Ground Floor Opportunity for Seasoned Professional!

The Lobular Breast Cancer Alliance Inc. (LBCA) just one year ago transitioned from being a small, all volunteer-led, fiscally sponsored project to a high-impact, independent charitable organization. LBCA focuses on advocacy and desperately needed funding for invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) cancer research and attaining a vision of a world in which lobular breast cancer is eradicated permanently. We are seeking an experienced, entrepreneurial individual to be our part-time Development Director and join our team working to achieve this bold endeavor. Our ideal candidate is a seasoned professional who is familiar with and relishes the challenge of launching small non-profit start-ups, who is interested in understanding the science of breast cancer and who is willing to commit to LBCA’s mission.

Background On Lobular Breast Cancer and LBCA

ILC – the troubling, understudied breast cancer type

Invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) or lobular breast cancer is 15% of all breast cancers diagnosed in the US each year (about 44,000 annually). It is the second most common breast cancer type and is a more common cancer in women than ovarian cancer. Until 2015, ILC was not typically thought to be different from the more common invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC), particularly among treating clinicians. Now studies have demonstrated that ILC has some distinct biological characteristics that need to be better understood and for which specific, targeted treatments must be developed.

• ILC is referred to as the “sneaky breast cancer” because the tumors typically do not form as lumps making them extremely hard to detect through routine screening, and as a result a disproportionate number of lobular tumors are not found until they are larger, are at later stages or in some cases, have metastasized. It is also harder to surgically find and remove all of the tumor cells, and women frequently need more than one lumpectomy to do so;
• ILC appears to frequently metastasize to different organs from those where ductal tumors metastasize, and
• There is evidence ILC will recur much later than IDC in some cases, though it is not clear yet why. This may suggest a poorer prognosis for some individuals diagnosed with ILC. Unfortunately, there has been little research to-date on lobular disease, so the standard of care is still simply that for ductal carcinoma.

Despite these specific differences, and the fact that clinicians are acknowledging them and the need for ILC-specific, targeted treatments to be developed, there are still none. Lobular breast cancer treatment protocols are the same as those for ductal breast cancer. There has been very little direct study of lobular breast cancer and there has not yet been a clinical trial in this country dedicated to metastatic lobular breast cancer.

LBCA

LBCA engages patients, clinicians, and researchers to increase knowledge of lobular breast disease and promote lobular breast cancer research. Working with the guidance of an international, expert scientific advisory board of breast cancer researchers and clinicians, and through growing collaborations with other breast cancer advocacy organizations in the US and internationally, LBCA provides a platform for ILC research, maintains a library of current lobular breast cancer studies, and identifies clinical trials and research advocacy opportunities with a focus on lobular breast disease.

LBCA provides and disseminates widely, basic, current educational information about ILC including early stage and metastatic lobular breast cancer, to enhance understanding about how lobular is different from other breast cancer subtypes, and to share any new knowledge gleaned from recent research. LBCA aims to empower patients to be more informed partners in their self-care and treatment and help clinicians to be more informed and confident in the treatment plans they promote. LBCA also fosters dialogue among clinicians and researchers to address challenges of detecting and treating ILC, discuss groundbreaking findings, and identify new ILC research priorities and opportunities for collaboration. LBCA incorporated and began operating as 501(c)(3) tax exempt public charity in January 2022 and has a current 7-person board of directors. For the past two years we have exceeded our fundraising goals.

Until 2020 LBCA was all volunteer run but now has a small, paid staff who work remotely, and a handful of volunteers who are patients with ILC or their loved ones, and others who have volunteered with LBCA to support our mission and vision.

LBCA has raised sufficient funds in the past year and a half to be able to provide ILC research grants to early investigators. It does so through administrative contracts with organizations that assist with the vetting and oversight of grant applicants/awardees. One day, LBCA hopes to fund one or more multi-million dollar and multi-cancer center lobular breast cancer clinical trials.

LBCA has a growing donor base of individuals who are predominantly persons whose lives have been touched by ILC. We also have over 4200 e-newsletter subscribers, and new subscribers and volunteers are signing up every day from all over the US and the world. LBCA maintains a website, two Facebook pages, a twitter account, and a LinkedIn account. LBCA’s staff all work from their own homes and meet virtually.

LBCA Mission and Vision

As the only organization in the US dedicated to Invasive Lobular Breast Cancer (ILC), LBCA’s mission is:

to make all who are touched by ILC aware of its unique characteristics and the critical need for more ILC research, to be the go-to source for information on ILC studies, clinical trials and educational tools, to foster partnerships among patients, scientists, clinicians and breast cancer organizations to increase dialogue about ILC and research advocacy, and to fund vital ILC research.

LBCA’s Vision is: a world in which lobular breast cancer is found early, treated effectively, and eradicated permanently.

Development Director Position Summary

Reporting to the Executive Director (ED), and in partnership with the Chief Operating Officer (COO), and the Communication Director (CD), the Development Director (DD) will develop and implement the annual development plan in support of the LBCA strategic plan.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

The DD must have experience in all disciplines of a development operation and will have the following duties and responsibilities:

• Work both independently and advise and collaborate with the ED on a comprehensive fundraising strategy to support LBCA’s operations, growth, mission, and vision.
• In partnership with the ED, execute LBCA’s annual development plan, annual report, and annual development goal setting.
• Prioritize all activities in conjunction with the ED.
• Provide expert guidance on the strategy, content, and execution of electronic and direct mail fundraising appeals and campaigns. The DD will be the liaison with LBCA’s contracted direct mail vendor.
• Grow LBCA’s major gifts program which includes major donor identification, discovery, cultivation, and solicitation for outright and planned gifts as well as expanding the pipeline of new donors, corporations, and foundations.
• Propose and install best practices and novel fundraising vehicles including virtual and in-person events.
• Manage the donor database (Bloomerang) and an effective Moves Management process. This includes uploading new and updating existing donor information, ensuring automated acknowledgement and thank you correspondences occur timely (within 72 hours of gift receipt), and tracking donors who have made tribute, recurring, lapsed, and legacy gifts.
• Work with the ED and manage a portfolio of prospective major donors and supporters including creating cultivation plans for top 25 major gifts prospects, arranging and attending meetings in-person and virtually with donors to establish effective communications and relationships with them. Identify major gift donors who are ready for solicitation and create solicitation plans.
• Assist ED in working with LBCA’s scientific advisory board to implement special “meet the experts” and other conversations with major and potential major donors.
• Assist the ED and COO working with LBCA volunteers seeking to conduct fundraising events, peer-to-peer fundraisers, and other fundraising activities on behalf of LBCA. It will be essential to be able to have sufficient and effective fundraising strategies without live events.
• Work with/guide the ED and Communications Director on the development of effective fundraising messaging and dissemination through LBCA’s social media and other formats.
• Collaborate with the ED to develop and track metrics for quarterly evaluation of development impact including quarterly performance goals.
• The Development Director will participate in LBCA staff meetings and speak with the ED at least once/week on a 1:1 basis, and more often, as necessary.

QUALIFICATIONS:

The ideal development director candidate must:

• Embrace the mission of LBCA and have great interest in understanding the science of breast cancer and acquiring and maintaining knowledge of the status of ILC research and the advocacy activities that are provided by LBCA
• Be entrepreneurial, highly self-motivated, energetic, a good listener, and enjoy developing relationships
• Have knowledge and extensive experience with major donor cultivation including initiating donor emails, visits, and fundraising calls, particularly with major gift fundraising
• Have experience with large electronic and postal fundraising appeals and working with electronic donor databases (ideally with Bloomerang)
• Have experience working with direct mail vendors and managing the analytics of postal mail campaigns
• Display a positive attitude, shows concern for people and community, demonstrates presence, self-confidence, and common sense
• Possess strong interpersonal and writing skills and the skills to work with and motivate staff, committee members, and other volunteers
• Be organized and exhibit “follow through” on tasks and goals
• Must have had experience in fundraising for a non-profit health care or cancer care organization and significant experience with cultivating major donor gifts
• A bachelor’s degree (CFRE is a plus)
• 15 years+ experience in professional fundraising, individuals with experience in non-profits charitable organizations that are not university-based preferred

TO APPLY:

Interested candidates should submit resume and cover letter to Mason Mitchell-Daniels at  mason@lobularbreastcancer.org.