Application Guide
How to Apply for Head of Marketing
at High Impact Athletes
🏢 About High Impact Athletes
High Impact Athletes is a unique nonprofit that bridges the worlds of professional sports and effective altruism, mobilizing athletes to pledge a portion of their income to evidence-based charities. Working here means directly influencing how sports stars use their platform for global good, with a mission to scale fundraising to $100 million. The remote-first culture and high-growth ambition make it ideal for someone who thrives in a mission-driven, entrepreneurial environment.
About This Role
As Head of Marketing, you'll architect the entire marketing strategy to scale fundraising from current levels to $100 million, leading a team of 5-8 and managing a multi-million-dollar budget. You'll own the full funnel—from athlete and fan acquisition to donor conversion and retention—with a special focus on the Race for Impact racer and donor journeys. This is a hands-on leadership role where you'll integrate data, digital experience, content, and partnerships into a measurable growth engine.
💡 A Day in the Life
Your day might start with a quick sync with your team on campaign performance, followed by a deep dive into funnel analytics to identify drop-off points in the Race for Impact sign-up flow. Later, you'll collaborate with the content team on athlete testimonials and review partnership proposals, all while keeping an eye on the $100m goal and ensuring every channel contributes to measurable growth.
🚀 Application Tools
🎯 Who High Impact Athletes Is Looking For
- Proven experience leading marketing teams of 5+ and managing budgets in the millions, ideally in a nonprofit, sports, or subscription/membership context.
- Deep expertise in funnel optimization, conversion rate optimization, and lifecycle marketing, with a track record of scaling donor or customer bases significantly.
- Strong analytical skills to integrate audience data, digital experience, and content into a cohesive growth system; familiarity with marketing automation and CRM platforms.
- Passion for effective altruism and evidence-based giving, with the ability to translate that passion into compelling campaigns that resonate with athletes and fans.
📝 Tips for Applying to High Impact Athletes
Highlight any experience you have with nonprofit fundraising or cause-related marketing, especially if you've worked on peer-to-peer fundraising events like races or walks.
Quantify your achievements: specify how much you increased donor retention, conversion rates, or revenue in previous roles, and tie it to budget management.
Demonstrate familiarity with High Impact Athletes' model by referencing specific evidence-based charities they support (e.g., Against Malaria Foundation, GiveDirectly) in your application.
Show you understand the athlete mindset: explain how you would tailor messaging to professional athletes who are time-poor but impact-driven.
If you have experience in sports marketing or working with high-net-worth individuals, emphasize it—it's directly relevant to engaging athletes and their networks.
✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter
['Your vision for scaling fundraising to $100m: outline a high-level strategy that integrates athlete partnerships, fan engagement, and donor journeys.', 'Your leadership philosophy for managing a remote team of 5-8 and fostering a culture of experimentation and accountability.', "A specific example of how you've optimized a multi-channel funnel to increase conversions, ideally in a nonprofit or subscription context.", "Your personal connection to effective altruism or evidence-based giving, and why you're excited to mobilize athletes for this cause."]
Generate Cover Letter →🔍 Research Before Applying
To stand out, make sure you've researched:
- → Explore the High Impact Athletes website, especially their list of recommended charities and the criteria they use to evaluate effectiveness.
- → Learn about effective altruism principles and common critiques, as this philosophy underpins the organization's approach.
- → Research the Race for Impact event: its history, format, participant demographics, and past marketing efforts.
- → Look into competitors or similar nonprofits that engage athletes (e.g., Charity Miles, Good Sports) to understand the landscape and identify opportunities.
💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics
Based on this role, you may be asked about:
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Focusing only on for-profit marketing experience without connecting it to nonprofit fundraising or cause-driven campaigns.
- Neglecting to mention team leadership and budget management—these are core requirements, so omitting them raises doubts.
- Using generic language about 'making a difference' without demonstrating a concrete understanding of effective altruism and evidence-based giving.
📅 Application Timeline
This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.
Typical hiring timeline:
Application Review
1-2 weeks
Initial Screening
Phone call or written assessment
Interviews
1-2 rounds, usually virtual
Offer
Congratulations!
Ready to Apply?
Good luck with your application to High Impact Athletes!