Chief Development Officer

An established leader in the Northeast Ohio civic landscape, College Now has been changing the lives of students in our region since 1967. We do this by providing college and career access advising, financial aid counseling, and scholarship and retention services to students from middle school through adulthood. An individual filling this position can expect to have an impact on Northeast Ohio, students, and families.

When you work for College Now, you are part of an innovative and visionary team, committed to College Now's mission, vision, and values as we are committed to creating a collaborative workplace for team members. Offering superior benefits, ample opportunities for professional growth and development, and the chance to make an impact on the community, College Now is where careers are made and grown.

Position Title: Chief Development Officer
Status: Full-Time, Exempt
Work Schedule: College Now follows a 40-hour work week for full-time positions. The standard schedule consists of an 8-hour workday between 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Exempt employees may be required to work additional hours as needed to fulfill the responsibilities of the role.
Location: Varied; Hybrid-3 days in office each week, 2 days remote each week; this may change based on business needs.
Reports To: Chief Executive Officer
Salary Range:  Between $135,000 - $175,000, dependent on relevant experience
Assigned To: Development

Position Summary:

The Chief Development Officer (CDO) serves as the senior leader responsible for generating philanthropic revenue to support College Now’s mission and strategic growth. Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), the CDO designs and executes a comprehensive fundraising strategy encompassing individuals, corporate, foundation and government funders. The CDO leads and develops a high-performing development team of six professionals, fostering collaboration, accountability, and a culture of philanthropy across the organization.

The CDO is accountable for achieving an approximately $15 million annual revenue goal, building and stewarding a strong donor pipeline; and fostering a culture of philanthropy by partnering closely with the CEO and Board of Directors to expand philanthropic investment to advance the organization’s impact.

Essential Functions:

Initiation, Planning:

• Develop a comprehensive, multi-year fundraising strategy aligned with organizational goals, including establishing revenue targets, key performance indicators, and fundraising benchmarks.
• Identify new revenue opportunities, including major gifts, institutional funding, and strategic partnerships.
• Partner with executive leadership to align fundraising priorities with programmatic and organizational strategy.

Revenue Generation and Fundraising Execution:

• Implement a comprehensive fundraising strategy, with direct leadership of major and planned gifts, and oversight of corporate, foundation, and grant funding pipelines.
• Build and manage a robust donor pipeline across all stages of engagement, driving cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies.
• Oversee and provide strategic direction for all fundraising initiatives, including annual giving, donor engagement events (e.g., benefits, receptions, and cultivation activities), and special campaigns (such as capital, programmatic, endowment, or comprehensive campaigns), ensuring alignment with organizational priorities and coordinating internal and external resources as needed.
• Achieve annual fundraising revenue goals, driving year-over-year growth in philanthropic support, and develop and maintain accurate forecasts to inform organizational planning and decision-making.
• Represent College Now in the community, with donors, and at events to advance fundraising efforts.

Board and Executive Engagement:

• Partner with the CEO and Board of Directors to advance fundraising strategy and donor engagement.
• Serve as staff lead for the Board-led Development and Governance Committees and support other Board-related efforts as needed.

Development Operations:

• Oversee development operations, including donor database management, gift processing, and reporting systems.
• Ensure accuracy, integrity, and compliance across all fundraising activities, including donor and grant requirements.
• Collaborate with Finance and Program departments to align financial reporting, budgeting, and grant administration.
• Develop and maintain dashboards and performance tracking tools to monitor progress against fundraising goals.
• Apply donor and campaign data to inform strategy, segmentation, and performance improvement, including evaluation of return on investment (ROI) for fundraising initiatives.
• Monitor trends and best practices in philanthropy to inform strategy and enhance organizational effectiveness.
• Ensure development practices comply with grant agreements and donor expectations.

Budgeting:

• Develop and manage the Development department budget.
• Partner with Finance and Executive Leadership Team to develop annual revenue budget and monitor throughout the year.

Leadership and Development of Staff:

• Lead and develop the development team to achieve revenue goals, fostering professional growth and leadership capacity.
• Establish clear performance expectations, metrics, and accountability to drive fundraising outcomes.

Additional Responsibilities:

• Other duties as assigned.

Must-Have Skills:

• Proven ability to develop and execute successful fundraising strategies.
• Demonstrated success in securing and closing major gifts.
• Strategic thinking with a results-oriented and data-driven approach.
• Strong relationship-building and donor engagement skills.
• Excellent communication and leadership skills.
• Strong technology skills to drive operational innovation and efficiency.

Must-Have Technical Skills:

• Experience with fundraising databases (Raiser’s Edge preferred).
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and donor communication platforms.
• Knowledge of regional, state, and national philanthropic landscape.

Previous Work Experience:

• Minimum of seven (7) years of nonprofit fundraising experience with demonstrated success in revenue generation.
• Experience managing major gift portfolios and achieving significant fundraising goals.
• Prior leadership experience managing development teams.

Education Requirement:

• Bachelor’s degree required; master’s degree preferred.

Disclaimer: "Nothing in this position description restricts management's right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time."