Chief Financial & Advancement Officer

Position Summary

The Chief Financial & Advancement Officer (CFAO) is accountable for how Morris Animal Foundation generates, stewards, and optimizes the financial resources required to advance its scientific mission. This is an integrated enterprise leadership role - not a traditional CFO position with fundraising attached and not a traditional development role with finance added.

Reporting to the President/CEO and serving on the Executive Team, the CFAO leads four functions:
Finance, Accounting, Mission-Aligned Giving, and Donor Experience. The role connects donor passion, scientific priorities, philanthropic investment, financial discipline, and measurable impact into one enterprise system.

• Serve as a member of the Executive Team, helping establish organizational strategy, priorities, key performance indicators, budgets, and operating plans aligned with Morris Animal Foundation's scientific mission.
• Align financial resources, philanthropic growth strategies, and operational investments with organizational priorities and long-term objectives.
• Partner across Scientific Programs, Marketing, Operations, and other departments to translate scientific opportunities into compelling mission investments and coordinated execution plans.
• Lead through influence and collaboration, building consensus among executives, trustees, donors, and stakeholders with varying priorities and perspectives.
• Serve as a visible change leader who promotes accountability, transparency, collaboration, and continuous improvement across the organization.

• Provide strategic leadership for Finance and Accounting operations, including budgeting, forecasting, investments, financial planning, liquidity management, accounting operations, and financial reporting.
• Oversee financial controls, risk management, audits, compliance activities, and fiduciary responsibilities to ensure organizational sustainability and accountability.
• Develop board‑ready financial reports, forecasts, and analyses that support informed decision‑making and strategic planning.
• Monitor organizational financial performance and ensure disciplined resource allocation consistent with Foundation priorities.
• Protect and strengthen the Foundation's financial health through sound stewardship, effective controls, and long‑term planning.

• Lead the Mission‑Aligned Giving function, connecting donor interests and philanthropic investments with Morris Animal Foundation's scientific priorities.
• Oversee major gifts, planned giving, legacy giving, campaign planning, donor proposals, stewardship strategies, and pipeline development.
• Build and execute strategies that drive philanthropic revenue growth and increase investment in priority research initiatives.
• Partner with donors, trustees, and organizational leaders to cultivate meaningful relationships and long‑term philanthropic support.
• Ensure disciplined revenue forecasting, donor pipeline management, and fundraising performance measurement.

• Lead Donor Experience as a comprehensive donor growth and engagement function focused on acquisition, retention, stewardship, and lifetime value.
• Oversee donor relations, tribute giving, digital and direct response fundraising, mid‑level donor programs, and engagement strategies.
• Develop and manage performance systems that leverage CRM data, donor analytics, segmentation, testing, and reporting to improve donor outcomes and organizational performance.
• Drive data‑informed decision making by establishing metrics, dashboards, forecasting models, and performance reporting practices.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen donor retention, upgrade rates, donor lifetime value, and overall fundraising effectiveness.

• Build, lead, and develop high‑performing teams across Finance, Accounting, Mission‑Aligned Giving, and Donor Experience.
• Establish clear expectations, accountability measures, decision rights, and performance standards across departments.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, innovation,…