Chief Development Officer

Power of Place Learning Communities; Burlington (MA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 220,000; Full time

Job summary

Power of Place Learning Communities is seeking an entrepreneurial Chief Development Officer to scale philanthropic revenue and build transformative partnerships with major donors, foundations, and corporate partners. The role emphasizes strategic fundraising, relationship-building, and developing an equitable funding approach to educational improvement.

The CDO will work with the Founder, Executive Director, and Board to expand funding, implement durable development operations, and ensure

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent.
• 10+ years of fundraising and development strategy experience.
• Demonstrated success soliciting and securing six-figure gifts; seven-figure gifts a plus.
• Strong storytelling and donor stewardship skills.
• Ability to translate complex ideas into compelling philanthropic opportunities.
• Experience with major campaigns, foundation and corporate relations.
• Experience building sustainable development operations, managing data and budgets.
• CRM experience; Salesforce is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead the fundraising strategy to grow and diversify annual philanthropic revenue.
• Cultivate, solicit, and steward major donors and institutional funders.
• Collaborate with the Founder, Executive Director, and Board to broaden philanthropic networks.
• Develop proposals, donor communications, and stewardship programs with grant-writing support.
• Oversee donor management, prospect tracking, revenue forecasting, and fundraising reporting.

Skills

Fundraising strategy

Major gifts

Donor cultivation

Relationship building

Strategic thinking

Communication & storytelling

Board fundraising partnerships

Grant writing

CRM experience

Salesforce

Education equity focus

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent

Tools

Salesforce

CRM systems

Proposal writing tools

Job description

At Power of Place, we believe that transforming education begins with transforming how educators learn together. We're building a different kind of professional learning infrastructure - one grounded in relationships, collective intelligence, and the conviction that educators are powerful agents of change. We are seeking an entrepreneurial Chief Development Officer who is excited not simply to raise money, but to build the philanthropic partnerships that will bring PoP's vision to scale. Working closely with our Founder and Executive Director and a committed leadership team, the CDO will shape the organization's philanthropic future - expanding and diversifying funding, cultivating major donors and institutional partners, and building the relationships and systems needed for long-term sustainability. The ideal candidate will relish the challenge of making the case for an approach to educational improvement that doesn't fit neatly into traditional funding categories—and will help philanthropic partners see the transformative potential of investing in educators' collective capacity.

Our Massachusetts-based nonprofit is designed to help educators of all levels connect, reflect, and rediscover the joy in their work. We bring educators together in welcoming and inclusive learning environments to strengthen their skills, challenge assumptions, and develop solutions together. We create transformative learning experiences for educators to inspire new ideas, strengthen instructional practices, and foster a deep sense of belonging - all critical to improving student outcomes.

The Opportunity

A central goal of this position is to lead the expansion of annual philanthropic revenue from approximately $1.5 million to $4 million by 2032, in partnership with the Executive Director and Board. Grant-writing, operations, communications, and administrative support are provided. The CDO will be successful when PoP has a broader base of philanthropic supporters, a growing pipeline of major donors, stronger multi-year funding commitments, and an increasingly engaged Board.

With dedicated support for grant-writing, communications, and development administration, the CDO will be able to focus primarily on philanthropic strategy, relationship-building, and securing significant investments in PoP's future.

Key Responsibilities

Fundraising Strategy and Revenue Growth

• Lead the development and implementation of a comprehensive fundraising strategy to achieve PoP's ambitious revenue growth and diversification goals.
• Identify and pursue opportunities to diversify PoP's funding base, including major individual gifts, foundation grants, corporate partnerships, and multi-year commitments.
• Establish annual fundraising goals and priorities, monitor progress, and adapt strategies as opportunities and needs evolve.

Donor Cultivation and Philanthropic Partnerships

• Personally cultivate, solicit, and steward major individual donors and institutional funders, securing significant philanthropic investments.
• Build and sustain a robust pipeline of prospective donors and funding partners who share PoP's vision for transforming educator learning.
• Translate PoP's distinctive approach to educational improvement into a compelling case for philanthropic investment, particularly for funders interested in systems change and capacity building.

Leadership and Collaboration

• Serve as a strategic thought partner to the Founder and Executive Director on philanthropic strategy, organizational growth, and long-term sustainability.
• Partner with the Board of Directors to expand philanthropic networks, strengthen donor relationships, and increase Board engagement in fundraising.
• Collaborate with program, evaluation, and communications colleagues to articulate PoP's impact and strengthen its visibility among philanthropic audiences.
• Work closely with the Founder and Executive Director to steward existing major philanthropic relationships while developing new funding partnerships and expanding PoP's network of supporters.

Development Infrastructure and Stewardship

• Guide the development of compelling proposals, donor communications, and stewardship strategies, working with dedicated grant-writing, communications, and administrative support.
• Oversee effective funder and donor management, prospect tracking, revenue forecasting, and fundraising reporting systems.
• Establish practices that support strong donors and funding partners, responsible stewardship, and the continued growth of PoP's development capacity.

What Success Looks Like:

The successful CDO will help PoP build a growing and diversified community of philanthropic partners, secure significant new and renewed commitments, deepen relationships with existing funders, and establish the development capacity needed to sustain PoP's long-term growth.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent
• 10 or more years of relevant experience, or a comparable record of achievement, including direct solicitation and development strategy.
• Demonstrated success personally cultivating, soliciting, and securing significant philanthropic gifts, including six-figure commitments; experience with seven-figure gifts is a plus.
• Strong relationship-building, communication, storytelling, and donor stewardship skills.
• Ability to listen deeply and translate complex ideas into compelling philanthropic opportunities.
• A generous, curious, and collaborative colleague who brings sound judgment, intellectual openness, and a genuine interest in people and their ideas.
• Experience with major campaigns, foundation and corporate relations, and Board fundraising partnerships.
• Demonstrated ability to build sustainable development operations, manage fundraising data and budgets, and track results. CRM experience; Salesforce is a plus.
• Strategic, collaborative, and entrepreneurial approach, with the ability to work independently and thrive in a growing, evolving organization.
• A strong commitment to educational equity, diversity, social justice, and the power of educators to transform lives.

Power of Place Learning Communities provides equal employment opportunity to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion,age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.

We know that exceptional development leaders come from many backgrounds. If you're excited about our mission and believe your experience could help Power of Place grow, we'd welcome the opportunity to hear from you—even if you don't meet every qualification listed.