Chief Development Officer (CDO)
12 days ago
Arlington
Job DescriptionSalary: $120,000-$130,000 Job Title: Chief Development Officer Department: Development Reports to: President/CEO Salary: $120,000-$130,000 Status: Full time, exempt Location: Arlington, Virginia Summary: The Chief Development Officer (CDO) is the strategic leader of AWLAs integrated fundraising, communications, and public engagement activities. This role unifies major gifts, mid-level giving, corporate, workplace, and annual giving, events, grants and digital fundraising into a cohesive revenue and visibility strategy. The CDO manages a multi-functional team, builds high-value donor and funder relationships in partnership with the CEO, and ensures all fundraising and communications efforts are aligned, data-driven, and mission-centered. CDOs ultimate responsibility will be to ensure development strategies and functions enable reliable and sustainable fundraising revenue to support continued operational growth and preparedness for future capital campaigns. Core Duties and Responsibilities Development Strategy & Planning • Develop and implement a comprehensive fundraising and communications strategy that encompasses diverse fundraising revenue streams and remains dynamic and adaptable to organizational needs and emerging opportunities., • Lead annual and multi-year development planning, including goal setting, KPI development, revenue projections, and departmental budget creation., • Supervise, coach, and develop a high-performing development team of five by establishing clear roles and expectations, providing regular feedback and professional development opportunities, supporting goal and KPI alignment, and building the systems, workflows, and collaborative practices needed for strong performance and growth., • Strengthen and refine development systems and workflows across donor acquisition, retention, and stewardship in partnership with team members to support consistent, high-quality donor engagement and sustainable revenue growth., • Provide strategic oversight for departmental project management systems to support effective prioritization, coordinated workflows, and timely execution of development initiatives., • Develop and manage the Development Department budget and monitor performance alongside other departments in collaboration with other senior leaders. Cross Departmental Collaboration & Infrastructure • Partner closely with Operations leadership to ensure development strategies align with and advance AWLAs programmatic priorities, operational needs, and long-term strategic goals., • Collaborate with the Finance team to ensure timely revenue reconciliation, transparency, and accurate reporting to meet KPI and grant requirements., • Work proactively with other departments to develop processes for ongoing compilation of organizational program data and stories for use in communicating organizational impact and need to donors across all fundraising channels., • Oversee the development and alignment of grant management workflows across departments, partnering with internal teams on budgeting, reporting, deliverables, and impact data. Fundraising & Donor Relations • Implement the annual development plan, including developing and managing initiatives, appeals, and campaigns, and cultivating a portfolio of foundation, corporate, and individual donors; recalibrate the plan as necessary., • Build and manage a portfolio of high-value major donors and institutional funders, securing five- and six-figure gifts. Oversee all stages of the giving cycle within this portfolio., • Design and execute creative, customized stewardship plans that strengthen donor loyalty and align with AWLAs mission, vision, and evolving programmatic needs., • Partner with the President/CEO to advance moves management strategies, ensuring their engagement is effectively leveraged with key donors and prospects., • Engage and support fundraising volunteers and board members to strengthen their ability to serve as effective ambassadors and solicitors. Communications & Public Relations • Provide strategic oversight for all external communications, ensuring consistent, compelling messaging aligned with AWLAs mission and brand identity., • Oversee the production of digital and print materialsincluding the annual report, newsletters, direct mail stewardship pieces, email campaignsto effectively communicate AWLAs work and impact., • Serve as a spokesperson for AWLA and represent the organization at community, donor, and public events to elevate visibility., • Lead brand and messaging strategy development across platforms, maintaining alignment with fundraising and organizational priorities., • Oversee the communications calendar to ensure cohesive, timely engagement with donors and the public., • Provide strategic oversight of AWLAs website content and donor experience, ensuring that messaging, storytelling, and navigation support fundraising goals and organizational visibility. Data, Analytics & Development Operations • Maintain and analyze key performance indicators (KPIs) to inform strategy, track progress, and report on fundraising performance to leadership and the board., • Oversee collection of development analytics, forecasting, and KPI tracking in collaboration with the Development Database Administrator and other development staff., • Lead data-driven segmentation and pipeline development by overseeing prospect research, donor qualification, portfolio optimization, and lifecycle mapping to ensure a steady flow of new mid-level and major donor prospects. Partner with the Development Database Administrator to create predictive insights, reporting tools, and segmentation models that guide donor acquisition, retention, and upgrade strategies across all channels., • Manage consultant relationships and contracts related to fundraising, communications, digital strategy, and development data systems., • Prepare documentation and data to support the organizations annual audit. Organizational Leadership • Serve as a key member of AWLAs senior leadership team, contributing to organizational strategy, culture, and decision-making., • Champion a culture of philanthropy, collaboration, and shared purpose among staff, board members, and volunteers., • Support Board committees and strategic initiatives by preparing materials, providing timely updates, and partnering with committee chairs and the CEO to advance development priorities., • Oversee board administration and management functions within the development department to ensure timely communication, effective engagement, and smooth operations., • Perform additional duties as assigned by the President/CEO to support AWLAs mission, vision, and guiding principles. Qualifications and Competencies • Experience overseeing multi-million-dollar fundraising portfolios and driving year-over-year revenue growth across multiple channels., • Proven ability to manage a portfolio of institutional and individual donors in the five-, six-, and seven-figure range, resulting in increased giving and sustained relationships., • Demonstrated success securing major gifts ($10,000+), multi-year grants, corporate partnerships, and planned gifts, and leading diverse revenue portfolios., • Experience engaging boards of directors and fundraising committees as partners in organizational advancement., • Deep donor-centric approach to fundraising, with the ability to understand funder interests and connect them meaningfully to AWLAs mission and priorities., • Knowledge of development best practices, including donor stewardship, compliance, and data-informed strategy., • Experience developing and implementing donor pipelines across the full fundraising cycle., • Demonstrated success developing or improving cross-departmental data workflows, including collecting, analyzing, and communicating program metrics, impact data, and institutional information., • Experience establishing operational systems, processes, or infrastructure to support fundraising growth, donor stewardship, and organizational effectiveness., • Understanding basic financial processes and experience collaborating with Finance or accounting department on revenue reporting, reconciliation, budgeting, and grant-tracking., • Strong interpersonal and written communication skills, with the ability to build rapport, engage effectively in person, and communicate professionally with a wide range of stakeholders., • High emotional intelligence, cultural competency, and the ability to build authentic, productive relationships across diverse identities., • Experience working as part of multidisciplinary teams and collaborating effectively with volunteers., • Proficiency with donor CRM systems (e.g., Raisers Edge) and experience performing or leading donor data collection, analysis, and reporting., • Familiarity with Google Workspace (Docs, Gmail, Calendar) and Microsoft Office Suite; ability to learn and adapt to new technology systems., • Experience with philanthropic communities and donor networks in the greater Washington, DC region is appreciated., • Experience in animal welfare, shelter operations, or similar fields is helpful but not required., • Flexibility to support occasional evenings or weekend activities as part of planned events or organizational needs.