Employment

Lead the Next Chapter of Neighbors Helping Neighbors

In 1989, Hurricane Hugo tore through the Lowcountry, and a handful of neighbors turned a parish hall into a lifeline. Thirty-six years later, that same instinct still drives East Cooper Community Outreach (ECCO), a $3.3 million, professionally run nonprofit now serving more than 2,700 individuals a year. After a decade of fast growth, we’re ready to build the fundraising engine and organizational systems to make that growth last. We’re looking for the person who wants to lead that work.

Who We Are 

ECCO provides food, clothing, financial assistance, and dental and medical care to neighbors across Mount Pleasant and East Cooper, paired with coaching and resources (financial workshops, career support, an Asset Development matched-savings program) that help people build lasting stability, not just get through the week. We’ve grown from roughly $500,000 to $3.3 million in annual budget over the last decade, completed a $5.7 million capital campaign, and built a donor base of more than 1,500 people who believe in this work. 

Our culture is the thing people mention first: compassion, collaboration, respect, and integrity, not as a poster on the wall, but as how we actually treat clients, each other, and this community. We’re proud of that, and we’re looking for a CEO who will protect it fiercely while helping us grow.

The Opportunity 

The Board recently elevated this role from Executive Director to CEO, and has built a strong leadership team well positioned to take full responsibility for day-to-day operations, freeing our next CEO to focus on what matters most right now: fundraising, strategy, and building a Board that operates as a true strategic partner. This is a lead-fundraiser role as much as a chief-executive role. Your first job will be strengthening what we’ve already built: stabilizing our development function, deepening donor relationships, and helping our Board grow into stronger governance. From that foundation, you’ll help shape our next 3–5 year strategic plan, including how far and how fast we grow from here. 

Compensation is $128,000 to $160,000, with a comprehensive benefits package including employer-paid health insurance, retirement contributions, and generous paid time off. You’d be doing this work in Mount Pleasant, SC, part of the fast-growing, high-quality-of-life Charleston area. 

A Strong Organization, Ready for What’s Next 

ECCO isn’t a struggling organization looking for someone to rescue it. It’s a 36-year-old institution with real financial momentum (a completed $5.7 million capital campaign, a donor base that keeps growing, three decades of deep community trust), and a culture that clients, staff, and volunteers consistently describe as the best they’ve been part of. That foundation is genuinely rare, and it’s yours to build on, not repair. 

Here’s the honest part: growing organizations outgrow their own systems, and ECCO is right in the middle of that stretch. Our Board is evolving toward stronger strategic governance, our fundraising infrastructure is being built out, and our next CEO will have real influence over how that next chapter takes shape, rather than walking into something already finished. If that sounds like an opportunity instead of a warning sign, keep reading. 

Is This You? 

• You’re a real fundraiser. You’ve personally closed major gifts before, not just supervised someone who did. 
• You’re a connector. You build trust fast with clients, staff, volunteers, donors, and board members alike, and you genuinely like being the face of an organization.
• You can manage up. You know how to set expectations with a board, and you’re energized (not drained) by helping one grow into stronger governance. 
• You lead with humility. Your first instinct in a new role is to listen and learn, not to arrive with a fixed plan; but you’re also ready to lead real change once you’ve earned the trust to do it. 
• You’re a builder, not a boss. You believe in transparent communication, and you want a staff that feels heard, not managed from a distance. 
• You think in systems. You want to help ECCO finish growing up, better systems, better onboarding, better infrastructure, without losing what makes it feel like ECCO. 

The Fine Print

Reports to Board of Directors 

Compensation $128,000 – $160,000, plus a comprehensive benefits package Location On-site, Mount Pleasant, SC 

Required Bachelor’s degree; 10+ years of progressive senior leadership experience; a proven track record personally securing major gifts; experience managing 

teams, budgets, and complex operations 

Preferred Prior Executive Director, CEO, COO, Chief Development Officer, or Director of Development experience; nonprofit or human-services background; strong 

board governance experience; a leadership style rooted in humility, emotional 

intelligence, and resilience 

How to Apply 

Send a resume and a brief cover letter describing why this opportunity, specifically, excites you to Ginny Waller, Waller Consulting at [email protected] with the subject line ECCO CEO Job Posting. This position will remain open for three weeks from the posting date; we encourage early submissions. 

East Cooper Community Outreach is an Equal Opportunity Employer and welcomes applicants of all backgrounds who share our commitment to this community.