Head of Development & Donor Strategy - Youth Arts

Creative Action; Austin (TX); Hybrid; USD 115,000 - 135,000; Full time

Job summary

Creative Action in Austin, TX, seeks a Chief Development Officer to lead a comprehensive fundraising program and advance a culture of philanthropy across major gifts, annual giving, and institutional support.

Reporting to the Executive Director, the CDO will cultivate major donors, manage a high-performing development team, and ensure effective operations, metrics, and donor stewardship, while partnering with governance and campaigns for strategic impact.

Qualifications

• Seven or more years of progressive nonprofit fundraising experience with leadership responsibility.
• Experience securing significant individual gifts and growing donor pipelines across multiple revenue streams.
• Ability to lead and develop teams and work with executives, Board, donors, volunteers, and community partners.
• Strong knowledge of donor cultivation, stewardship, prospect management, fundraising metrics, development operations, and CRM systems.
• Excellent relationship-building, communication, storytelling, writing, presentation, planning, and analytical skills.
• Strategic, proactive, collaborative leadership with emotional intelligence and sound judgment.
• Willingness to attend occasional evening and weekend donor events.

Responsibilities

• Develop and lead annual and multi-year fundraising strategies across major gifts, annual giving, institutional support, corporate partnerships, events, planned giving, and other philanthropic opportunities.
• Build and manage a portfolio of major donors and prospects, personally leading cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of significant gifts.
• Set revenue goals, forecasts, metrics, and accountability practices; use results and donor data to strengthen performance, retention, and the pipeline.
• Partner with the Executive Director on funding priorities, donor strategy, and management of the Executive Director's portfolio.
• Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing development team with clear roles, goals, and expectations.
• Coordinate with the Capital Campaign Director to integrate annual, major-gift, institutional, and campaign fundraising efforts and donor stewardship.

Skills

Fundraising leadership

Donor cultivation

Team development

Donor stewardship

Strategic planning

Relationship building

Communication skills

Storytelling

Evening/weekend events

Tools

CRM systems

Job description

Creative Action in Austin, TX, seeks a Chief Development Officer to lead a comprehensive fundraising program and advance a culture of philanthropy across major gifts, annual giving, and institutional support.

Reporting to the Executive Director, the CDO will cultivate major donors, manage a high-performing development team, and ensure effective operations, metrics, and donor stewardship, while partnering with governance and campaigns for strategic impact.