The Role
Provides executive leadership for integrated fundraising, marketing, communications, brand management, corporate partnerships, and donor engagement. Leads a 10-person team, advises the CEO and board, drives multimillion-dollar philanthropic revenue growth, cultivates major donors and strategic partnerships, oversees national brand and communications strategy, and advances digital innovation, analytics, budgeting, and organizational performance.
Summary Generated by Built In
Reports to: President & Chief Executive Officer
Team: 10 experienced development, marketing, and communications professionals, including 3 direct reports
Location: Woodbridge, VA (Hybrid)
Summary
The Armed Services YMCA (ASYMCA) seeks a visionary, innovative, and people-centered Chief Marketing & Development Officer (CMDO) to lead the next chapter of an extraordinary growth story.
As a key member of the national Senior Leadership Team, the CMDO provides executive leadership for the organization's integrated fundraising, marketing, communications, brand management, corporate partnerships, and donor engagement strategies. This executive is responsible for expanding philanthropic revenue, elevating national visibility, strengthening stakeholder relationships, and advancing organizational growth in support of military families.
Since 2020, ASYMCA's annual philanthropic revenue has grown from approximately $3 million to a projected $11 million in 2026, with an ambitious goal of $12 million in 2027. This remarkable trajectory reflects strategic investments in talent, infrastructure, technology, and diversified fundraising capabilities.
The next CMDO will inherit a high-performing team of 10 skilled and tenured professionals, including three direct reports, and an established platform for continued growth.
The ideal candidate is both a visionary strategist and an exceptional people leader: someone with the experience and entrepreneurial mindset to identify new opportunities, inspire talented professionals, and translate ambitious goals into sustainable results.
Reporting directly to the President and CEO, the CMDO will serve as a strategic advisor to the CEO and National Board of Directors, helping to shape the organization's long-term growth, financial sustainability, and national impact.
Essential Responsibilities
Strategic & Executive Leadership
Required
Visionary and Strategic: Sees possibilities beyond current performance, articulates an inspiring vision, and translates big ideas into actionable plans.
Exceptional People Leader: Leads with emotional intelligence, authenticity, trust, and a genuine commitment to developing others. Creates an environment in which talented professionals thrive.
Growth-Oriented and Entrepreneurial: Continuously identifies opportunities to innovate, diversify revenue, expand partnerships, and increase mission impact.
Results-Driven: Brings a demonstrated record of achievement and understands how to establish accountability without sacrificing collaboration or creativity.
Collaborative and Influential: Builds credibility and productive relationships across organizational boundaries, inspiring alignment around shared goals.
Financially and Analytically Astute: Uses data, financial insight, and disciplined resource management to guide strategy and decision-making.
Innovative and Adaptable: Embraces change, emerging technologies, and new approaches that strengthen organizational capabilities.
Mission-Driven: Demonstrates genuine passion for supporting military service members and families and a commitment to the highest standards of ethical leadership.
Measures of Success
The successful CMDO will:
The Armed Services YMCA offers a rare opportunity to join a nationally respected, mission-driven organization with a 165-year legacy of serving America's military families.
With philanthropic revenue projected to reach $11 million in 2026, an exceptionally capable team, and a growing platform for innovation and strategic partnerships, the next CMDO will be positioned to lead an organization with considerable momentum and even greater potential.
The foundation is strong. The momentum is real. The opportunity to shape what comes next is extraordinary.
Team: 10 experienced development, marketing, and communications professionals, including 3 direct reports
Location: Woodbridge, VA (Hybrid)
Summary
The Armed Services YMCA (ASYMCA) seeks a visionary, innovative, and people-centered Chief Marketing & Development Officer (CMDO) to lead the next chapter of an extraordinary growth story.
As a key member of the national Senior Leadership Team, the CMDO provides executive leadership for the organization's integrated fundraising, marketing, communications, brand management, corporate partnerships, and donor engagement strategies. This executive is responsible for expanding philanthropic revenue, elevating national visibility, strengthening stakeholder relationships, and advancing organizational growth in support of military families.
Since 2020, ASYMCA's annual philanthropic revenue has grown from approximately $3 million to a projected $11 million in 2026, with an ambitious goal of $12 million in 2027. This remarkable trajectory reflects strategic investments in talent, infrastructure, technology, and diversified fundraising capabilities.
The next CMDO will inherit a high-performing team of 10 skilled and tenured professionals, including three direct reports, and an established platform for continued growth.
The ideal candidate is both a visionary strategist and an exceptional people leader: someone with the experience and entrepreneurial mindset to identify new opportunities, inspire talented professionals, and translate ambitious goals into sustainable results.
Reporting directly to the President and CEO, the CMDO will serve as a strategic advisor to the CEO and National Board of Directors, helping to shape the organization's long-term growth, financial sustainability, and national impact.
Essential Responsibilities
Strategic & Executive Leadership
- Establish and champion a compelling, forward-looking vision for the continued growth of ASYMCA's philanthropic revenue, national brand, and mission impact.
- Develop and execute integrated national fundraising, marketing, and communications strategies aligned with the organization's strategic plan and priorities established by the National Board of Directors.
- Lead the organization's efforts to achieve its $12 million philanthropic revenue goal in 2027 while establishing a sustainable trajectory for growth beyond that milestone.
- Serve as a trusted strategic advisor to the CEO and Board on philanthropic trends, market opportunities, brand positioning, stakeholder engagement, and long-term revenue diversification.
- Establish annual and multiyear strategic goals, performance metrics, revenue targets, and investment priorities.
- Identify transformational growth opportunities and champion innovative approaches to expanding the organization's reach, relevance, and financial sustainability.
- Serve as a collaborative member of the Senior Leadership Team, contributing to enterprise-wide strategy, organizational performance, and mission advancement.
- Provide strategic leadership and executive oversight of a comprehensive, diversified national fundraising operation, including major gifts, corporate sponsorships and partnerships, foundation and institutional grants, planned giving, annual giving, direct response, special events, and digital fundraising.
- Personally cultivate, solicit, and steward high-value philanthropic relationships and transformational gift opportunities.
- Develop innovative strategies to expand and diversify revenue streams, strengthen donor acquisition and retention, and increase donor lifetime value.
- Cultivate strategic partnerships with corporations, foundations, individual philanthropists, and other stakeholders aligned with the organization's mission.
- Partner with the CEO, National Board, and senior leaders to engage major donors, secure significant philanthropic commitments, and advance strategic opportunities.
- Strengthen collaboration with local branches to expand fundraising capacity, identify shared opportunities, and support mission-aligned growth across the enterprise.
- Apply disciplined forecasting, analytics, and performance management to ensure fundraising effectiveness and long-term sustainability.
- Serve as the organization's chief brand steward, ensuring consistent positioning, messaging, and adherence to national brand standards.
- Establish and lead a comprehensive national marketing and communications strategy that strengthens ASYMCA's reputation, increases awareness, and supports philanthropic revenue generation.
- Oversee public relations, media relations, digital marketing, social media, content strategy, website management, and integrated communications.
- Develop sophisticated, audience-driven campaigns that combine compelling storytelling with measurable engagement, donor acquisition, and revenue outcomes.
- Position ASYMCA as a trusted national voice on the challenges facing military families and the solutions that address them.
- Oversee executive communications, crisis communications, and organizational reputation management.
- Strengthen internal communications and brand alignment across national headquarters and local branches.
- Ensure close strategic integration between marketing, communications, and fundraising functions to maximize organizational impact and return on investment.
- Champion innovative uses of technology, automation, artificial intelligence, and digital tools to increase organizational effectiveness and support continued growth.
- Oversee the strategic optimization of CRM systems, marketing automation platforms, donor analytics, and digital engagement capabilities.
- Establish and leverage meaningful dashboards, performance indicators, and data-informed decision-making practices.
- Identify emerging trends and technologies that create opportunities to improve donor experiences, marketing effectiveness, fundraising productivity, and organizational efficiency.
- Foster a culture of innovation that encourages experimentation, learning, and continuous improvement.
- Lead, inspire, and develop a high-performing multidisciplinary team of 10 experienced development, marketing, and communications professionals, including three direct reports.
- Create an empowering, collaborative environment that values expertise, encourages creativity, and fosters mutual trust and accountability.
- Provide clear strategic direction while empowering talented professionals to lead within their areas of expertise.
- Recruit, mentor, develop, and retain exceptional talent while supporting leadership development and succession planning.
- Establish meaningful goals, performance expectations, and professional development opportunities.
- Foster a culture of innovation, transparency, collaboration, and shared accountability for results.
- Build strong, productive relationships with colleagues across the organization, particularly branch leadership and other functional departments.
- Oversee departmental budgets, resource allocation, revenue forecasting, and financial performance.
- Evaluate the effectiveness of fundraising and marketing investments through measurable outcomes and return-on-investment analysis.
- Ensure appropriate financial discipline, operational efficiency, and accountability across departmental functions.
- Advocate for strategic investments in people, systems, and capabilities necessary to sustain long-term organizational growth.
Required
- Bachelor's degree in a related field and a minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible leadership experience in fundraising, marketing, communications, nonprofit advancement, or related fields; an equivalent combination of education and relevant executive experience will be considered.
- Demonstrated success leading multimillion-dollar fundraising programs and achieving substantial, measurable philanthropic revenue growth.
- Proven ability to develop and implement ambitious growth strategies while maintaining operational and financial discipline.
- Exceptional people leadership skills, with a demonstrated record of building, inspiring, developing, and retaining high-performing professional teams.
- Significant experience cultivating major donors, developing strategic partnerships, and securing substantial philanthropic commitments.
- Strong understanding of integrated marketing, communications, brand strategy, and their relationship to fundraising effectiveness.
- Experience developing and managing complex budgets, revenue forecasts, and performance metrics.
- Excellent executive communication, relationship-building, negotiation, and presentation skills.
- Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively with governing boards, senior executives, colleagues, and external stakeholders.
- Experience leading integrated development, marketing, and communications functions within a national nonprofit or similarly complex organization.
- Demonstrated success scaling philanthropic revenue and organizational capabilities during periods of significant growth.
- Experience working within geographically dispersed, federated, chapter-based, or membership organizations.
- Familiarity with military and veteran communities or mission-driven organizations serving military families.
- Experience applying advanced analytics, CRM technology, marketing automation, and emerging digital tools to achieve measurable results.
Visionary and Strategic: Sees possibilities beyond current performance, articulates an inspiring vision, and translates big ideas into actionable plans.
Exceptional People Leader: Leads with emotional intelligence, authenticity, trust, and a genuine commitment to developing others. Creates an environment in which talented professionals thrive.
Growth-Oriented and Entrepreneurial: Continuously identifies opportunities to innovate, diversify revenue, expand partnerships, and increase mission impact.
Results-Driven: Brings a demonstrated record of achievement and understands how to establish accountability without sacrificing collaboration or creativity.
Collaborative and Influential: Builds credibility and productive relationships across organizational boundaries, inspiring alignment around shared goals.
Financially and Analytically Astute: Uses data, financial insight, and disciplined resource management to guide strategy and decision-making.
Innovative and Adaptable: Embraces change, emerging technologies, and new approaches that strengthen organizational capabilities.
Mission-Driven: Demonstrates genuine passion for supporting military service members and families and a commitment to the highest standards of ethical leadership.
Measures of Success
The successful CMDO will:
- Sustain and accelerate ASYMCA's philanthropic revenue growth, advancing the $12 million goal in 2027 and developing a compelling strategy for continued expansion.
- Strengthen and diversify the organization's national donor and corporate partnership portfolio.
- Inspire, develop, and retain a highly capable and engaged team.
- Expand ASYMCA's national brand recognition, stakeholder engagement, and strategic visibility.
- Increase the effectiveness of integrated fundraising and marketing programs.
- Strengthen collaboration between national headquarters and local branches.
- Improve organizational effectiveness through innovation, technology, and data-driven performance management.
- Position the organization for sustained philanthropic growth and expanded impact for America's military families.
The Armed Services YMCA offers a rare opportunity to join a nationally respected, mission-driven organization with a 165-year legacy of serving America's military families.
With philanthropic revenue projected to reach $11 million in 2026, an exceptionally capable team, and a growing platform for innovation and strategic partnerships, the next CMDO will be positioned to lead an organization with considerable momentum and even greater potential.
The foundation is strong. The momentum is real. The opportunity to shape what comes next is extraordinary.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in a related field or equivalent education and relevant executive experience
- At least 10 years of progressively responsible leadership experience in fundraising, marketing, communications, nonprofit advancement, or related fields
- Success leading multimillion-dollar fundraising programs and achieving measurable philanthropic revenue growth
- Experience developing and implementing ambitious growth strategies with operational and financial discipline
- Exceptional people leadership experience building, inspiring, developing, and retaining high-performing teams
- Experience cultivating major donors, developing strategic partnerships, and securing substantial philanthropic commitments
- Strong understanding of integrated marketing, communications, brand strategy, and fundraising effectiveness
- Experience managing complex budgets, revenue forecasts, and performance metrics
- Excellent executive communication, relationship-building, negotiation, and presentation skills
- Ability to collaborate with governing boards, senior executives, colleagues, and external stakeholders
- Experience leading integrated development, marketing, and communications functions within a national nonprofit or similarly complex organization
- Success scaling philanthropic revenue and organizational capabilities during significant growth
- Experience working within geographically dispersed, federated, chapter-based, or membership organizations
- Familiarity with military and veteran communities or organizations serving military families
- Experience applying advanced analytics, CRM technology, marketing automation, and emerging digital tools
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The Company
What We Do
The Armed Services YMCA (ASYMCA) is a charity dedicated to serving active duty junior enlisted military service members and their families, providing support and services to enhance military life and increase resilience.
