Chief Development Officer

Covenant House Missouri•St. Louis, MO

About The Position

Covenant House Missouri (CHMO) provides shelter and transformative solutions to youth aged 16-24 who are runaway, trafficked, at-risk, or experiencing homelessness, helping them build productive, independent, and sustainable lives. The Chief Development Officer (CDO) is a key leadership role responsible for driving organizational growth through strategic fundraising, partnerships, and business development. This mission-driven leader will ensure sustainable growth, deepen donor engagement, and maximize the organization's impact. Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, the CDO will align development efforts with CHMO's mission, vision, and long-term goals.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree required in Marketing, Public Relations, Business Administration, Communications, Human Services or related field
Minimum of 10 years professional experience overall, with a minimum of five years' experience in direct fundraising across many public and private channels.
Minimum of 3 years' experience managing a team of at least three staff members.
A proven track record of successfully soliciting six- and seven-figure gifts from both individuals and institutions.
Have an understanding of and appreciation for the importance of developing operations and cross-team collaboration, especially with finance and program.
Know how to support a CEO to be an effective fundraiser.
Use data to inform strategies and decisions.
Would enjoy working as a part of a federated organizational system.
Are a passionate and engaging public speaker with excellent negotiation skills.
Experience in managing cross-functional teams and scaling business or nonprofit initiatives.
LOVE fundraising!
Non-profit youth serving or housing focused leadership experience preferred.
Knowledge in mental health, trauma, substance abuse, homelessness, and the impact of poverty.
Have a valid driver's license.
Follow all agency policies
Pass State Child Abuse and Neglect and criminal background checks
Carry out the essential functions of the position with, or without, accommodation.
Perform all job duties in a manner which demonstrates a commitment to organizational values and mission.
Demonstrate awareness, understanding, and cultural competence and ethnic diversity of clients, staff and other community partners.
Demonstrated history of leading high-performing development teams with integrity, transparency, and accountability in fundraising practices.
Strong relationship management skills with donors, board members, and stakeholders.
Understands financial management, budgeting, and ROI on fundraising initiatives.
Demonstrated history of using analytics and donor data to refine fundraising strategies.
Ability to navigate changes in donor behavior, market trends, and technology.
Ability to cultivate and steward donor relationships for long-term support.
Creative approach to solving fundraising challenges.
Comfortable with digital transformation and new fundraising technologies.
Proficient in Microsoft Office, assessment tools, database systems, and Windows environment.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree preferred.
Non-profit youth serving or housing focused leadership experience preferred.

Responsibilities

Create Organizational Fundraising Strategy: Develop a detailed plan that outlines fundraising methods (events, capital campaigns, online campaigns, community appeals, major gift solicitation, stewardship, etc.), timelines, budget, resource allocation, and methods.
Set Clear Goals: Define specific, measurable financial targets including the amount to be raised, purpose, timeline, and methods in alignment with the organization's mission and needs.
Building Relationships: Establish and cultivate long-term relationships with donors, foundations, and corporate sponsors through stewardship, appreciation, and regular communication.
Engage Stakeholders: Build relationships with internal and external stakeholders, government agencies, investors, the board, staff, the media, sponsors, and community partners.
Ambassador: Represent the organization at industry conferences, networking events, and public forums. Prepare and facilitate presentations about CHMO to community groups, corporations, foundations, and civic organizations.
Identify Target Donors: Understand and segment potential donors, including individuals, corporations, foundations, and others, identifying the most likely contributors and determining strategies for approaching them.
Donor Stewardship: Develop and implement creative and customized stewardship plans for support investments, ensuring donors feel valued and appreciated. Develop donor recognition and appreciation programs.
Grant Management: Oversee research of grant opportunities, the writing of grant proposals, and reports to funders. Maintain compliance with grant requirements.
Evaluating Success: Track and report fundraising income and expenses. Analyze data to improve future fundraising strategies. Ensure transparency and compliance with legal and ethical fundraising standards.
Event Planning and Campaigns: Organize and oversee fundraising events, ensuring logistics, marketing, and volunteer involvement are solidified, and host engaging and successful events and campaigns.
Marketing and Outreach: Develop and share compelling messaging, storytelling, and promotional materials using multiple channels including local media, CHMO website, emails, social media, direct mail, annual report, impact report, and newsletters.
Strategic Leadership: Leads the creation, implementation, and continuous evaluation of all facets of the organization's development strategy, including grants, major and planned giving, online strategy, events, capital campaigns, marketing, financial management, volunteer coordination, and peer-to-peer fundraising. Expands presence and builds strategic alliances. Actively participate in quarterly CHMO Board meetings and Board committee meetings.
Make Critical Decisions: Make data-informed decisions that impact the direction, performance, and success of the organization. Allocate necessary resources to champion the implementation of the Strategic Plan and meet department objectives, KPIs, and organizational priorities.
Growth-Mindset: Identify new business opportunities for growth, partnerships, and revenue streams.
Monitor and Report: Ensure compliance of all grants; oversee the development and use of monitoring, tracking, and reporting protocols and report out on KPIs and organizational wellness metrics. Partner with programs to identify potential fund-raising activities. Ensure protocols are in place for adequate reporting to funders.
Forecast: Communicate identified needs to the Chief Executive Officer and staff, proactively problem-solve, and identify potential solutions using critical thinking skills.
Collaboration: Partners with Covenant House International to implement federation initiatives at the local level. Establishes and maintains an effective working relationship with coworkers, supervisor, and representatives of other agencies, the board, and the public. Actively participates in executive leadership meetings. Works closely with the board of directors' development committee.
Financial Oversight & Fiduciary Responsibility: Manage budget efficiently, responsibly, and sustainably. Manage requisition and approval of all expenses within areas of responsibility. Provide ongoing administrative budget analysis, monitoring, financial forecasting, expenditure review, and accountability for development expenses.
Time and Priorities: Prioritize initiatives and allocate resources to achieve key objectives while managing time effectively.
Utilization: Ensure maximum utilization of resources.
Hiring and Talent Development: Oversee the talent acquisition life cycle, including recruitment, selection, development, supervision, training, support, evaluation, retention, and offboarding. Ensure effective on-boarding of new staff. Oversee learning & development programs and initiatives.
Empower Teams & Effective Communication: Inspire, motivate, and empower teams by fostering collaboration, trust, and effective communication. Ensure clear and effective internal and external communication between all organizational departments and functions.
Conflict Resolution: Address conflicts timely to maintain a productive and harmonious work environment.
Mentorship: Provide guidance and mentorship to emerging leaders within the organization.
Transparency: Keep everyone informed about organizational goals, changes, and growth opportunities.
Succession Planning: Identify and develop internal talent for future leadership roles.
Measure Success: Monitor key performance indicators to consistently track progress and regularly analyze data, impact reports, and evaluate the development team's progress toward its goals to inform decision-making.
Accountability: Hold individuals and teams accountable for their roles and outcomes.
Critical Thinking: Analyze trends and practices of similar organizations at local and national levels and identify and propose strategies for improvement within the organization.