Chief Development Officer

COLLEGE NOW GREATER CLEVELAND•Cleveland, OH

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

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.

Requirements

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

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree preferred.

Responsibilities

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