Chief Development Officer

Project 8p Foundation; New York (NY); On-site; USD 175,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

Project 8P Foundation is seeking a Chief Development Officer to build and lead a comprehensive fundraising strategy that supports the organization’s next stage of growth. This senior leader will focus on expanding non-grant revenue, strengthening donor and strategic partnerships, building scalable development systems, and improving revenue visibility and forecasting.

The CDO will work in close partnership with the CSO and report directly to the Board of Directors, positioning Project 8P for

Qualifications

• Significant experience in fundraising, development, revenue generation, or philanthropic partnership-building.
• Demonstrated success with major gifts, donor development, sponsorships, and strategic partnerships.
• Strong financial planning, forecasting, and reporting capabilities.
• Experience building fundraising systems, processes, and infrastructure from limited resources.
• Entrepreneurial mindset and comfort operating in a lean, growth-stage environment.
• Strong strategic communication skills, including donor messaging, external positioning, and Board-level reporting.

Responsibilities

• Build and execute fundraising strategies across major gifts, philanthropy, sponsorships, and strategic partnerships.
• Develop and manage donor pipelines, stewardship practices, and fundraising systems.
• Identify, cultivate, and convert high-value donor and partnership opportunities into committed funding.
• Strengthen revenue forecasting, financial visibility, and development reporting practices.
• Create compelling donor messaging, partnership narratives, sponsorship materials, and fundraising presentations.
• Establish planning tools, reporting cadences, and development infrastructure to support organizational growth.
• Partner with the CSO on organizational positioning, strategic priorities, and external relationship development.
• Support Board visibility into fundraising progress, revenue performance, and long-term development opportunities.
• Evaluate and implement systems and technology that improve donor tracking, revenue operations, and organizational scalability.

Skills

Major gifts fundraising

Donor development

Strategic partnerships

Forecasting & reporting

Fundraising systems

External communications

Board reporting

Tools

CRM systems

Job description

Project 8P Foundation is seeking a Chief Development Officer to build and lead fundraising strategy, strengthen donor and partnership development, and create scalable revenue systems that support the organization’s next stage of growth.

About Project 8P Foundation

Project 8P Foundation is a patient-led nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering a unified community of Chromosome 8p Heroes and their families while accelerating treatments for tomorrow. Founded by Bina Maniar after her daughter received a rare chromosome 8p diagnosis, the Foundation was created in response to the lack of information, centralized resources, and clear guidance available to families navigating this complex genetic condition.

What began as one mother’s search for answers has grown into a bold, community-centered organization advancing research, clinical care, family support, and collaboration across the rare disease field. Project 8P brings together families, researchers, clinicians, industry partners, and advocates to build knowledge, accelerate discovery, and ensure that families do not have to start from scratch after diagnosis.

The Foundation’s work spans the full continuum of impact: welcoming and supporting newly diagnosed families, creating spaces for connection and education, advancing standards of care, funding transformative research, and building the data infrastructure needed to support future treatments. In 2025, Project 8P marked significant progress across families and community, clinical care, science and research, and growth and partnerships, including new resources for families, expanded clinical assessments, biomarker and drug repurposing research, major sponsor engagement, and the launch of new platforms to support collaboration and discovery.

Grounded in the belief that every 8P Hero should be seen for who they are, not limited by a diagnosis, Project 8P is working to create a better, smarter, and more hopeful path forward for the chromosome 8P community. As the organization continues to grow, it is focused on scaling its reach, deepening partnerships, strengthening systems, and mobilizing the resources needed to advance its mission and long-term impact.

About the Position

Project 8P Foundation is seeking a Chief Development Officer (CDO) to build and lead a comprehensive fundraising strategy that supports the organization’s next stage of growth. This senior leader will focus on expanding non-grant revenue, strengthening donor and strategic partnerships, building scalable development systems, and improving revenue visibility and forecasting. Working in close partnership with the Chief Scientific Officer (CSO), the CDO will play a key role in positioning Project 8P for long‑term sustainability, growth, and impact. The CDO will report directly to the Board of Directors.

Key Responsibilities

• Build and execute fundraising strategies across major gifts, philanthropy, sponsorships, and strategic partnerships.
• Develop and manage donor pipelines, stewardship practices, and fundraising systems.
• Identify, cultivate, and convert high‑value donor and partnership opportunities into committed funding.
• Strengthen revenue forecasting, financial visibility, and development reporting practices.
• Create compelling donor messaging, partnership narratives, sponsorship materials, and fundraising presentations.
• Establish planning tools, reporting cadences, and development infrastructure to support organizational growth.
• Partner with the CSO on organizational positioning, strategic priorities, and external relationship development.
• Support Board visibility into fundraising progress, revenue performance, and long‑term development opportunities.
• Evaluate and implement systems and technology that improve donor tracking, revenue operations, and organizational scalability.

Key Qualifications

• Significant experience in fundraising, development, revenue generation, or philanthropic partnership‑building.
• Demonstrated success with major gifts, donor development, sponsorships, and strategic partnerships.
• Strong financial planning, forecasting, and reporting capabilities.
• Experience building fundraising systems, processes, and infrastructure from limited existing resources.
• Entrepreneurial mindset and comfort operating in a lean, growth‑stage environment.
• Strong strategic communication skills, including donor messaging, external positioning, and Board‑level reporting.
• High emotional intelligence, collaborative leadership style, and ability to work effectively within a shared leadership model.
• Ability to balance strategy with hands‑on execution.
• Comfort leveraging CRM systems, fundraising technology, data, and automation tools to improve effectiveness and scalability.
• Connection to or familiarity with the Northeast corridor is preferred; national candidates may also be considered.

Project 8P Foundation does not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law.

The salary range for this position is $175,000 to $200,000, commensurate with experience.

For more information about Development Guild, please visit developmentguild.com.