Chief Development Officer

INSTITUTIONAL OVERVIEW: Logan University provides health science students with a superior education grounded in evidence-informed care, clinical excellence, and a holistic approach to health and wellness. Since 1935, Logan has been a leader in chiropractic education and continues to expand academic offerings across the health sciences. Logan is entering a new phase of institutional growth, requiring a mature, scalable advancement operation to support strategic priorities, student success, and long-term financial sustainability.

POSITION SUMMARY: The Chief Development Officer (CDO) serves as the University’s senior advancement executive and is responsible for designing, leading, and executing a comprehensive, university-wide fundraising strategy capable of scaling annual philanthropic revenue from approximately $1 million to $4 million+ per year over a multi-year horizon.

This role requires a builder and strategist – a senior advancement leader with demonstrated success growing programs, infrastructure, teams, and donor pipelines in complex nonprofit or higher education environments. The CDO will lead the evolution from a primarily annual-giving-focused model to a fully integrated advancement operation encompassing major and principal gifts, annual giving, alumni engagement, corporate and foundation relations, planned giving, stewardship, and campaign readiness.

Reporting directly to the President, the CDO will serve as a key institutional partner to senior leadership and the Board of Trustees, translating Logan’s mission, vision, and strategic priorities into compelling philanthropic opportunities and sustainable revenue growth.

PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Strategic Leadership & Program Growth

• Design and implement a comprehensive advancement strategy aligned with institutional priorities and calibrated to achieve $4M+ in annual philanthropic support, including clear revenue targets, growth benchmarks, and timelines.
• Lead the transformation of Logan’s advancement program from a successful but limited annual giving model into a diversified, donor-centered fundraising enterprise.
• Establish and maintain a multi-year fundraising roadmap encompassing annual, major, principal, corporate, foundation, and planned giving.

Major & Principal Gifts:

• Personally manage a portfolio of high-capacity major and principal gift prospects, with responsibility for cultivating, soliciting, and closing six- and seven-figure commitments.
• Partner closely with the President, senior leadership, and volunteer leaders in high-level donor strategy, solicitations, and stewardship.
• Develop compelling case statements, proposals, and investment opportunities tied to Logan’s strategic plan and academic priorities.

Team Leadership & Infrastructure:

• Lead, mentor, and grow a high-performing advancement team, setting clear expectations, metrics, and accountability.
• Assess current staffing and organizational structure; recommend and implement staffing expansions and role refinements necessary to support a $4M+ operation.
• Strengthen advancement infrastructure, including policies, procedures, prospect management, moves management, and stewardship systems.
• Ensure effective use of advancement CRM systems (Raiser’s Edge preferred) and data analytics to drive performance and decision-making.

Board, Volunteer & External Engagement:

• Serve as the primary advancement liaison to the Board of Trustees and relevant committees, providing regular, data-driven reporting on fundraising performance and pipeline health.
• Recruit, engage, and support volunteer leaders, campaign cabinets, and advisory groups to expand philanthropic reach and influence.
• Represent Logan University externally with credibility and professionalism among donors, alumni, foundations, corporations, and community leaders.

Campaign & Institutional Readiness:

• Lead campaign planning and feasibility efforts, positioning Logan for future comprehensive or targeted campaigns at the $25M+ level.
• Build a strong culture of philanthropy across campus, partnering with academic and administrative leaders to align fundraising with institutional priorities.

Operational & Reporting Responsibilities:

• Develop and maintain clear performance dashboards and reporting structures for the President and Board.
• Ensure ethical fundraising practices and compliance with professional standards (AFP, CASE).
• Travel extensively (approximately 50–60%) to cultivate and steward regional and national donor relationships.

COMPETENCIES:

• Strategic and visionary leadership with a proven ability to scale fundraising operations
• Exceptional relationship-building and donor engagement skills
• Strong financial acumen and data-driven decision-making
• Outstanding written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills
• High integrity, sound judgment, and commitment to ethical fundraising

QUALIFICATIONS:

Required

• Bachelor’s degree; advanced degree preferred (Master’s, MBA, MPA, or related field).
• 12–15+ years of progressively responsible fundraising experience, preferably in higher education, healthcare, or complex nonprofit organizations.
• 8–10+ years of senior leadership experience overseeing comprehensive advancement functions.
• Demonstrated success in personally soliciting and closing six- and seven-figure gifts.
• Proven experience building & scaling advancement programs, not merely maintaining mature ones.
• Strong experience working with presidents, boards, and senior leadership.
• Proficiency with advancement CRM systems (Raiser’s Edge preferred), and the ability to leverage CRM and analytics tools to support fundraising strategy.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint)

Preferred

• CFRE certification.
• Experience planning and executing capital or comprehensive campaigns at the $25M–$100M+ level.
• Track record of growing annual fundraising revenue by multiple millions of dollars over time.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, use hands and fingers, reach with hands and arms, and talk and hear to answer phones, work on a computer, and use office equipment, reach for files, documents, pens, pencils, etc.  Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision to read and write reports and to use a computer.  Must occasionally stoop or kneel to perform filing duties.  Must occasionally lift stacks of paper and brochures weighing up to 10 pounds.

WORK ENVIRONMENT: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the individual is exposed to a typical indoor office environment.  The noise level is usually moderate.

NOTE: This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed.   The employee will be required to follow any other instructions and to perform any other duties requested by his or her supervisor.

An employee is expected to assist and provide coverage for coworkers during peak periods, vacation days, or sick days at all locations, and to work with administration in the attainment of the University’s mission and goals.