Description

To view the full position profile, please visit https://theangelettigroup.com/opportunities/current-executive-searches/

The Angeletti Group invites nominations and applications for the position of Director of Advancement (DOA) at LifeBridge Community Services (LifeBridge), a trauma-informed, community-centered nonprofit organization serving youth, adults, and families throughout Greater Bridgeport and Fairfield County, Connecticut.

This is a compelling opportunity for a strategic, relationship-driven advancement leader to join an organization at an exciting point in its history. For more than 175 years, LifeBridge has served as a trusted community resource. In recent years, the organization has strengthened its leadership team, expanded clinical services, increased community visibility, and positioned itself as a recognized leader in trauma-informed care, resilience-building, and integrated behavioral health services.

Building on this momentum, LifeBridge is making a significant investment in advancement to support its long-term vision. Reporting directly to the President & Chief Executive Officer and serving as a member of the Senior Leadership Team, the Director of Advancement will lead LifeBridge's integrated advancement efforts, providing strategic leadership across philanthropy, marketing, communications, and community engagement in support of the organization's mission and long-term vision.

The successful candidate will play a central role in advancing philanthropic support, deepening community relationships, enhancing organizational visibility, and fostering a sustainable culture of philanthropy. LifeBridge seeks a collaborative, highly relational leader who enjoys building organizational capacity, inspiring others around a shared vision, and translating strategy into meaningful results. For an advancement professional energized by creating lasting impact while working alongside an engaged leadership team, this role offers both challenge and opportunity.

ABOUT LIFEBRIDGE COMMUNITY SERVICES

LifeBridge Community Services is a leading trauma-informed behavioral health and community services organization dedicated to supporting the mental health, resilience, and well-being of children, youth, adults, and families throughout Greater Bridgeport and surrounding communities. With a history spanning more than 175 years, an annual operating budget of approximately $9 million, and a team of more than 100 employees, LifeBridge provides an integrated continuum of behavioral health, prevention, youth development, and community-based services designed to improve outcomes and strengthen communities.

THE DIRECTOR OF ADVANCEMENT

The Director of Advancement serves as LifeBridge's senior advancement leader, providing strategic leadership for the organization's philanthropy, marketing, communications, and community engagement efforts. As LifeBridge continues to build on its strong foundation and ambitious vision for the future, the Director will play a central role in expanding philanthropic support, elevating organizational visibility, deepening community partnerships, and fostering a culture of philanthropy that advances the organization's mission and long-term sustainability.

Building on LifeBridge's strong foundation and organizational momentum and working in close partnership with the President & CEO, the Director of Advancement will lead the continued growth of the organization's integrated advancement function. This role offers the opportunity to grow philanthropic partnerships, deepen donor and community engagement, enhance organizational visibility, and build the organizational capacity needed to support LifeBridge's long-term mission and sustainability.

KEY LEADERSHIP PRIORITIES

The Director of Advancement will:

• Lead the implementation of LifeBridge's long-term advancement and revenue diversification strategy to advance the organization's long-term sustainability through strategic expansion of individual giving, major gifts, corporate partnerships, sponsorships, planned giving, and institutional funding.
• Advance LifeBridge's visibility, influence, and reputation as a trusted community partner and recognized leader in trauma-informed care, behavioral health, resilience-building, and community wellness through strategic community engagement initiatives, including the Annual Symposium and other signature organizational initiatives.
• Build and lead a high-performing advancement function that fosters collaboration, accountability, innovation, continuous improvement, and a sustainable culture of philanthropy across the organization.

 KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Advancement Strategy & Leadership

• Develop and implement an integrated advancement strategy that aligns fundraising, marketing, communications, and community engagement efforts with organizational priorities.
• Serve as a member of the Senior Leadership Team and strategic advisor to the President & CEO on organizational strategy, philanthropic growth, brand positioning, donor engagement, and public visibility.
• Lead and execute LifeBridge's annual fundraising strategy across individual giving, major gifts, corporate partnerships, sponsorships, planned giving, foundation funding, and other private philanthropic revenue streams, with multi-year goals and performance indicators.
• Foster a culture of philanthropy throughout the organization.

Fundraising & Philanthropic Growth

• Personally cultivate, solicit, steward, and manage a portfolio of major donors, sponsors, and high-capacity prospects through disciplined moves management practices.
• Develop and enhance donor acquisition, cultivation, stewardship, and pipeline management strategies that expand philanthropic support and deepen donor engagement.
• Lead institutional funding strategy for private foundation and corporate funding opportunities and coordinate proposal development in partnership with program, finance, and leadership teams.
• Monitor fundraising performance and institutional funding outcomes and adjust strategies to achieve revenue goals.

Marketing, Communications & Brand Leadership

• Provide strategic oversight for marketing, communications, public relations, digital engagement, and brand management activities.
• Ensure consistent messaging, organizational storytelling, and brand standards across all communication channels.
• Support the President & CEO and leadership team with strategic messaging, media engagement, and thought leadership while ensuring that marketing and communications efforts increase community awareness, engagement, and philanthropic support.

Community Engagement & External Relations

• Develop and cultivate relationships that support fundraising, philanthropy, sponsorships, organizational visibility, and advancement objectives.
• Provide strategic oversight of community outreach and engagement activities that strengthen organizational visibility, increase public awareness, deepen donor engagement, and support philanthropic growth.
• Serve as a visible ambassador for LifeBridge within the philanthropic, corporate, and broader community.

Annual Symposium & Special Events

• Provide executive leadership for LifeBridge's Annual Symposium and other strategic fundraising and community engagement initiatives, including sponsorship development, donor cultivation, event planning committee leadership, keynote and program development, VIP engagement, and coordination of internal and external event resources.
   

Team Leadership & Board Engagement

• Provide leadership and supervision to advancement staff while promoting alignment across fundraising, communications, marketing, and community engagement functions.
• Partner with Board leadership and the Development Committee to strengthen philanthropy, stewardship, ambassadorship, and advancement activities.
• Foster cross-functional collaboration and shared ownership of fundraising and donor engagement efforts across the organization.

Requirements

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree or an equivalent combination of education and professional experience.
• Seven or more years of progressively responsible leadership experience in advancement, fundraising, development, or related nonprofit leadership roles, including experience overseeing or collaborating across marketing, communications, and community engagement functions.
• Demonstrated success developing and implementing advancement strategies that drive philanthropic growth, enhance donor engagement, and secure philanthropic revenue through multiple funding streams, including individual, major, corporate, foundation, and institutional giving.
• Demonstrated ability to cultivate, solicit, steward, and deepen relationships with donors, funders, sponsors, volunteers, community partners, and other key stakeholders.
• Experience partnering effectively with executive leadership, governing boards, and volunteers while leading complex initiatives and achieving measurable organizational outcomes.
• Exceptional communication, relationship-building, organizational, and leadership skills, with the ability to balance strategic leadership and operational execution.
• Experience supervising, coaching, and developing staff while fostering a collaborative, accountable, and high-performing team culture.
• Experience utilizing donor databases, CRM systems, fundraising analytics, and performance metrics to support strategy, decision-making, and organizational effectiveness.

 PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

•  Master's degree or advanced professional credential.
• Knowledge of philanthropy, donor networks, and community engagement within Southwest Connecticut or comparable philanthropic markets.
• Familiarity with Community-Centric Fundraising principles and ethical storytelling practices.
• Experience leading an integrated advancement function that includes fundraising, marketing, communications, and community engagement.
• Experience managing foundation and corporate grant portfolios, including proposal development, stewardship, and cross-functional coordination.
• Experience within behavioral health, healthcare, youth services, human services, or another community-based nonprofit organization.