Fundraising leadership • Employer template
Recruit a development executive with a clear mandate
A nonprofit chief development officer leads fundraising strategy, donor relationships, development operations, and the team responsible for resource development. The job description should explain the mission, funding model, leadership authority, existing support, and expectations for the CEO and board.
Use this adaptable CDO template to describe the role you actually need. It preserves the central responsibilities of fundraising leadership while adding a funding-context worksheet, interview prompts, and publication checks. Replace every bracketed field before advertising an opening and separate the organization’s aspirations from resources already committed.
Give candidates the fundraising context
“Grow fundraising” is not enough information for a senior candidate to assess an opportunity. Explain the organization’s current revenue mix, the work the development team already performs, and the reason for this hire. A role focused on building an early development function differs from one responsible for an established major-gifts program or a planned campaign.
Describe which relationships the CEO and board will help cultivate and how program leaders contribute to proposals, reporting, and donor communication. If an organization wants a stronger fundraising program, the posting should show its willingness to support the work. Avoid presenting the CDO as someone who arrives with a transferable list of donors or can solve an undefined revenue gap independently.
| Context | Information to prepare | Why candidates need it |
|---|---|---|
| Funding model | Relevant individual giving, grants, corporate support, events, and other revenue sources. | Shows which development experience is central to the role. |
| People and systems | Staff, external partners, donor records, reporting, and available budget. | Explains the function’s current capacity. |
| Leadership partnership | CEO involvement, board responsibilities, and decision authority. | Makes fundraising a supported organizational effort. |
| Initial priorities | A focused set of improvements or outcomes and the assumptions behind them. | Gives candidates a realistic leadership mandate. |
Sample job description
Nonprofit chief development officer template
- Organization
- [Organization name and mission]
- Position
- Chief Development Officer
- Reports to
- [CEO, executive director, or actual supervisor]
- Location and schedule
- [City, state, work arrangement, schedule, and travel expectations]
- Compensation and benefits
- [Approved salary range and benefits summary]
- Team and resources
- [Direct reports, development budget, systems, and outside support]
About our organization
[Organization name] advances [mission] through [programs, services, or other activities]. We work with [communities or participants] in [geographic area] and are supported by [relevant funding sources and partnerships]. Our next stage includes [brief, accurate organizational context]. We seek a development leader who can connect donor engagement and fundraising practice to sustainable mission delivery.
Position summary
The chief development officer leads the organization’s resource development strategy and development function. Reporting to [title], the CDO partners with the chief executive, board, program leaders, and finance colleagues to establish realistic plans, build relationships, and communicate funding priorities. The position oversees [actual development functions] and leads [team structure].
The CDO combines strategic leadership with [describe personal donor engagement, proposal development, or other hands-on responsibilities]. The role supports ethical fundraising, reliable operations, thoughtful stewardship, and clear communication about progress and challenges. Initial priorities include [priority one], [priority two], and [priority three].
Fundraising strategy and planning
- Develop a resource development plan aligned with organizational priorities, funding needs, and available capacity.
- Assess the current funding mix and identify appropriate opportunities to strengthen relationships and diversify support.
- Establish fundraising objectives, planning assumptions, responsibilities, and a regular review process with leadership.
- Coordinate annual, multiyear, and campaign planning where those activities are relevant to the organization.
- Prepare clear updates for the CEO and board that distinguish activity, commitments, received funds, and emerging risks.
Donor engagement, major gifts, and stewardship
- Develop and maintain a thoughtful approach to identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding donor relationships.
- Manage an appropriate personal portfolio or other direct relationship responsibilities as defined for the role.
- Partner with the CEO and board on donor engagement, preparing them with relevant information and clear next steps.
- Work with program and finance leaders on accurate proposals and commitments that reflect organizational priorities.
- Oversee timely acknowledgments, donor communication, recognition, and relationship follow-through.
Grants, corporate support, and development channels
- Oversee grant planning, proposal coordination, and development-related reporting where these responsibilities sit within the function.
- Build productive relationships with foundations, corporate supporters, and other funding partners relevant to the organization.
- Coordinate annual giving, events, planned giving, or other channels that are part of the approved strategy.
- Evaluate the staff time, costs, and operating needs associated with development activities before adding new initiatives.
- Maintain clear coordination between fundraising promises, program delivery, and finance reporting.
Development team leadership and infrastructure
- Lead and coach development staff through clear responsibilities, feedback, professional development, and achievable priorities.
- Assess staffing and outside support needs and propose improvements through the organization’s budgeting process.
- Maintain dependable donor records, gift-processing coordination, reporting practices, and documented workflows.
- Establish appropriate access and review practices for donor information with the colleagues responsible for systems and privacy.
- Use development data to inform decisions while explaining limitations and avoiding unsupported claims about results.
Mission communication and external relationships
- Translate organizational priorities into clear, accurate fundraising messages and cases for support.
- Partner with communications colleagues on donor materials, campaigns, storytelling, and relevant digital channels.
- Represent the organization with funders, community partners, and professional peers within the role’s assigned responsibilities.
- Work with program leaders to communicate impact in ways that respect participants and accurately reflect the organization’s work.
- Clarify whether broader marketing, public relations, advocacy, or communications functions report to this position.
Executive and board partnership
- Participate in organizational strategy and explain the resource development implications of major decisions.
- Provide staff support for board fundraising activity and relevant committees without replacing board governance responsibilities.
- Help board members understand their agreed roles in introductions, cultivation, stewardship, and resource development.
- Collaborate with finance leaders on revenue assumptions, development budgets, and reporting definitions.
- Raise concerns early when expectations, available support, or donor commitments require leadership attention.
Qualifications
Required capabilities include experience relevant to [the organization’s central funding channels], development planning, relationship management, staff leadership, and clear executive communication. Candidates should be able to explain their own contribution to fundraising work, demonstrate sound judgment, and collaborate across programs, finance, communications, and leadership.
Preferred experience includes [helpful but nonessential experience such as a particular funding model, campaign, credential, or development system]. Identify any essential education, credential, or experience requirements and explain their connection to the work. Consider comparable experience that demonstrates the capabilities needed rather than copying fixed thresholds from another employer.
Application instructions
Submit [required materials] through [application link] by [date, if applicable]. The process includes [anticipated stages] and is coordinated by [contact]. Direct questions or accommodation requests to [designated contact and process]. Add the organization’s approved equal opportunity statement and accurate employment terms before publishing.
Distinguish CDO authority from fundraising participation
A development executive needs a clear mandate and an organization willing to participate. Document which decisions the CDO can make, which require CEO approval, and how board members will support the plan. The job description should explain the partnership without promising that donors will respond in a particular way.
For example, a board may agree to help with introductions while the CDO coordinates the preparation and follow-through. A CEO may lead specific external relationships while the CDO manages the development strategy. These are illustrative arrangements, not universal rules. The important step is deciding what applies to your organization and communicating it before hiring.
The Association of Fundraising Professionals’ standards and guidelines provide a current reference point for professional fundraising ethics. Link candidates and staff to the source rather than treating a copied list of standards as a substitute for an organizational approach to ethical practice.
Evaluate development leadership beyond a headline fundraising total
Ask candidates to explain the context of their results: the organization’s starting point, the team involved, the candidate’s contribution, and the decisions that shaped the outcome. A total raised does not by itself explain whether someone can lead the function your organization needs. Compare evidence against your mandate rather than comparing organizations only by size.
- How did you develop a fundraising plan and test whether the assumptions were realistic?
- Describe a donor relationship that required careful coordination with the CEO, program team, or board.
- What development operations problem did you address, and how did the workflow change?
- How have you adjusted priorities when fundraising expectations exceeded the team’s capacity?
- How did you help a board member participate constructively in resource development?
- What information would you request before recommending a campaign or an expanded development channel?
Use a short fictional scenario if you need additional evidence. Give finalists the same background and explain what you will assess. Do not ask for confidential donor information, a usable solicitation plan, or an introduction to a candidate’s personal contacts as an interview requirement.
Prepare the role for a successful start
Before launching the search, review the development records, reporting responsibilities, team structure, and pending commitments the new leader will inherit. Identify what is documented and where important knowledge depends on one person’s memory. Plan an appropriate handover and access process so the CDO can assess the function without losing essential continuity.
Agree on the first quarter’s learning and decision priorities. The new leader may need to understand programs, meet colleagues, review the funding mix, and assess the quality of information before recommending major changes. Give the CEO and CDO a regular place to review assumptions, resolve decisions, and confirm support.
Finally, review compensation and travel expectations alongside the role’s scope. Use current comparable opportunities and relevant research for your organization rather than a generic national number. A credible posting makes both the opportunity and its working conditions understandable.
Chief development officer hiring FAQs
What does a nonprofit chief development officer do?
A nonprofit chief development officer leads fundraising strategy, development staff, donor relationships, stewardship, and the systems that support resource development. The role works with the CEO, board, finance team, and program leaders to connect fundraising plans to mission priorities and organizational capacity.
Who does a chief development officer report to?
The role commonly reports to the CEO or executive director and works closely with board members involved in resource development. State the actual reporting relationship, decision authority, and expectations for CEO and board participation in your posting.
Is a chief development officer the same as a development director?
Titles vary by organization. A CDO role generally signals executive responsibility for development strategy and leadership, while a development director’s scope may be more focused. Describe the actual team, authority, fundraising responsibilities, and organizational context rather than relying on the title alone.
Should marketing report to the CDO?
That depends on the organization. Some development leaders oversee fundraising communications or a broader marketing function; others partner with a separate communications leader. Identify the reporting lines and shared responsibilities so candidates understand the role.
What qualifications should a nonprofit CDO have?
Choose qualifications tied to the work, such as fundraising planning, donor relationship management, team leadership, development operations, and executive communication. Separate essential experience from preferences and explain which funding streams or organizational circumstances require specialized knowledge.
How should we set a CDO salary range?
Use an approved range informed by the role’s location, scope, team size, fundraising responsibilities, organizational resources, and current comparable opportunities. Include benefits, travel, and work arrangements. This template does not supply a universal salary benchmark.
Can employers use this CDO job description template?
Yes. Replace the bracketed fields, confirm responsibilities and compensation, remove irrelevant duties, and add your actual application process. This is a sample hiring resource, not an advertisement for a specific open chief development officer position.
Related tools for nonprofit executive hiring
Use the nonprofit executive hiring guide to organize the search and the CFO job description template to clarify the development and finance partnership. Review the job description writing guide before publishing. Development professionals can search current nonprofit jobs; this sample is not a currently open position.