Chief Development Officer

Chesterton Academy of Notre Dame; Jacksonville (FL); Hybrid; USD 100,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Diocese of St. Augustine seeks a Chief Development Officer to lead and grow the diocese’s development programs, including major gifts, campaigns, and endowment initiatives. The CDO will directly manage a donor portfolio and provide strategic leadership to a team serving parish communities and diocesan foundations.

The role requires close work with diocesan leadership, pastors, and boards to advance fundraising goals and expand resources for ministries of the Diocese of St. Augustine.

Responsibilities

• Plans, designs, implements, coordinates, and manages an annual comprehensive development plan that supports major gifts, campaigns, BASA, annual diocesan appeals, and endowment program.
• Grows the individual major gifts program, identifying, cultivating, and soliciting major gifts and managing a donor portfolio to meet fundraising goals.
• Arranges face-to-face and group meetings between top prospective benefactors and the Bishop, with regular updates to senior leadership.
• Provides leadership and supervision to direct reports: Director of Annual Giving, Database & Donor Relations Coordinator, Administrative Assistant, Executive Director of the Catholic Foundation.
• Advises the Bishop and senior staff on development matters and tracks performance, financial updates, and campaign success for future strategy.
• Sets priorities and strategic direction for the Catholic Foundation in collaboration with leaders and boards.
• Oversees donor appreciation events and collaborates with professionals across legal, planning, trust, investment, and marketing fields to advance development activities.
• Serves priests and parishioners to expand resources for diocesan ministries and builds constituent relationships through events and contacts.
• Works with diocesan colleagues to synchronize development efforts and assembles teams to provide resources and training for parishes.

Job description

Chief Development Officer: Diocese of St. Augustine

The Chief Development Officer's primary focus is on major gifts working closely with the Bishop, the Chancellor for Administrative Affairs, the development team, the Executive Director of the Catholic Foundation and its Board of Directors, diocesan curia leadership, pastors and parish staff, donors, and other key constituents to advance the diocese's development goals. The Executive Director will establish department priorities and oversee, manage, and grow current and future fundraising programs (including diocesan campaigns) while also supporting entity-based campaign efforts. The CDO will actively manage a donor portfolio by personally participating in cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship, and will assist the Bishop with an elevated portfolio of existing and prospective donors.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Plans, designs, implements, coordinates, and manages an annual comprehensive development plan that describes the development mission of the diocese as well as goals and objectives for various development programs consistent with the Bishop's vision and diocesan objectives. This development program shall include, but not necessarily be limited to, major gifts, grant solicitation, capital campaign support, Bishop's Annual Stewardship Appeal (BASA), annual diocesan appeals (National Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche, Catholic Schools tuition assistance, cemeteries, etc.), offertory enhancement, planned giving, and the endowment program.
• Grows the individual major gifts program, including identification, cultivation, and solicitation of major gifts; manages a portfolio of qualified major gift prospects; maintains current donors and builds on the individual donor base; and meets the diocese's major gift fundraising goals as established with the Chancellor for Administrative Affairs by the Bishop.
• Arranges face‑to‑face, personalized, group meetings, and family meetings between top prospective benefactors and the Bishop. Provides regular updates and follow‑up reports to the Bishop and Chancellor for Administrative Affairs.
• Fosters a ministry‑oriented accountable work environment, providing strong leadership, management, and supervision to the following direct reports:
  • Director of Annual Giving
  • Database & Donor Relations Coordinator
  • Administrative Assistant
  • Executive Director of the Catholic Foundation
  Provides performance management feedback and goal setting with her/his team. Promotes a team environment and articulates the purpose and vision with staff, develops goals with each of them, and follows up to ensure that the mission is accomplished.
• Advises the Bishop, Chancellor for Administrative Affairs, Chief Financial Officer, and the appropriate advisory boards on all issues related to development, while providing comprehensive, accurate, and timely status reports on performance, financial updates, goals, initiatives, and the success of the campaigns, as well as building support for future strategy.
• Works closely with the Executive Director of the Catholic Foundation and its Board of Directors, the Bishop, Chancellor for Administrative Affairs, and Chief Financial Officer to set the priorities and strategic direction of development and the Catholic Foundation of the Diocese of St. Augustine.
• Oversees all planning of donor appreciation events.
• Works cooperatively and diligently with professionals in the technology arena, legal, planning, trust, investment, and marketing fields to involve them in the development activities of the diocese to achieve successful outcomes.
• Serves the Bishop, priests, and all parishioners to enhance the expansion of resources necessary for the ministries of the Diocese of St. Augustine. Activities include building constituent relationships through various contacts and events.
• Works closely with other diocesan stewardship and development colleagues to organize and synchronize development efforts.
• Assembles a team of professionals to provide consultative advice, support, materials, tools, publications, education/training workshops to parishes and other diocesan institutions so that they can develop their own development, fundraising, grant writing, offertory enhancement programs, and capital campaign initiatives, and increased giving and stewardship programs that are right for their own unique needs based on their available personnel and volunteers.
• Maintains a high degree of professionalism and credibility with the diocesan staff, department heads, clergy, the public, and all media through knowledge, forthrightness, and truthfulness, with a high focus on building effective and positive relationships.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.