Chief Advancement Officer

Chief Advancement Officer

Rainier Scholars is a comprehensive academic enrichment program that supports students of color over a 12-year journey – from 5th grade to college graduation. We seek to serve those who are most under-represented on college campuses and have the greatest number of barriers to achieving a college education: 85% qualify as low-income, 90% would be the first in their family to earn a college degree. Our program offers rigorous academics, leadership development and personalized support for scholars, providing access to educational pathways and myriad opportunities previously unimagined.

With a budget size of $10 million, a staff team of 50+ full-time employees and 675+ scholars and families whom we currently serve in Seattle and Tacoma, Rainier Scholars has established a positive brand for our unwavering commitment to education, proven success rate, and sustainable impact. We grow new generations of diverse college graduates, career professionals, and community leaders.

The Role

The Chief Advancement Officer (CAO) is a key member of the Executive Leadership Team and a strategic partner to the CEO and Board of Directors. Building on Rainier Scholars' strong foundation of community engagement and fundraising success, the CAO provides vision, leadership, and execution for a comprehensive advancement strategy that generates $10 million in philanthropic revenue annually.

The CAO oversees all philanthropic revenue streams and external engagement efforts, including individual giving, major gifts, foundations, corporations, events, and campaigns, and leads the Marketing & Communications function to ensure a cohesive, compelling, and values-aligned organizational voice. This role is both highly strategic and hands-on, responsible for setting long-term advancement vision and priorities while personally cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding high-impact donor and partner relationships.

As Rainier Scholars prepares for continued growth, including potential multi-year and transformational investments, the CAO will strengthen advancement systems, expand team capacity, and foster a culture of philanthropy that centers scholars, families, alumni, and community. The CAO ensures that advancement strategies are deeply aligned with organizational priorities, equity commitments, and long-term sustainability.

Key Responsibilities

Fundraising & Revenue Generation (40%)

• Lead and oversee a comprehensive fundraising program, including individual giving, major gifts, foundation and corporate partnerships, special events, and future campaign initiatives.
• Set, lead and achieve ambitious annual fundraising goals approximately $10M, while laying the groundwork for expanded revenue and long-term financial resilience.
• Personally manage and cultivate a portfolio of current and prospective major and principal gift donors, securing six and seven figure investments.
• Partner with the CEO on high-level donor cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship, including transformational and capacity-building gifts.
• Build and sustain a healthy donor pipeline, balancing near-term revenue goals with long-term donor development and diversification.
• Provide strategic oversight of Rainier Scholars' signature fundraising event (the annual Luncheon), ensuring strong financial performance, authentic storytelling and meaningful donor engagement.
• Ensure high-quality grant strategy, writing, reporting, and funder relationship management, with a focus on long-term partnership and renewal.

Executive Leadership & Strategy (20%)

• Serve as a member of the Executive Leadership Team, contributing to organizational vision, strategy, and long-term sustainability.
• Partner closely with the CEO and Board of Directors to advance fundraising priorities and mobilize board members as active ambassadors, relationship-builders, and fundraisers.
• Provide strategic leadership to the Board Advancement Committee and related advancement sub-committees.
• Develop and execute integrated short- and long-term advancement and external relations strategies aligned with Rainier Scholars' mission, values, and growth goals.
• Lead the evolution of Rainier Scholars' advancement strategy through periods of growth, change and increasing organizational complexity.
• Partner cross-functionally with Program, Finance, and People & Culture leaders to ensure advancement strategies are aligned with program priorities, financial planning, and organizational capacity.

Donor Engagement, Stewardship & Communications (20%)

• Ensure donors experience meaningful, values-centered engagement that reflects the impact of their partnership with Rainier Scholars.
• Lead and collaborate closely with the Marketing & Communications team to align priorities with organizational messaging, brand strategy, and visibility goals.
• Provide strategic direction and partnership on integrated marketing and communications efforts that support both Programs and Advancement.
• Ensure the development of compelling, scholar-centered storytelling that clearly articulates Rainier Scholars' mission, impact, and long-term vision to diverse audiences.
• Partner with Marketing & Communications on the creation of key advancement assets, including the annual report, campaign materials, digital content, and donor communications.
• Collaborate with the Director of Donor Relations to develop and executive comprehensive donor stewardship strategies, including events, impact reports, personalized outreach, and scholar-centered engagement opportunities.
• Represent Rainier Scholars externally as a compelling ambassador and advocate for students of color and education equity.

Team Leadership & Culture of Philanthropy (15%)

• Lead, coach, and support a highly skilled and diverse advancement team, fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, and innovation.
• Directly supervise four Director-level roles—Director of Donor Relations, Director of Corporate Relations, Director of Foundations, and Director of Marketing & Communications, providing strategic direction, clear priorities, performance management, and professional development support.
• Build and continuously strengthen systems, processes, and metrics that improve fundraising performance, donor experience, and team effectiveness.
• Cultivate a culture of philanthropy across the organization, engaging staff, board members, alumni, and volunteers as partners in advancement.
• Champion values-aligned fundraising practices that reflect Rainier Scholars' commitment to racial equity, educational justice, and community partnership.

Systems, Operations & Data (5%)

• Manage advancement budgets and ensure responsible stewardship of resources.
• Collaborate with the Director of Donor Relations on advancement operations, including CRM strategy, donor data integrity, reporting, forecasting and analytics.
• Leverage technology and data to improve efficiency, donor segmentation, forecasting, and decision-making.

Desired Attributes

Rainier Scholars is most interested in candidates who:

• Are deeply passionate about access, opportunity, and educational pathways for students of color.
• Demonstrate a strong commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and lifelong learning.
• Bring exceptional judgment, integrity, and relational, trust-based leadership.
• Are inspiring storytellers and fearless advocates for scholars, families, and community.
• Thrive as both strategic thinkers and hands-on leaders in complex mission driven environments.
• Are strategic, adaptive thinkers who bring creativity and rigor to complex fundraising challenges, and are willing to test, learn, and evolve approaches to advance impact.
• Are comfortable navigating ambiguity, making informed decisions with imperfect information, and learning alongside others.

Skills & Competencies

Minimum of 10-15 years of progressively responsible nonprofit fundraising and leadership experience.

Proven track record of setting and achieving ambitious fundraising goals across multiple revenue streams, including $8M–$10M+ annual portfolios.

Experience working with high impact philanthropists and successfully raising six and seven figure gifts.

Deep familiarity with the Greater Seattle and Tacoma philanthropic landscape and regional funding partners.

Demonstrated success leading and developing high-performing teams.

Strong experience partnering with boards and senior leaders on fundraising strategy and execution.

Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.

Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree and/or CFRE certification preferred.

Experience leveraging CRM systems and data-driven fundraising practices to inform strategy and results.

Commitment to educational equity and ability to build trust with people from diverse backgrounds.

Work Environment

Rainier Scholars is a workplace committed to wellness and sustainability. This is a flexible, hybrid full-time role based out of our Seattle office, with 2-3 days/week working in-person. This role may require some work in the evenings and weekends. The person in this role will also be expected to have occasional travel to Tacoma for in-person meetings with donors, funders, and community partners. Schedules are subject to change as needs arise.

Compensation & Benefits

Compensation for this role is $155,000 – $190,000 annually. This is a full-time