Overview

Anixter Center, one of Chicago’s longest-standing human services institutions, is seeking a strategic and steady Vice President of Philanthropy to lead the next era of its fundraising. For more than a century, Anixter has served people with disabilities and the communities around them, and today it reaches more than 7,000 Chicagoland residents each year through over 30 programs spanning disability services, mental health care, employment services, and communication access for people who are Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing through its Chicago Hearing Society (CHS).

Anixter enters this search with clear direction and real momentum. Under President and CEO Samantha Handley, Anixter has launched a five-year strategic plan (2026 to 2031), opened The Hub, a renovated mental health recovery space in Uptown, and earned national recognition for CHS’s Caption with Intention initiative, including an award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In 2026, Anixter also completed a comprehensive development assessment and roadmap process with external experts, giving the next Vice President of Philanthropy a well-defined plan, board and executive support, and a mandate to build.

Anixter’s opportunity for philanthropic growth is significant. Anixter has built a loyal base of individual, foundation, and corporate supporters, including a gala that raises more than $300,000 each year, and the organization’s recent assessment confirmed strong potential to grow that support. With a new strategic plan and committed Board and executive leadership, Anixter is preparing to invest in philanthropy at a scale that matches its $18 million operation. The next Vice President of Philanthropy will build the strategy, team, and systems to grow annual philanthropic revenue from nearly $1 million today toward $3 million or more in the coming years.

This is a role for a confident, relationship-driven fundraising leader who can command a room, translate the breadth of Anixter’s work into one compelling story, and bring the discipline and consistency to see a multi-year plan through. Anixter is seeking a leader ready to make a long-term commitment and grow alongside the organization over the next five years and beyond.

About Anixter Center

For more than 100 years, Anixter Center has been changing what’s possible for people with disabilities in Chicago. Anixter Center was founded in 1919 as the Douglas Park Jewish Day and Night Nursery, established to care for children orphaned during the influenza pandemic. As the need for orphanages declined in the 1950s, the organization looked to the needs of its community and began serving adults with disabilities, a commitment that remains at the heart of its work today. In 1997, Anixter merged with the Chicago Hearing Society, founded in 1916 and one of the nation’s oldest organizations serving people who are Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing. The organization honors the Anixter family, whose vision and commitment to serving people with disabilities has shaped the lives of thousands of individuals.

Mission: Anixter Center provides services that enhance lives, promote inclusivity, and strengthen community.

Vision: A world where access, opportunity, and belonging are realized by everyone.

Today, Anixter’s work spans four service areas:

• Disability Services: Day programs, 24-hour supervised community homes, and the Jack Ehrlich Literacy Program, which help adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities live as independently as possible with full community participation.
• Mental Health Care: In-person and virtual counseling, case management, and group skill-building for people of all ages, including youth involved in or at risk of involvement with the justice system, with services offered in English, Spanish, and American Sign Language. The Hub in Uptown provides a calm, welcoming drop-in and recovery space.
• Employment Services: CARF-accredited vocational training, job placement, and on-the-job support, delivered in partnership with the Illinois Department of Human Services and more than 300 business partners, including Jewel-Osco, Mariano’s, Shedd Aquarium, the Chicago Bears, and Chicago Public Schools. In 2025, the program helped more than 160 people with disabilities secure employment.
• Chicago Hearing Society: Audiology services through a Medicaid-supported clinic, approximately 20,000 hours of interpreting each year, ASL classes for adults and families, mentoring for more than 1,700 Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing children across Illinois, and a DeafBlind program certified by the FCC as a National DeafBlind Equipment Distribution Program site.

To learn more about Anixter, visit anixter.org; for Chicago Hearing Society, visit chicagohearingsociety.org.

Organizational Structure

Anixter Center operates with an annual budget of approximately $18 million, supported primarily by government fees and grants, program service revenue, interpreting and audiology services, and philanthropy. The organization is headquartered in the Ravenswood neighborhood of Chicago, with Chicago Hearing Society (CHS) based in Bucktown, along with additional programs and residential sites across the city.

The Vice President of Philanthropy reports to the President and CEO and serves as a member of the executive leadership team, alongside the Chief Financial Officer, Chief Human Resources Officer, Chief Administrative Officer, and the Vice Presidents leading Mental Health, Disability Services, Marketing and Strategic Partnerships, and Communication Access (who also serves as Executive Director of CHS).

The Vice President will inherit a lean philanthropy function that includes an Associate Director of Philanthropy and a Grants Manager who also leads grant writing, along with a well-maintained Little Green Light database. Over the next two years, the Vice President will build the team envisioned in Anixter’s development roadmap, including a Director of Major and Individual Giving, a Director of Foundation and Corporate Giving who will supervise the Grants Manager, and a Philanthropy Associate.

Anixter is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors of approximately 20 members, and its philanthropic network also includes the Ambassador Board of emerging leaders and a CHS Advisory Council.

The Moment

Anixter’s next Vice President of Philanthropy arrives at a pivotal time for the organization and for the people it serves. Federal Medicaid cuts of approximately $1 trillion through 2034 threaten the home and community-based services that people with disabilities rely on, even as need among the low-income families Anixter serves continues to rise. For an organization whose revenue has long been anchored in government funding and program fees, a strong, diversified philanthropy program is essential to sustaining and expanding services.

Anixter is well-positioned to meet this moment. Stakeholders describe the organization as a Chicagoland institution and one of the city’s best-kept secrets, with a breadth of services that is rare among its peers. CHS brings more than a century of relationships and a carefully stewarded donor community. Board and executive leadership describe engagement in fundraising as stronger than it has ever been, and the CEO’s increasingly external role creates new opportunities to raise Anixter’s profile and broaden its network.

The work ahead is clear. Anixter’s strategic plan calls for diversified revenue, improved fundraising return on investment, and 10 to 15 new corporate relationships. The development roadmap calls for one unified case for support that connects disability services, mental health care, employment, and CHS into a single story; a disciplined approach to major gifts and stewardship; a sharper focus on foundations; a more ambitious gala; and a Board that raises its giving expectations and formalizes how it recruits new members. The Vice President of Philanthropy will be the leader who turns that plan into results.

About the Role

The Vice President of Philanthropy will serve as Anixter Center’s chief fundraising strategist and the architect of its philanthropy program. Reporting to the President and CEO and partnering closely with the executive leadership team and Board, the Vice President will own Anixter’s philanthropic revenue strategy and targets, carry the organization’s top donor relationships alongside the CEO, and build the team, systems, and culture of philanthropy required to grow sustainably.

Specifically, the Vice President of Philanthropy will prioritize:

Philanthropic Strategy and Revenue Growth

• Lead the implementation of Anixter’s multi-year development roadmap, setting annual revenue goals and a clear plan to grow philanthropic revenue from nearly $1 million today toward $3 million or more.
• Partner with the CEO and executive team to establish one organization-wide funding priority and an annual process for identifying areas of need across programs and operations, so that fundraising supports both program growth and unrestricted operating support.
• Establish regular reporting routines, including fundraising snapshots for the executive team, monthly Board updates, and quarterly reviews of performance against targets.

Narrative and Case for Support

• Lead the development of a unifying narrative and master case for support that shows how Anixter’s disability services, mental health care, employment services, and CHS work together as one mission, rather than as separate pitches.
• Build a library of fundraising materials and vetted client stories, and equip the CEO, senior leaders, and Board members to share Anixter’s story with confidence.
• Partner with Marketing and Strategic Partnerships to align Anixter and CHS messaging, while honoring the history and loyalty of CHS’s longstanding supporters.

Individual and Major Giving

• Build a disciplined major gifts program with portfolio management, moves management, and a tiered stewardship model applied consistently across Anixter and CHS donors.
• Carry a portfolio of Anixter’s highest-capacity donors and prospects, leading cultivation and solicitation of five- and six-figure gifts in partnership with the CEO.
• Upgrade current donors and re-engage lapsed supporters, drawing on recent wealth screening that shows significant untapped capacity across the donor base.
• Lay the groundwork for a planned giving program, building on the many longtime supporters with strong legacy giving potential.

Foundation, Corporate, and Event Fundraising

• Grow private foundation support through a focused, well-resourced approach to high-value, mission-aligned grants, including foundations that fund Anixter’s peers but have not yet engaged with Anixter.
• Expand corporate partnerships and sponsorships, drawing on Anixter’s employment services network and its reputation as a trusted partner for inclusive workplaces.
• Reimagine the annual gala as a cultivation and leadership giving engine, growing it from more than $300,000 toward $600,000 and, over time, $1 million, with a sharper focus on new donors, table hosts, and follow-up beyond the event.

Board and Executive Partnership

• Serve as a strategic partner to the CEO and Board, owning Board engagement in philanthropy and helping build a culture of philanthropy across the organization.
• Support the Board as it raises its annual give/get expectation from $5,000 to $10,000, grows to 24 to 25 members, and formalizes a nominating and governance process focused on recruiting members with the capacity to give and open doors.
• Equip Board, Ambassador Board, and CHS Advisory Council members with clear expectations, tools, and talking points, and conduct annual one-on-one engagement conversations with Board members alongside the CEO.
• Work across departments, including finance and program leadership, to align budgets, funder reporting, and program priorities with the fundraising plan.

Team Leadership and Development Operations

• Recruit, lead, and develop a high-performing philanthropy team, sequencing new hires in line with the development roadmap and building a culture of accountability, collaboration, and growth.
• Strengthen development operations, including database practices in Little Green Light, prospect research, grants management, and gift acknowledgment and stewardship standards.
• Build the core routines that allow philanthropy to function at scale, including pipeline reviews, prospect intake, and regular coordination with program leaders on proposals, reporting, and funder engagement.

Leadership Attributes

Ideal candidates will bring many of the following qualities:

• Commanding and Credible Presence: The next Vice President of Philanthropy will be a confident, polished leader who can command a room, whether with a major donor, a foundation president, the Board, or the executive team. They will bring the credibility of a seasoned fundraiser who has built programs before and the presence to be a visible, trusted face of Anixter in Chicago’s philanthropic community.
• Steady Strategist: Anixter is seeking a leader who brings clarity and consistency to strategy and next steps. This person will set a plan, communicate it clearly, and hold to it, adjusting thoughtfully as conditions change rather than reacting to every shift. They will bring steady judgment and emotional maturity, keeping the work focused on the mission and the plan, particularly when conversations are complex.
• Proactive Communicator Who Manages Up and Out: The next Vice President will stay ahead of the Board, CEO, and colleagues on the senior leadership team, proactively sharing what is happening and how the work is progressing. They will practice a consistent communication rhythm: sharing the plan, showing the work, and reporting back on results. Colleagues across the organization will always know where philanthropy stands and what comes next.
• Confident Cross-Functional Partner: Growing philanthropy at Anixter will require close collaboration with finance, program, marketing, and CHS leadership. The Vice President will navigate these relationships with diplomacy and good humor, while holding their ground on fundraising priorities and investments. They will be comfortable advocating for what the plan requires, respectfully challenging assumptions, and making the case for philanthropy as a strategic investment rather than a cost center.
• Builder and Culture Carrier: Anixter is early in its growth as a philanthropic organization, and the next Vice President will enjoy building: a team, pipeline, systems, and culture that engages staff, Board, and volunteers in philanthropy. They will be a generous coach and mentor who develops talent and sets clear expectations, and they will help colleagues across the organization see their role in advancing Anixter’s mission through philanthropy.
• Compelling Storyteller: The next Vice President will bring a gift for narrative and the ability to connect Anixter’s many programs to a single, powerful story about access, opportunity, and belonging. They will draw on client stories and outcomes with care and respect, and help donors see how their support changes lives across disability services, mental health care, employment, and communication access.
• Committed and Mission-Aligned: Anixter is seeking a leader who is energized by the opportunity to commit to the organization’s long-term evolution, see the development roadmap through, and grow alongside Anixter. They will bring a genuine connection to Anixter’s mission and a commitment to disability inclusion, accessibility, and the dignity of every person Anixter serves.

Ideal Experience

Strong candidates will bring a range of the following experiences and perspectives. We recognize that exceptional leaders emerge along varied pathways and may not reflect every listed qualification. With this in mind, we encourage candidates to apply even if their background does not match every consideration.

• Ten to fifteen years of progressive fundraising experience, including senior leadership of a development function with direct responsibility for major gifts and institutional giving.
• A track record of significantly growing philanthropic revenue, ideally within a multi-million-dollar fundraising program, and of building programs and infrastructure rather than solely maintaining them.
• Demonstrated success personally cultivating and soliciting five- and six-figure gifts from individuals, foundations, and corporations.
• Experience recruiting, managing, and developing fundraising teams, including building new roles and sequencing growth.
• Experience partnering closely with a CEO and Board on fundraising, Board giving expectations, and Board recruitment.
• Experience developing a case for support and fundraising materials for a multi-program organization, and helping leaders and volunteers communicate a unified story.
• Experience growing special events, particularly galas, and corporate sponsorship programs into meaningful sources of revenue and cultivation.
• Familiarity with development operations, including donor databases (Little Green Light experience a plus), prospect research, and grants management tools.
• Experience in human services, disability services, behavioral or mental health, health care, or related sectors is highly valued, as is familiarity with government-funded or Medicaid-reliant organizations.
• Relationships within Chicago’s philanthropic, corporate, and civic communities are strongly preferred.
• Lived experience with disability, including as a family member, and familiarity with Deaf culture or ASL are valued but not required.

Compensation and Benefits

The salary range for this position is $140,000 to $160,000, commensurate with experience. Anixter Center offers a comprehensive benefits package, including a choice of Cigna medical plans, dental and vision coverage, and a Flexible Spending Account, with coverage available for spouses, domestic partners, and dependents; employer-paid basic life/AD&D, short-term disability, and long-term disability insurance; a 401(k) savings plan; a 24/7 Employee Assistance Program; and paid time off that includes 15 to 20 vacation days per year based on tenure, plus paid sick leave. Anixter Center reserves the sole right to modify any of the benefits or policies described above. Additional benefit details will be confirmed with finalists during the search process.

Submissions: Candidates interested in the role should submit a resume and a tailored cover letter.

About Avra Search Partners

We believe in turning moments of transition into moments of transformation.

Avra Search Partners is a national executive search and leadership advisory firm committed to placing transformative leaders in mission-driven organizations. We partner with a wide range of nonprofits and impact-focused institutions, including foundations, advocacy organizations, associations, and artistic and cultural institutions, to design search strategies that honor organizational values and help institutions thrive.

We specialize in high-touch, selective engagements that combine evidence-informed evaluation with a relational approach, helping institutions build stronger futures through exceptional leadership.

With a deep commitment to inclusion, resilience, and leadership excellence, Avra helps clients identify and attract outstanding candidates from a range of backgrounds, including individuals who have historically had limited access to executive opportunities. Our work centers on expanding the leadership pipeline, strengthening governance, and ensuring organizations are supported by leaders equipped to guide their next chapter.