Chief Development Officer

Beacon Talent; Calabasas (CA); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Competitive compensation

Job summary

Beacon Talent is assisting a mission‑driven nonprofit focused on civic education and democracy, hiring a first‑ever Chief Development Officer. The CDO will own the development strategy, lead a shift to diversified philanthropy, and personally manage a portfolio of high‑capacity donors.

Reporting to the President & CEO, the CDO will build the team, set KPIs, dashboards, and forecasting, and partner with the board on donor cultivation and solicitation.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in nonprofit development/fundraising/advancement
• Experience owning fundraising strategy and revenue growth
• Proven success closing large gifts (six- and seven-figure)
• 5+ years supervising development staff
• Ability to build a diversified development function beyond grants

Responsibilities

• Own org-wide development strategy and revenue growth
• Lead shift to diversified, relationship-driven philanthropy
• Manage high-capacity donor portfolio; close six- and seven-figure gifts
• Build alumni engagement pathways for donor community
• Lead and mentor the development team; set KPIs and dashboards
• Partner with CEO and board on donor cultivation and solicitation

Skills

Development strategy

Donor management

Major gifts

Leadership

CRM (Salesforce)

Board engagement

Education

Bachelor's degree in relevant field

5+ years nonprofit fundraising leadership

Tools

Salesforce

CRM

Job description

Chief Development Officer

About the Client

Our client is a mission-driven nonprofit focused on civic education and democracy‑building, engaging youth and communities in civic learning nationwide. As the organization scales its impact, they're building out a modern development function to match their ambitions — creating a brand-new C‑suite role to lead the charge.

About the Role

This is a newly created, first‑ever Chief Development Officer position, reporting directly to the President & CEO and overseeing a team of 2 (including a Sr. Director of Advancement). The CDO will own org-wide development strategy, leading the transformation from a grant-centered funding model to a diversified, relationship-driven philanthropy operation spanning major gifts, annual giving, corporate partnerships, alumni engagement, and institutional funding. This is a hands‑on leadership role — the CDO will personally manage a portfolio of high‑capacity donors and close six‑and seven‑figure gifts, while also building the systems, team, and board engagement needed for long‑term fundraising growth.

Responsibilities

• Own org-wide development strategy and drive an initial $600K–$1M in annual contributed revenue, with sustained year-over-year growth
• Lead the shift from grant-centered fundraising to a diversified, relationship-driven philanthropy model (major gifts, annual giving, corporate partnerships, alumni, institutional)
• Personally manage a portfolio of high-capacity donors; close six‑and seven‑figure gifts; run moves management and stewardship
• Build alumni‑engagement pathways to convert former program participants into an active donor community
• Lead and mentor the development team; set KPIs, dashboards, and forecasting; ensure disciplined CRM (Salesforce) usage
• Serve as the CEO's fundraising partner and drive board engagement in donor cultivation and solicitation

Requirements

• 10+ years of progressive nonprofit development/fundraising/advancement experience, including ownership of fundraising strategy and revenue growth
• Demonstrated success personally closing multiple six‑and seven‑figure gifts
• 5+ years supervising development staff
• Proven ability to build a diversified development function beyond grants
• Genuine mission alignment with civic education, democracy, and/or youth civic learning

Benefits & Why Join

• Ground‑floor opportunity to build and define a brand-new C‑suite function
• Direct partnership with the CEO and board on organizational fundraising strategy
• Hybrid/remote flexibility, with HQ based in Calabasas, CA