritize ROI, donor engagement, and mission-driven storytelling.
• Partner with the Board Chair and CEO to embed philanthropy as a core board responsibility.
• Collaborate with the CEO and CFO to align fundraising with capital and program needs, including the Education Campus, Ozanam and Gillis transitions, and long-term infrastructure investments.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive
• Number of Employees: 501-1,000 employees