Job Description
Job Title: Chief Advancement Officer
Department: Advancement
Location: Ideally based in or near Washington, DC, Oakland or LA, CA; New York, NY, Seattle, WA; or Chicago, IL. This position can be remote and requires an ability to travel.
Reports To: Chief Development and Marketing Officer
Supervises: 4-6 direct reports
Sierra Club’s Mission is to explore, enjoy, and protect the wild places of the earth; to practice and promote the responsible use of the earth’s ecosystems and resources; and to educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment.
Context: As America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, our 134-year old organization is committed to protecting every person’s right to get outdoors; to working to complete America’s transition to a clean energy economy; to safeguarding the health of our communities; and to protecting wildlife and preserving our wild places. This work is powered by our approximately 700 staff across the country, a network of 64 local chapters that are led and fueled by thousands of volunteers, and our more than 3.4 million members and supporters. We are also proud to be a unionized employer, with three labor unions representing more than half of our employees. Sierra Club completed a successful billion dollar comprehensive revenue campaign in 2025, which has fueled our grassroots power, organizational capacity, and big wins for the environment.
Scope: The Chief Advancement Officer (CAO) will lead Sierra Club’s advancement strategy during a period of organizational evolution and new leadership. The role focuses on securing long-term financial sustainability by growing diversified, mission-aligned restricted and unrestricted funding from institutional funders and individual donors giving $25,000+ annually.
As a Leadership Team member, the CAO will provide both strategic vision and leadership to grow sustainable revenue and advance Sierra Club’s mission. They will oversee and integrate multiple major revenue streams, including: individual major and principal gifts, institutional grants, board giving, and capital and comprehensive campaigns.
This leader will also manage staff leading grant writing and donor stewardship in support of national and chapter activities, and will guide fundraising for multiple funding structures, including the 501©(3) (via Sierra Club Foundation fiscal sponsorship) and 501©(4), and political action related entities. The CAO collaborates closely with Finance, Program, Communications, Membership Growth, Chapter Fundraising, Field, and Green Ventures and Partnerships to align on key initiatives and ensure the coherence and effectiveness of advancement narratives and priorities.
Key responsibilities and impact (including but not limited to):
- Strategy development and implementation. Develop and execute a multi-year advancement strategy that integrates with other donor and supporter programs across Sierra Club and incorporates clear annual and long-term revenue plans with measurable targets, accurate forecasting models, and fundraising performance metrics across advancement functions.
- Department leadership. Lead a sophisticated, nationwide advancement team responsible for sustaining and growing $65M+ in annual revenue, while identifying and developing new opportunities tied to the organization’s strategic priorities. Develop and lead a high-performing, inclusive advancement team, fostering accountability, collaboration, and professional growth. Model and promote a culture of trust, empowerment, collaboration, support, transparency, and resource sharing.
- Cultivation of donor relationships. Personally manage and expand a portfolio of principal donors, including the organization’s most high-profile individual and institutional relationships. Build deep collaboration with campaigns, chapters and key stakeholders to expand support from major donors and institutional funders.
- Fundraising Leadership. In partnership with the Sierra Club Foundation, other fundraising leaders, and Finance, oversee the strategy, compliance, and execution of 501©(3) fundraising and related charitable grant agreements. Spearhead the planning and execution of comprehensive fundraisingcampaigns, working with key leaders to identify and integrate unique capital funding needs and ensuring alignment with strategic priorities and growth in unrestricted and flexible funding.
- Collaborative partnership. Partner closely with departmental leaders and executives to strengthen connections between philanthropic audiences and programmatic work, such as the mid-level to major giving pipeline; blended gift opportunities with major gifts, gift planning, and chapter giving; donor engagement at key events; and corporate engagement. Lead change and systems management to promote collaboration and efficiency across revenue-generating teams. Work with departmental leaders and executives to ensure a consistent and unified voice for major donor audiences across the organization.
- Board and Foundation support. Serve as a strategic advisor to the Sierra Club and Sierra Club Foundation Executive Directors and Boards of Directors, as well as senior leadership in major giving, donor stewardship, capital campaigns, strategic initiatives, benchmarking, and their own philanthropic giving. Partner with the Executive Directors to engage principal donors, volunteers, and campaign committees.
The successful candidate must demonstrate the following skills, experience and competencies:
- 10+ years of executive-level major giving experience with individual and foundation funders; experience at a large national federated nonprofit a plus; deep experience in conservation and climate/energy fundraising preferred.
- Proven track record in non-profit fundraising from diverse sources, including experience securing seven- and eight-figure commitments from individuals and institutional donors.
- Demonstrated experience with and knowledge of the grant seeking process and developing strategic proposals with program staff. A record of successful grant awards from major foundations and individuals preferred.
- Experience creating a culture of staff who utilize highly effective operational and data systems that maximize and expand fundraising.
- Proven expertise overseeing and scaling major gift fundraising infrastructure for donor relations and prospect research in support of the entire donor life cycle.
- Proven track record of building and supporting teams and processes within complex, dispersed organizations, including coaching and motivating teams to successfully reach and/or exceed shared fundraising goals.
- Demonstrated experience successfully recruiting, leading, and retaining experienced fundraising staff, including in challenging circumstances.
- Demonstrated ability to effectively manage processes and projects for multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment, and steward change management and systems improvements where needed.
- Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively, iteratively, and creatively with a diverse set of stakeholders, including legal and policy experts, chapter directors, finance, organizers, and corporate and direct response fundraisers to co-create processes and solutions that meet the needs of the organization as well as our donors.
- Excellent interpersonal communication skills, energy, and enthusiasm with the ability to effectively lead diverse teams, build long-term relationships, and represent the organization to external audiences.
- Outstanding verbal and written communications skills, including the ability to write and present fundraising materials to a diverse set of audiences.
- Demonstrated flexibility, self-awareness, emotional intelligence, professional integrity and cultural competence – including commitment to equity, inclusion, and justice.
- A passion for the Sierra Club’s mission and a commitment to environmental and social justice. Has demonstrated experience operationalizing an equity-based leadership approach within a team/department.
$240,000 - $260,000 a year
Compensation and Benefits
The salary range for this position is $240,000 - $260,000 annually.
The Sierra Club offers a competitive salary package commensurate with skills and experience plus excellent benefits that include medical, dental, and vision coverage, and a retirement savings 401(k) plan.
This is a category 1, exempt, non-represented, leadership, and managerial position.
Sierra Club values the expertise and talents of foreign nationals. Sierra Club sponsors both nonimmigrant and immigrant visas when certain criteria are met, based on immigration laws and organizational needs. Such sponsorship is at the discretion of the Department Head and Sierra Club People Department in consultation with the Office of General Counsel. The Sierra Club cannot guarantee the approval of a visa petition. The Sierra Club is an equal opportunity employer committed to workforce belonging.
To Apply
The Sierra Club provides equal employment and advancement opportunities to all staff members. Employment decisions are based on merit, qualifications, lived experience and skills. The Sierra Club does not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, immigration status, socioeconomic status, ancestry, age, sizeT, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, familial status, veteran status, disability, AIDS/HIV status, medical condition, prior conviction, arrest history, traits historically associated with race, including, but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles, or any other characteristic protected by law.
The Sierra Club values applicants who are people that identify as Black, Indigenous, and other minority groups; women; queer, transgender, gender non-conforming, and gender fluid people.
Explore, enjoy and protect the planet.
We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.
