Chief Development Officer - Long Beach Public Library Foundation

Long Beach Public Library Foundation; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 320,000; Full time

Job summary

Long Beach Public Library Foundation is seeking a seasoned Chief Development Officer to lead a new era of philanthropy for the Long Beach Public Library. The CDO will personally cultivate relationships with high-net-worth donors and families, identifying opportunities for transformational investments and aligning donor interests with the Foundation's mission.

As the Foundation prepares its 2027 strategic plan, the CDO will expand major and transformational giving, shape a multi-year development

Responsibilities

• Cultivate a portfolio of high-potential donors and prospects.
• Identify individuals and families with capacity for transformational gifts.
• Develop cultivation strategies aligned with donor interests and values.
• Lead and coach the Annual Giving Manager and the fundraising team.

Job description

The Long Beach Public Library Foundation seeks an accomplished, highly relational, and entrepreneurial Chief Development Officer to lead an ambitious new era of philanthropy in support of the Long Beach Public Library.

This is an opportunity for a seasoned development executive who understands that transformational philanthropy is fundamentally about relationships, trust, vision, and the ability to connect a donor's aspirations with an institution's potential.

As it prepares a new strategic plan in 2027, LBPLF intends to substantially increase philanthropic support for the library, deepen relationships with the community's most generous donors, and create a stronger culture of major and transformational giving. The next CDO will help shape that plan and lead the Foundation's fundraising program to achieve it. The CDO joins at a moment when the strategy, the team, and the giving programs are all open to new leadership.

The CDO will: personally cultivate a portfolio of the Foundation's highest-potential donors and prospects; identify individuals, families, and family offices with the capacity and inclination to make transformational investments; develop individualized cultivation strategies based on each donor's interests, values, history, and capacity, including DAFs and IRA direct donations. The CDO will work individually with Board members to map personal networks and philanthropic relationships, and to identify prospective donors and influential community leaders. As a team leader, the CDO will: supervise, coach, and evaluate the Annual Giving Manager (the Director of Philanthropic Partnerships will report to the CDO after the CDO’s first 90 days, and will develop and implement an integrated, multi-year development plan across individual, institutional, and annual giving.

The ideal candidate will be an accomplished senior development professional with a demonstrated record of personally building relationships and securing significant philanthropic commitments.

More important than a particular career path is evidence of the ability to:

• Build authentic, long-term relationships with high-net-worth individuals and families, particularly focusing on the growing and younger donor cohort of the Long Beach region.
• Personally secure major and transformational gifts. Develop and manage a sophisticated major-gift pipeline.
• Translate an organization's mission and aspirations into a compelling philanthropic proposition.
• Operate comfortably in strategic, electronic and highly hands-on environments.

The strongest candidates will bring intellectual curiosity, emotional intelligence, persistence, optimism, excellent listening skills, and the confidence to ask for significant gifts.