Chief Development Officer

Blue Star Families•Washington, DC

21h•$159,000 - $238,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Blue Star Families is the largest nonprofit dedicated to making military life better for families. Each year, we support over 1.5 million military- and veteran-connected family members through a national network of 300,000+ members and local chapters in communities across the country. Our mission is simple and bold: We make military life awesome for families. We listen, share, partner, and act to deliver evidence-based, data-driven solutions that work for real people. We’re a lifestyle organization, a friend and neighbor, and a trusted partner. Our approach is collaborative, human-centered, and designed with the whole family in mind. A Blue Star Family is one with an immediate family member — a spouse, parent, or child — actively serving in the U.S. Armed Forces, including the Guard and Reserves. These families face unique challenges, including frequent relocations, deployments, career disruptions, and isolation. We respond with research-informed programs that create connection, build resilience, and foster a true sense of belonging. We serve with urgency but build trust over time — because change happens at the speed of trust. Whether we’re driving spouse employment, supporting caregivers, or helping communities welcome military families, we strive for upstream solutions. Who We’re Looking For: Bold thinkers. Fast movers. Smart collaborators. People who want to build, lead, and drive measurable change — and who care deeply about making an impact that matters. What You’ll Do Here: Solve complex challenges with data, heart, and humility Build cross-sector partnerships that get things done Help military families feel at home wherever they live If you're ready to work in a high-performance, mission-driven environment — and to make life better for those who serve — Blue Star Families is where you belong. As a fully remote organization, we rely on scheduled in-person gatherings to foster alignment, collaboration, and organizational culture. This role requires the ability to travel out of town overnight several times per year for staff offsites, planning retreats, and company-wide events. These gatherings are essential for connection, brainstorming, and staying strategically aligned across teams. Participation is required as a core part of the role. General Description The Chief Development Officer is a senior executive responsible for building and leading the infrastructure that supports a $35M+ fundraising operation. This role is primarily focused on enterprise-level strategy and operational leadership rather than direct frontline fundraising. While the CDO serves as a key thought partner to the President, CEO, Board of Directors, and Executive Leadership Team on major donor strategy and high-level engagements, the core responsibility of the role is to design, implement, and continuously strengthen the systems, structures, and capabilities that enable a high-performing development function. The ideal candidate is a systems-oriented leader and organizational builder who excels in creating operational clarity, scalable processes, and data-informed decision-making frameworks. They bring a strong focus on executional excellence, pipeline discipline, and cross-functional alignment. This leader will oversee a comprehensive Development function that includes major and principal gifts, capital campaigns, corporate and foundation partnerships, direct marketing, planned giving and endowment, donor operations, and stewardship. They ensure each area operates with clear goals, defined accountability, and consistent performance measurement aligned to organizational priorities. The Chief Development Officer must be able to travel overnight several times per year to attend leadership retreats, staff off-sites, and organization-wide events. Participation in these gatherings is an essential function of the role. The Chief Development Officer must reside in Washington D.C. Metro area.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in nonprofit management, business administration, or a related field; advanced degree preferred.
12+ years of progressive nonprofit development, with at least 5 years in a senior leadership role overseeing a multi-channel fundraising operation
Demonstrated track record of building or rebuilding development infrastructure — systems, processes, reporting, and team structure — in an organization of $25M+ in annual revenue excluding government funds.
Deep expertise in CRM administration and development operations (Salesforce NPC), including data governance, gift coding, and reporting architecture.
Direct experience leading or supporting comprehensive or capital campaigns ($25M+), with mastery of campaign mechanics: gift-range charts, pipeline staging, pledge accounting, and campaign reporting.
Demonstrated experience overseeing a direct marketing or direct response program at scale, including multi-channel acquisition, renewal, mid-level upgrade strategy, list and audience management, testing discipline, and agency/vendor oversight.
Proven success managing and developing high-performing teams of 8+ professionals, including senior individual contributors and people-managers.
Strong financial acumen, including experience partnering with a CFO on revenue forecasting, restricted-fund tracking, and audit preparation.
Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to translate complex data into clear executive- and Board-level narratives.
Willingness and ability to work nights, weekends, or holidays as required.
Ability to travel overnight several times per year for required in-person gatherings.

Nice To Haves

Direct experience serving military, Veteran, or military-family-focused organizations, or lived experience as a member of the military community.
CFRE, ACFRE, or equivalent professional credential.
Comfort and confidence in high-visibility, external-facing roles.

Responsibilities

Design and lead the structure of the Development department, ensuring appropriate roles, spans of control, reporting lines, and performance metrics are in place to support a $35M+ revenue base and long-term growth trajectory.
Develop and own the multi-year development strategy, translating organizational priorities into annual revenue goals, channel-specific targets, staffing models, and operating budgets.
Serve as a member of the Executive Leadership Team, providing senior-level expertise on philanthropy, advancement operations, and revenue strategy; partner closely with the CFO on revenue forecasting, gift accounting, and audit readiness.
Establish and sustain a culture of accountability and high performance through clear role design, defined performance expectations, standardized scorecards, regular pipeline reviews, and structured coaching.
Lead the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of core Development processes, including moves management, prospect identification and qualification, proposal development, grant submission and reporting, gift entry and acknowledgment, pledge management, and donor stewardship workflows.
Own and optimize the Development technology ecosystem (e.g., Salesforce CRM, prospect research and wealth screening tools, marketing automation, and grants management systems), ensuring integration, configuration integrity, and reliable data output.
Establish and enforce data governance standards across constituent records, gift coding, campaign and appeal tracking, restriction designations, and pipeline stages to ensure accuracy and consistency in all reporting.
Develop and maintain a standardized reporting cadence, including weekly pipeline reports, monthly KPI and revenue dashboards, quarterly Board reports, and annual fundraising performance reviews.
Define and document policies and standard operating procedures for gift acceptance, naming and recognition, donor privacy, conflicts of interest, and ethical fundraising practices in alignment with AFP, CASE, and DMA standards.
Oversee team leadership and infrastructure for Major & Principal Gifts, ensuring disciplined moves management, portfolio design, solicitation readiness, and pipeline health. Support the President and Board with briefings and structured engagement strategies.
Lead the operational framework for current and future Capital Campaigns, including case development, feasibility study coordination, gift range modeling, pledge tracking, campaign reporting, and post-campaign stewardship.
Oversee Institutional Giving systems, including grants calendars, proposal workflows, compliance tracking, renewal cycles, and coordination with Programs and Finance for alignment on outcomes and budgets.
Oversee multi-channel Direct Marketing strategy, including donor acquisition, retention, reactivation, and upgrade pathways across email, direct mail, digital advertising, telemarketing, SMS, and peer-to-peer channels. Ensure rigorous segmentation, testing frameworks, vendor management, and performance-based ROI analysis to inform investment strategy.
Build and manage infrastructure for Planned Giving & Endowment, including marketing systems, stewardship programs, gift administration processes, and coordination with Finance on endowment policy and gift acceptance.
Ensure data-driven segmentation, integrated multi-channel execution, and a clear progression from acquisition through retention and upgrade in close coordination with Direct Marketing for the Annual Fund & Mid-Level Giving.
Directly manage senior Development leaders across Major Gifts, Institutional Giving, Capital Campaigns, Direct Marketing, Donor Operations, and Stewardship & Events, serving as coach, performance manager, and escalation point.
Build and strengthen the Development talent pipeline through workforce planning, role design, compensation benchmarking, recruitment, onboarding, and ongoing professional development in partnership with Human Resources.
Foster strong cross-functional collaboration with Programs, Marketing & Communications, Finance, and Tech to ensure integrated execution and alignment across the organization.
Serve as a strategic advisor to the President on fundraising strategy, donor portfolio design, and high-priority external engagements.
Staff the Board Development or Advancement Committee, providing strategic insight, performance reporting, and decision-support materials; support Board member engagement and onboarding related to fundraising capacity.
Represent the organization externally in select donor meetings, partner engagements, and sector convenings, primarily in a supporting and enabling capacity to frontline fundraising staff rather than as the primary relationship owner.
Other duties as assigned