Isaak will be establishing the strategic framework for a robust development program to help fund the organization’s non-profit educational mission.
CROSSVILLE, TN: The US Chess Federation is pleased to announce the hiring of Geoffrey S. Isaak, J.D., for the newly-created position of Director of Development. The Director of Development will work with the Executive Director, Executive Board, US Chess staff, and the organization’s over 90,000 members to create and implement a comprehensive development plan for short- and long-term revenue growth in support of the US Chess non-profit educational mission of “Empowering people through chess, one move at a time.” The development plan will include diverse strategies for resource development including major gifts, corporate donations, grant solicitation, planned-giving, sponsorships, special events, and in-kind support. He will be a member of the US Chess leadership team.
Isaak says, “I am absolutely thrilled to be joining the staff at US Chess—an organization I’ve known and loved for 30 years! It’s an exciting time to be playing and following chess in the United States, and I’m looking forward to meeting with members and listening to their ideas about how we can take US Chess to the next level as I combine my experience and knowledge of fundraising with my lifelong love of chess.”
Echoes Executive Director Carol B. Meyer, “We are pleased to have Geoff join our team, as he is a world-class fundraising professional with the expertise needed to build this program from the ground up. His experiences and interests mesh well with our US Chess mission, vision, and goals.”
Most recently, Isaak, who earned his Juris Doctor at Wayne State University Law School, was the Director of Legacy Giving at Lakeland Health in St. Joseph, Michigan, where he was responsible for starting a Planned Giving program for a three-hospital healthcare system, assisting donors in their estate plans, and working with their attorneys. He introduced new processes and methodologies that increased efficiency and accountability for that company.
Previously, he was the Chief Development Officer at the Avista Hospital Foundation in Louisville, Colorado. At Avista he was part of an executive leadership team that raised over six million dollars in 2013 and almost 36 million dollars in a five-year period, changing the trajectory of the foundation from negative to positive territory. He led all fundraising initiatives: campaigns, special events, major gifts, board development, and the donor cultivation cycle.
These experiences will be most valuable as Isaak focuses on his major duties of achieving revenue goals (developed in concert with the Executive Director), cultivating donors, and building and implementing a comprehensive donor stewardship program.
You can reach Isaak via email at Click here to show email address or by phone at 931.787.3429 beginning on October 15, 2018. 
