Chief Development Officer

Student Freedom Initiative; United States; On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

The Student Freedom Initiative seeks a Chief Development Officer to serve as the senior fundraising executive and strategic leader. Reporting to the President and CEO, the CDO will oversee fundraising, donor engagement, campaign management, and philanthropy initiatives to position the organization for growth and impact.

They will lead a major capital campaign, build strong donor relationships, and manage the development team, establishing a culture of philanthropy and advancing long-term

Qualifications

• Extensive progressive fundraising or development leadership experience in a nonprofit or mission-driven environment.
• Demonstrated track record securing principal and major gifts from individuals, foundations, and corporate donors.
• Experience leading complex, large-scale campaigns and managing fundraising teams.
• Strong communication, judgment and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Established network of philanthropic and corporate/foundation/community relationships

Responsibilities

• Lead planning and execution of a multi-phase fundraising campaign.
• Advance the mission and sustainability through philanthropy and donor engagement.
• Build and strengthen high-performing advancement programs and supervise the development team.
• Develop and implement fundraising strategies to increase philanthropic investment.
• Partner with Board, volunteers, donors, foundations, corporations and community leaders.

Job description

The client is seeking a Chief Development Officer to serve as the organization’s senior fundraising executive and strategic leader. Reporting to the President and Chief Executive Officer and serving on the executive leadership team, the Chief Development Officer will provide strategic oversight for fundraising, donor engagement, campaign management, philanthropic partnerships, and advancement initiatives. This role is responsible for planning and directing a major capital campaign with the goal of securing transformational investments.

Key responsibilities include leading the planning and execution of a multi-phase fundraising campaign; advancing the mission and strengthening long-term sustainability through philanthropy; and fostering a strong culture of philanthropy across the organization. The role will partner closely with the Board of Directors, campaign volunteers, donors, foundations, corporations, and community leaders, and will focus on positioning the organization for continued growth, visibility, and community impact. The Chief Development Officer will secure principal and major gifts from individuals, foundations, and corporate donors, cultivate strategic partnerships, and identify, engage, and attract new donors and supporters capable of making transformational contributions.

The Chief Development Officer will build, manage, and strengthen high-performing advancement and fundraising programs, including supervision of the development team. Additional responsibilities include developing and implementing fundraising strategies that increase philanthropic investment, strengthening donor relationships, engagement, stewardship, and long-term loyalty, and serving as the organization’s chief ambassador for philanthropy and donor engagement. The ideal candidate will have extensive progressive fundraising or development leadership experience in a nonprofit or mission-driven environment, a demonstrated track record securing principal and major gifts, experience leading complex large-scale campaigns, strong communication and judgment, team leadership with cross-functional collaboration, operational rigor, and an established network of philanthropic and corporate/foundation/community relationships relevant to the mission.