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Executive Brief

Director of Philanthropy
John Muir Health Foundation

About: John Muir Health Foundation

About: John Muir Health


John Muir Health

A leader in health care in the San Francisco Bay Area, John Muir Health is a not-for-profit integrated system of doctors, hospitals, and other services. JMH has a very strong balance sheet, with a credit rating of A+ by S&P. Serving the greater Contra Costa and Alameda Counties, JMH has a broad base of support serving over 300,000 patients annually.

John Muir Health includes two of the largest medical centers in Contra Costa County: John Muir Health Walnut Creek Medical Center, a 554-licensed bed medical center that serves as Contra Costa County's only designated trauma center; and John Muir Health Concord Medical Center, a 244-licensed bed medical center in Concord. Together, they are recognized as preeminent centers for neurosciences, orthopedics, cancer care, cardiovascular care and high-risk obstetrics.

John Muir Health also offers complete inpatient and outpatient behavioral health programs and services at their Behavioral Health Center, a fully accredited, 73-bed psychiatric hospital located in Concord.

John Muir Health Foundation

John Muir Health Foundation (JMHF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring and stewarding philanthropic support for all health services, programs and facilities at John Muir Health.

Philanthropic gifts are essential to sustaining and enhancing the margin of excellence that distinguishes JMH as a top-rated healthcare provider and vital community asset.

Making a Positive Impact

Gifts to John Muir Health Foundation give health, give life, and give hope to patients in the San Francisco Bay Area. By making a gift, donors instantly become an important part of the Foundation’s and Health System’s team. Philanthropic support from the community promotes innovation and helps build the healthcare system of tomorrow. Donations provide physicians, nurses, and staff with the tools and facilities to excel at what they do best. Philanthropy also provides patients and families with peace of mind, knowing that they can count on John Muir Health to provide top-quality care in their community.

Foundation’s Strategic Plan

John Muir Health Foundation has experienced incredible growth over the last two years. They implemented new fundraising and stewardship programs and initiatives to become a world-class philanthropic organization. They raised $98 million in two years, more than the 10 previous years combined. The Foundation team has doubled from 13 to 26 approved staff members and the operating budget has doubled in the last two years.

The JMHF Three Year Strategic Plan was established through collaboration with Health System executive leadership, clinical leadership, and Health System Board of Directors in partnership with the Foundation’s executive staff and Board of Directors. The Strategic Plan builds upon recent successes and continued focus on implementing programs and solutions that are in line with industry standards and proven practices.

The Strategic Plan is based on the following four pillars:

Location:

John Muir Health’s campuses are located in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Foundation’s offices are located in beautiful Walnut Creek. Walnut Creek is located in Contra Costa County in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, about 16 miles east of the city of Oakland. With a total population of 70,127 per the 2020 census, Walnut Creek serves as a vibrant hub for its neighboring cities because of its location at the junction of the highways from Sacramento and San Jose and San Francisco/Oakland, and accessibility by BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit). Its active downtown neighborhood features hundred-year-old buildings and extensive high-end retail establishments.

Impact Stories/Letters

As a community-based, not-for-profit health care organization, John Muir Health invests all revenue back into its services and the local community.  Philanthropic contributions provide needed funding for lifesaving medical equipment, advances in technology, clinical research, educational programs and health care services for underserved families and individuals.

"Mom and Son Saved by John Muir Health"

Mom and Son Saved by John Muir Health

I want you to hear this real-life story about Antonio Velasquez, because it is both harrowing and uplifting.

And, because of you—your generosity and ongoing loyal support—that he can share his story with us today. YOU make a difference in the quality and compassionate care provided at John Muir Health.

Antonio is 28 years old and a Northern California native. His large and very tight-knit family gathers often to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays. But family gatherings came to a screeching halt last summer after both Antonio and his mother, Isabel, were hospitalized at John Muir Health with COVID-19.

As an asthmatic, Antonio was keenly aware that catching COVID-19 would be very dangerous for him and he did everything possible to stave off the disease. “I wore my mask full-time at work and was very careful about washing my hands frequently,” he remembers. 

Antonio began experiencing severe shortness of breath in August 2020. He visited John Muir Health’s Emergency Department where a rapid COVID-19 test revealed he was positive for the disease. He was immediately admitted.

Unfortunately, things became worse for Antonio. “My oxygen levels were very, very low and after two days of being treated with noninvasive ventilation and laying in a prone position for hours to provide me with better oxygen flow, the doctors informed me that intubation was necessary for my survival,” he explains. “I knew what that meant …there was a fifty-percent chance I would not survive.”

To make matters worse, Antonio’s 48 year-old mother, Isabel, had been admitted just two days earlier, fighting for her life in the room next to him in the Medical ICU. Neither could stand or walk so they could only communicate with one other by cell phone. Antonio recalls, “It was so scary. Every time the Code Blue alarm sounded, mom and I believed it was for the other one. We both felt completely helpless, frightened, and very worried about each other.”

Isabel’s condition worsened quickly and within days, she also had to be intubated.

Mother and son were in dire condition. Antonio would later learn that his mother was one of the gravest COVID-19 patients at John Muir Health. Medical ICU physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, and the entire John Muir Health team cared for Antonio and Isabel like they were family. They, too, were concerned and worked tirelessly to do everything in their power to cure Antonio and Isabel.

After grueling battles with COVID-19, Antonio went home on September 3, 2020, five weeks after being admitted, and Isabel was discharged on December 24, 2020, two and a half months after her admittance.

“John Muir Health saved our lives,” says Antonio. “The staff are heroes, every single one of them. They were put here on earth for a reason, and mom and I are so glad that we were part of that reason.”

Your support of John Muir Health gave Antonio and his mother the very best chance for survival. 

Thank you for recognizing the valuable asset we have in John Muir Health. Your gift today will help countless patients like Antonio and Isabel, and families when they need quality and compassionate critical care.

This holiday season, please continue your support of John Muir Health by making your gift on our online donation form (www.givehealthjmh.org) or by sending a check in the enclosed envelope.

In gratitude and health,

Beverly A. Jones, R.N.
John Muir Health Foundation, Board Chair
Former Chief Nursing Officer, John Muir Health

"A World-Class PICU"

A World-Class PICU

I couldn’t understand why he wasn’t getting better... my sweet, extremely healthy and energetic thirteen month old son, Grant, was lethargic, cranky and running a low-grade fever. When our local hospital sent us home after diagnosing him with common Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), it only worsened overnight and our pediatrician sent us back to the local hospital the following day.

Grant became gravely ill.

After one and a half days, Grant was rushed via critical care transport to John Muir Health, Walnut Creek Medical Center’s Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), the first and only one of its kind in the Contra Costa County. I couldn’t breath and my world came to an absolute stand-still. John Muir Health physicians swiftly intubated Grant and he would remain in the very good hands of the physicians, nurses and staff at John Muir Health, my personal heroes, for almost one month. Grant received customized and compassionate care and they took care of me and my family, too!

Grant remained at John Muir Health for nearly one month.

Today, just over six months since his diagnosis, Grant has his voice back, learned to crawl again, and is now running all over the place! John Muir Health provided my son with the gift of life. I thank my lucky stars every day that we have a world-class PICU in our community with an assembly of the very, very best clinicians and staff. As the old Chinese Proverb goes, “In every crisis, there is an opportunity.” My gratitude for the extraordinary care we received at John Muir Health provided me the opportunity to give back to the health system that cared so compassionately for Grant and my entire family.

Thank You! Your continued support of John Muir Health gave my son the very best chance for a healthy life.This holiday season, I hope you will join me and my family in supporting the exceptional people and programs at John Muir Health that provide health, life and hope to our community.

Sincerely,

Carrie Mitooka

Leadership Spotlights

John Muir Health Foundation’s leadership is committed to fostering a culture of continuous professional development. They are dedicated to developing a pathway for career advancement, growth and continued education that reflects an employee’s vision for their future and professional goals.

Nevin Kessler - President, John Muir Health Foundation

Nevin Kessler
President, John Muir Health Foundation

Nevin Kessler joined John Muir Health in January 2022 with the goal of generating increased levels of private support to further the important mission of the health system. Under his leadership they surpassed The Campaign to Conquer Cancer goal, raising over $110 million from 1,952 donors including 621 first-time donors as of December 31, 2023.

Before joining John Muir Health, Nevin spent 28 years in leadership roles in higher education advancement. Most recently, he served as President of the Rutgers University Foundation where he led the completion of the university’s first $1 billion campaign and planned for the launch of its first multi-billion dollar campaign. At Rutgers, he closed two of the largest gifts in the history of the university in support of healthcare initiatives in precision medicine and behavioral health for adolescents and young adults. During his seven and a half years at Rutgers, fundraising commitments increased 90% from $132 million in fiscal year 2013 to $251 million in 2019, setting fundraising records in five out of eight years.

Other universities where Nevin led fundraising include NC State University, Yale School of Management, University of Connecticut Foundation, Inc., and Virginia Tech. Nevin serves as the Diablo Regional Arts Association Board of Directors in Walnut Creek, CA, and has been a frequent presenter at professional conferences on fundraising.

He holds a Master of Arts degree in College Student Personnel from Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH, and Bachelor of Arts in History from Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA.

Jody Policar - Vice President of Philanthropy

Jody Policar
Vice President of Philanthropy

Jody Policar joined John Muir Health Foundation on October 23, 2023, becoming the first Vice President of Philanthropy. Reporting directly to the President of the John Muir Health Foundation, he leads and integrates major and principal gift fundraising, campaign management, legacy giving, and corporate and foundation relations.

Jody has 25 years of experience in fundraising and development for health care and education organizations. He has a record of helping organizations build cultures of philanthropy and has collaborated with donors to help them realize their philanthropic aspirations. He most recently served as the Executive Director of Principal Gifts and Strategic Initiatives at Sutter Health, where he developed and launched a $40 million cardiovascular campaign to help affiliates in the Bay Area and the Sacramento Region. As Director of Philanthropy for the East Bay affiliates of Sutter Health, Jody led and raised more than $20 million for the Transforming Healthcare Campaign for the East Bay, the Carol Ann Read Breast Health Program Expansion, and multiple equipment and programmatic priorities. He also held the position of Executive Director of Individual Giving at Sutter Health.

Prior to Sutter Health, Jody was the Director of Philanthropy for Student Affairs at UC Berkeley. During his time at Berkeley, he was part of a team that raised over $300 million for student scholarships and support services during the Campaign for Berkeley. Jody also held leadership fundraising positions as Director of Annual Giving Programs and Director of Development at Sacramento State. While at Sacramento State, he was instrumental in securing community support to complete Destination 2010 to further the university’s prominence in the region.

Jody holds a Master of Arts in Leadership from Sacramento State and a Bachelor of Arts in Government from Saint Mary’s College of California.

The Opportunity: Director of Philanthropy (2 positions)

John Muir Health Foundation - Director of Philanthropy - Job Description (PDF Download)

Position Summary:

Reporting to the Vice President of Philanthropy, the Director of Philanthropy has primary responsibility for planning and executing the identification, engagement, and direct solicitation of prospects and donors capable of making gifts of $100,000 or more to John Muir Health. This position plays an essential role in developing and maintaining a robust pipeline of donors, engaging key donor relations, and increasing overall fundraising revenue. Responsibilities include managing a portfolio of highly rated donors and potential donors and associated administrative tasks and performance metrics, execution of direct solicitation of donors including proposal writing and drafting gift agreements, assuring proper recognition for donors’ gifts, and ongoing engagement and stewardship of individual supporters to sustain meaningful relationships. Additional leadership responsibilities include strategic engagement with health system leadership, physicians, service line leaders, volunteers, grateful patients, and key community stakeholders.  The Director of Philanthropy will be an external representative of the Foundation at community events and meetings to ensure that the community is aware of John Muir Health’s fundraising priorities, programs, and services.

Principal Responsibilities:

Donor Portfolio and Data Management:
  • Secure financial support of $100,000+ contributions by managing a portfolio of major, principal, and planned gift donors and prospects through the process of identification, qualification, engagement, solicitation, and stewardship.
     
  • Maintain timely, consistent contact and exceptional customer service with assigned portfolio to establish, sustain, and enhance positive long-term relationships and move them through all stages of the solicitation process. 
     
  • Track all interactions with donors and prospects in database and generate timely and thorough follow-up correspondence and call reports.
     
  • Achieve annual metrics for visits, proposals/solicitations, funded proposals, qualification, and total amount raised.  
     
  • Actively participate in Major Gift Officer meetings, collaborate with colleagues on best practices, share successes, challenges, and found solutions, and contribute to establishing and achieving team goals.
     
  • Responsibly track, manage, and report costs and expenses related to fundraising and stewardship activities. 
     
  • Other duties as assigned.
External Relations:
  • Attendance required at selected Foundation events to assist in the engagement and stewardship of major and principal donors and prospects.
     
  • Assist with planning and managing selected engagement events for major and principal gift prospects and donors, including onsite assistance as appropriate.
     
  • Other duties as assigned.
Foundation Leadership:
  • Commitment to help create, foster, and promote an inclusive, equitable work environment that reflects the diversity of our patients and community members.
     
  • Lead the process of identifying service line priorities, clinical partners and prospects for potential campaigns, proposals, and special giving.
     
  • Assist with the appropriate training, mentorship, and professional growth of Development Associates and/or Coordinators.
     
  • Support and play a critical role in the development and execution of the Foundation’s Strategic Plan. 
     
  • Lead and execute meaningful donor and prospect outreach by partnering with colleagues in Communications, Stewardship, Planned Giving, Corporate and Foundations Relations, and Foundation Operations as needed. 
     
  • Take an active leadership role with internal committees for the Grateful Patient Program and Patient Benefactor Program to ensure fundraising vision and priorities are accomplished.
     
  • Partner with the President and Vice President to manage the community outreach and advocacy of the Board to prospective donors and groups. 
     
  • Provide support and staffing to JMH leadership, staff, physicians and nurses at community events and receptions. 
     
  • Other duties as assigned. 

Expectations and Qualifications:

Education:
  • Bachelor's Degree required. In lieu of bachelor’s degree, four additional years of relevant work experience (7+ years total) may be considered.
Experience:
  • 3+ years of direct major gift experience.
Skills:
  • Comprehensive knowledge of all phases of fundraising, especially in the areas of capital campaigns, principal, major, and planned gifts.
     
  • Demonstrated expertise in engaging, soliciting, and stewarding of individual prospects and donors.
     
  • Well-developed problem solving and analytical skills with the ability to create solutions to complex situations.
     
  • Experience creating campaign and special giving documents and communication strategies as needed. 
     
  • Demonstrated superior listening skills, diplomacy, and tact to build strong relationships and motivate donors, prospects, and volunteers.
     
  • Excellent communication skills required, both verbally and in writing, with strong customer service orientation. Must have exceptional interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate effectively and professionally with a wide variety of constituents.
     
  • Accuracy and speed using Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint). Must have advanced knowledge and high comfort level generating reports, gift agreements, budgets and performing data entry, list management, and mail merge.
     
  • Database management experience desired. Knowledge of The Raiser’s Edge or other fundraising or CRM software a plus.
     
  • Ability to work well both independently and collaboratively with a high degree of professionalism.
     
  • Ability to effectively multi-task and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.

Compensation and Benefits:

Compensation:
  • To attract and select the best employees, JMH offers competitive compensation packages based on the most current salary rates for the San Francisco Bay Area. The salary range for this position is $139,411 - $209,117, based on experience.
Benefits:
  • JMH offers great benefits and valuable resources to their employees. Their health and welfare benefits begin within 30 days of employment. These benefits include: medical, dental (including orthodontia), vision, employee life insurance, employee optional life insurance, dependent optional life insurance, accidental death & dismemberment insurance, optional accidental death & dismemberment insurance, long term disability, flexible spending accounts, and voluntary benefits (legal, auto, and pet insurance).
     
  • Recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Transportation as one of the best commuter workplaces in the nation, JMH’s goal is to help reduce traffic and air pollution by providing employees with commuting and parking benefits including subsidized BART and bus tickets, subsidized carpool and vanpool programs, JMH Lyft business account services, and much more.
     
  • To reward the service and dedication the employees show JMH and the community, the Health System offers comprehensive retirement and post-retirement benefits including JMH 403(b) Saving plan with employer match and a Pension Plan.

Applications & Nominations

John Muir Health Foundation has partnered with Boyden Executive Search. For more information about this opportunity or to submit a cover letter and resume, please email:

Wendy Wilsker
Managing Partner, Boston
wwilsker@boyden.com
LinkedIn

Wendy Wilsker has dedicated her entire career to the non-profit sector, serving in leadership roles within charitable organizations and working alongside them as an executive recruiter and consultant. She excels at identifying the unique challenges and opportunities non-profits face, and partners with senior leadership to build successful organizational structures, teams and advancement programs.

Shaké Sulikyan 
Senior Advisor and Executive Search Consultant, Boston
ssulikyan@boyden.com
LinkedIn

Making the world a better place is Shaké Sulikyan’s mission in life. She has decades of experience in the nonprofit sector including senior leadership roles in healthcare, academic medicine, higher education, and social services. Shaké loves connecting nonprofit organizations and exceptional professionals and is honored to support social impact organizations throughout the United States. She currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Jill Coran
Executive Search Consultant, Boston
jcoran@boyden.com
LinkedIn

Jill began as a recruiter, transitioning seamlessly to Human Resources Management after several successful years. She has diverse experience in the dot com, biotechnology, and media industries. After taking time to raise her children, Jill returned as a Human Resource Manager for a multimedia company. In this role, she excelled in recruiting, administering benefits, and managing employee relations. Jill's passion continues to be connecting top talent and organizations, both locally and nationally.

Don’t check off all the boxes or meet every single requirement? We have learned that potential candidates hesitate when applying for a job unless they meet every single requirement. Boyden Boston is dedicated to inclusivity and valuing diversity and equity in the workplace. If this opportunity excites you, but your background may not be a perfect match, we still encourage you to apply.

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