The Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation is a non-profit, volunteer-fueled organization whose mission is to cure Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis and improve the quality of life for the children and adults affected by these diseases. Our work is dramatically accelerating the research process through our varied research initiatives; we also provide extensive educational and support resources for patients and their families, medical professionals, and the public. In addition, we lead federal and state-based advocacy campaigns to support medical research funding and improve patient access to care. The Foundation’s core values of compassion, integrity, leadership, collaboration, and inclusion inspire and drive every member of our highly performing team.
Position Summary:
The Regional Director (RD) is a key member of the Extended Field Leadership Team and is accountable for the overall performance and growth of the region. As a leader of leaders, the RD directly supervises, coaches, develops, and holds Executive Directors accountable for achieving ambitious revenue, mission, volunteer engagement, and organizational goals across their markets. In partnership with the CDO, SVP of Field Leadership & Volunteer Engagement, and National Partners, the RD translates enterprise strategy into clear regional priorities, drives consistent execution, and fosters a high-performance culture grounded in ownership, accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement. The RD uses data, business judgment, and market opportunity to identify risks and opportunities, inform talent and resource decisions, and ensure leadership attention is focused where it can generate the greatest impact. The RD also partners with influential volunteer leaders and supporters across the region to advance the Foundation’s mission, strengthen community engagement, and build sustainable growth at the chapter, regional, and national levels.
The RD travels throughout the market area to meet with constituents and serve as a key leader for the Foundation with volunteers and supporters.
This role is remote but requires candidates to live in the major market area (New York Metropolitan Area: Long Island, Westchester, Fairfield, New Jersey)
Essential Functions & Responsibilities:
Board/Volunteer Engagement
- Hold Executive Directors accountable for building, developing, and engaging strong chapter boards and volunteer leadership teams that advance strategic and financial priorities.
- Coach Executive Directors to effectively leverage volunteer leaders’ expertise, influence, networks, and resources to drive mission and revenue outcomes.
- Assess volunteer leadership strength across the region and proactively address gaps in leadership, succession, engagement, and performance.
- Ensure volunteer engagement strategies are tied to measurable outcomes, including fundraising growth, donor development, corporate engagement, advocacy, and mission reach.
- Identify opportunities to engage influential volunteers across chapter boundaries in support of broader regional and enterprise priorities.
- With the ED, regional National Partners and SVP, build a compelling vision for each chapter and collaborate with key volunteer leaders and staff to achieve it.
- Work with regional leadership volunteers to embrace a one-Foundation, unified approach to support the overall success of the region.
- Build strong and effective partnerships with volunteers and supporters and help foster a culture of accountability.
- Serve as a role model and key leader in each market area building relationships, raising awareness, and sharing mission impact with constituents.
- Build our volunteer leadership bench to both sustain and grow community engagement.
- Create and drive a culture of year-round prospecting to identify donors, foundations and high impact volunteers for corporate partners, board and campaign leadership.
- Attend board meetings regionally as indicated, with an emphasis on annual board retreats.
Campaign Fundraising & Development
- Own regional fundraising performance and hold Executive Directors accountable for achieving revenue and growth expectations, maximizing opportunities to drive aggressive growth and minimize risk.
- Use KPIs, financial data, and leading indicators to identify performance gaps, opportunities, and necessary corrective action to maximize ROI through fundraising competencies and best practices.
- Coach Executive Directors to diagnose challenges, develop strategies, and take timely action when results are off track.
- In collaboration with SVP and National Partners, identify the highest-potential markets, campaigns, donors, and partnerships and align leadership attention and resources accordingly.
- Challenge historical approaches and drive innovation when existing fundraising strategies are not producing desired growth or ROI.
- In collaboration with SVP, National Partners, Executive Directors and event staff, create a vision for growth that includes developing strong strategic priorities and operational plans for successful execution of strategy that drives event growth.
- In collaboration with Directors of Advancement, ensure each Executive Director dedicates appropriate time to IMG/FMG outreach, stewardship and cultivation, ultimately growing our pipeline of major donors in each market.
Communications
- Coach Executive Directors in leading through change, navigating difficult conversations, and building stakeholder understanding and commitment.
- Drive alignment across chapters so local communications reinforce Foundation strategy, mission priorities, and organizational positioning.
- Promote transparent, timely communication across the region to strengthen collaboration, accountability, and decision-making.
- Identify and elevate compelling regional successes, mission impact, donor stories, and volunteer leadership examples that strengthen engagement and visibility
- In partnership with SVP, Field and Regional National Partners, create opportunities for increased efficiency and impact across regional and home chapter communications.
- Support each chapter and chapter board in enterprise-wide activities that include a focus on Health Care Provider and Corporate Partner engagement by providing strategy, direction, support and resources as needed.
Team Leadership
- Lead, coach, and develop, Executive Directors, prioritizing accountability for achieving chapter, regional, and enterprise goals.
- Establish clear expectations for both leadership behaviors and measurable outcomes and regularly assess performance against those expectations.
- Ensure Executive Directors effectively lead, develop, and manage their own teams, to drive results while addressing performance and talent gaps proactively.
- Build a strong regional leadership bench through talent development, succession planning, retention, and timely performance decisions.
- Create a high-performance culture characterized by ownership, candid dialogue, bold decision-making, collaboration, adaptability, and continuous improvement.
- Serve as a member of the Extended Field Leadership Team to align, create and drive a collaborative and robust strategy for growth across the region.
- Other duties as required.
Qualifications:
- BA/BS Degree preferred.
- 10+ years experience in an Executive or Senior Management capacity at a voluntary health agency.
- Demonstrated track record of successful fundraising experience that includes special events, corporate/foundation giving, donor cultivation, public relations and stewardship.
- Previous experience in identifying, recruiting and partnering with volunteers to achieve results.
- Proven and applicable skills in data analytics, strategic thinking, committee leadership, account management and volunteer development.
- Experience with influence management and persuasive authority over employees while facilitating trust, teamwork and collaboration.
- Experience in varied forms of communications including – mass media, advertising and community relations, as they relate to the health care service industry.
- Experience in leading through change and building strong teams.
- Effective written and oral communication skills.
Skills Required
- 10+ years of experience in an executive or senior management capacity at a voluntary health agency
- Successful fundraising experience including special events, corporate and foundation giving, donor cultivation, public relations, and stewardship
- Experience identifying, recruiting, and partnering with volunteers to achieve results
- Skills in data analytics, strategic thinking, committee leadership, account management, and volunteer development
- Experience influencing and persuading employees while facilitating trust, teamwork, and collaboration
- Experience with mass media, advertising, and community relations in the healthcare service industry
- Experience leading through change and building strong teams
- Effective written and oral communication skills
- BA or BS degree
What We Do
Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation is a nonprofit, volunteer-fueled organization working to cure Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis and improve life for people affected by these conditions. It funds basic and clinical inflammatory bowel disease research, educates patients and healthcare professionals, and provides support services, advocacy, and community programs. Its work also advances better care and research into causes, treatments, and cures.
