Chief Development Officer, Galvanize USA/Action

Galvanize USA • Seattle, WA

3d • $215,000 - $260,000 • Remote

About The Position

The Chief Development Officer (CDO) oversees fundraising for Galvanize USA and Galvanize Action and provides strategic leadership for planning, implementation, evaluation, integration, and administration of development activities. As the senior revenue leader, the CDO owns a multi-year revenue strategy tied to a $44.1 million 2027 goal and a campaign arc through 2030. The CDO reports to the Executive Director, serves on the Senior Leadership Team, and oversees a growing development team of five across leadership and operations, institutional giving, and individual giving.

The CDO leads efforts to advance philanthropy and donor understanding of and engagement with the organizations’ programs and priorities. Working with the Executive Director, senior colleagues, development directors, and the Advisory Board, the CDO guides relationships with current and prospective funders from identification and cultivation through solicitation and stewardship. The role is a strategic partner to the Executive Director, including optimizing the Executive Director’s participation in high-potential fundraising initiatives and serving as the Executive Director’s proxy when appropriate.

The CDO will foster a positive, abundance-minded fundraising culture across the organization, promote donor stewardship as an organization-wide priority, and continuously assess and improve development programs, systems, and processes. The role includes managing a comprehensive giving program, leading staff and organizational change, maintaining strong compliance across 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) fundraising, and ensuring data-informed operations and reporting.

The position also works part-time on Galvanize Action, a coordinated project of the Sixteen Thirty Fund, under a resource-sharing agreement between the Hopewell Fund and Sixteen Thirty Fund. Responsibilities for that work are overseen by the Sixteen Thirty Fund. The position requires national travel as needed, including time in Seattle, Washington, particularly during the early stages of the CDO’s tenure. Seattle-based candidates are preferred.

The starting salary range is $215,000–$260,000, with placement based on relevant experience and skills. Galvanize USA is a nonpartisan organization focused on reaching and engaging women through culture, storytelling, and media, with the aim of supporting their fuller participation in civic life.

Requirements

• Ten or more years of nonprofit fundraising experience, with increasing responsibility for development strategy, programs, and systems and a record of increasing philanthropic revenue.
• Experience leading a fundraising program of $25 million or more.
• Experience personally cultivating, soliciting, and closing five- and six-figure major gifts and six- and seven-figure commitments from large institutional funders.
• Experience building and growing mid-tier and annual fund programs.
• Fluency in 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) fundraising and related compliance, with working knowledge of political fundraising rules.
• Experience in either alternative funding sources for 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) work, such as program-related investments, recoverable grants, and social impact investing, or at least two years working in political fundraising.
• Five or more years managing development professionals, including developing emerging talent and growing directors into senior leaders.
• Ability to recruit, lead, evaluate, and develop staff and contribute to a results-oriented, multiracial and multicultural workforce.
• Track record of maintaining best practices, clear goals, shared accountability, and cross-departmental collaboration; experience managing budgets and revenue forecasts.
• Change-management experience and demonstrated ability to build an organization-wide culture of philanthropy.
• Broad knowledge of development functions, including individual, institutional, major, and annual giving; digital fundraising; stewardship; and operations, with adherence to fundraising ethics and best practices.
• Success developing cases for support and strategic, innovative fundraising plans and executing them to achieve goals.
• Experience collaborating with executives, senior staff, and board or volunteer leaders on development activities, providing support and intelligence and strengthening their fundraising effectiveness.
• Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in development; cultural competence on racial, cultural, religious, sexual, and gender identity; and ability to deliver solutions in evolving, multicultural environments.
• Track record of using new methods of constituent engagement and connectivity.
• Working knowledge of modern data management practices and innovations to streamline development, inform decisions and strategy, and integrate related functions.
• Computer proficiency with Google Suite, MS Office, NGP VAN/EveryAction, Slack, and Asana, or ability to learn them independently and quickly.
• Must be authorized to work in the United States; visa sponsorship is not available.
• Commitment to the mission of unlocking the power of women to advance progress for all; passion for politics and current events; strong grasp of electoral and policy processes and the current political landscape; and ability to engage knowledgeable donors on these topics.
• Commitment to understanding systemic oppression related to race, class, gender, and other equity issues, and to unlearning those habits as part of individual and collective work.
• Unimpeachable integrity, mature judgment with sensitive information, commitment to personal and professional development, and a mission-focused approach.
• Relational approach to development that engages supporters as partners in achieving the mission.
• Emotional intelligence and ability to build impactful relationships with diverse stakeholders, using servant leadership, respect, diplomacy, equity, inclusivity, and accountability.
• Adaptive leadership style and willingness to lead by example.
• Entrepreneurial self-starter with strong organization, planning, attention to detail, excellence, and accountability.
• Ability to thrive in startup and remote environments, adapt to changing circumstances, take calculated risks, and use clear structure, documentation, and processes.
• Positive, solutions-focused approach; ability to meet setbacks with a plan and keep the team focused.
• Ability to manage up, keep the Executive Director informed, bring recommendations, flag risks with options, request needed support, and make donor time effective.
• Resilience under external and internal pressure, including political shifts, donor fatigue, declined asks, competing priorities, evolving programming, and leadership expectations.
• Growth mindset, openness to feedback, willingness to learn from campaigns and difficult conversations, and ability to foster a safe environment for experimentation and improvement.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, a good sense of humor, and the presence to serve as a compelling public-facing ambassador.
• Ability to travel nationally as needed, including spending time in Seattle, Washington, while working closely with the Executive Director, especially early in the tenure.

Nice To Haves

• Candidates based in Seattle are preferred.

Responsibilities

• Set and own a multi-year revenue strategy across Galvanize USA and Galvanize Action, tied to the $44.1 million 2027 goal and the campaign arc through 2030.
• Develop, implement, and maintain fundraising plans with the Executive Director, Senior Leadership Team, development directors, and Advisory Board; identify and refine giving priorities.
• Participate as a full member of the Senior Leadership Team in short-, medium-, and long-term strategic assessment and planning.
• Support the Executive Director in maintaining an Advisory Board positioned to advance the organizations’ vision and aspirations.
• Personally cultivate, solicit, and close six-figure and larger gifts; manage a portfolio of high-capacity individual and institutional prospects through cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
• Prepare strategies for the Executive Director’s top donor meetings and manage the partnership to steward the Executive Director’s portfolio and prepare outreach to new funders.
• Coordinate senior staff, Advisory Board, and other stakeholders’ involvement in cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding high-impact gifts; prioritize their roles and provide strategic communications, briefings, talking points, reports, and other materials.
• Oversee impactful presentations and briefings for funders and donor events.
• Oversee development-focused special events as appropriate, ensuring their value to attendees and alignment with engagement, stewardship, or major-gift strategies.
• Equip organizational champions to serve as effective ambassadors for Galvanize USA and Galvanize Action.
• Partner with the Director of Institutional Giving to identify and secure new institutional funders and support large, multi-year, and nontraditional commitments, including program-related investments, pooled funds, recoverable grants, and social impact investing.
• Maintain current knowledge of regional and national funding environments and relevant opportunities.
• Run an integrated giving program across principal, major, mid-tier, and annual fund giving, with clear moves management and upgrade paths.
• Build and grow mid-tier and annual fund programs; model effective prospect strategy, approaches, transparency, and collaboration.
• Lead fundraising across 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) entities with sound compliance judgment and guide donors through transitions between affiliated entities.
• Interpret donor sentiment and share it with the Executive Director to inform programming decisions.
• Translate organizational strategy, research, and programming into effective, politically relevant donor-facing messages.
• Collaborate with communications, strategy and impact, and digital media leaders on compelling donor-facing materials and products, and strategically use communication channels to support fundraising goals.
• Oversee hiring, training, management, mentoring, evaluation, and professional development of a diverse development team; coach emerging talent and develop directors into senior leaders.
• Set team and individual goals, establish clear expectations and accountability, monitor progress, and provide consistent feedback through equitable, inclusive, and transparent structures.
• Lead organizational change and build shared ownership of fundraising among staff, leadership, and the Advisory Board.
• Promote organization-wide donor stewardship and cross-departmental collaboration.
• Ensure the development team uses CRM data, portfolio systems, and manuals to operate consistently and measurably.
• Oversee development budgets, projections, management controls, policies, and procedures, ensuring sound fiscal management and efficient resource allocation; benchmark against peer institutions.
• Prepare transparent reports, analyses, and visualizations on development activities for the Executive Director, Senior Leadership Team, stakeholders, and potential funders.
• Work with the Chief Operating Officer to establish and monitor fundraising benchmarks and forecasts.
• Complete timesheets and perform other duties as needed.

Benefits

• 100% employer-paid health, dental, and vision insurance for employees and their families.
• 401(k) retirement plan with a 3% automatic employer contribution and up to a 3% employer match on employee contributions.
• Pre-tax transportation benefits.
• 120 hours of vacation annually.
• 80 hours of health leave annually.
• Up to 2 days of casual leave annually.
• 20 hours of volunteer leave annually.
• 13 paid holidays annually.
• 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave after 90 days of employment.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive
• Education Level: No Education Listed