Reporting to the CEO of Propel Education, the Chief Development Officer is a key executive leadership position for Propel Education, the Propel Center, and Ed Farm Operations. The Chief Development Officer will be responsible for leading and implementing the organization’s fundraising strategy, building and managing the development team across all three entities, and driving advocacy and awareness of the Organization’s mission, need, and deliverables to expand mission impact and organizational growth. Working closely with the CEO and the Propel Education Board, the CDO will build a comprehensive fundraising and advancement program that helps ensure the long-term sustainability of the organization.

Creates and Implements a Comprehensive Fundraising and Marketing Strategy

• Develops and executes a comprehensive fundraising strategy that includes identifying and cultivating individual, corporate, and foundation donors and prospects.
• Leads and manages all aspects of the fundraising strategy, including major gifts, planned giving, strategic partnerships, special events, and grant writing.
• Develops and implements a marketing strategy to support fundraising efforts, including creating collateral materials, social media content, and other communications to promote the organization’s mission, programs, and services.
• Works closely with the CEO and Board of Directors to develop and maintain relationships with key stakeholders, including donors, volunteers, and corporate and community leaders.
• Builds and manages a portfolio of donors and funders.

Directly supervises and supports the Development Team across the enterprise to ensure the optimization of each team member.

• Develops and maintains effective systems and processes to support fundraising and development operations, including gift processing, database management, and reporting.
• Develops and implements a fundraising plan that includes clear goals, metrics, and timelines for achieving fundraising targets.
• Builds and manages a budget for the development team that is aligned with the organization’s strategic priorities and goals.
• Identifies and implements technology solutions to support fundraising and development operations and to enhance donor engagement and stewardship.

• Educates and empowers staff to enhance their effectiveness in development activities.
• Participates in supervisory group meetings, providing support and input on supervisory issues and upcoming training topics.
• Builds the infrastructure and team to carry out a well-crafted, donor-centered Development Plan

Board Relations

• Participates in the orientation of new board members annually.
• Shares the development plan with the Board including specifics on Board Members’ individual responsibilities and involvement.
• Works with and support the Board Development Committee.

Executive Leadership Team Leadership, Planning and Strategy:

• Serves as a key member of the executive leadership team, working collaboratively with the CEO and other senior leaders to develop and implement the organization’s strategic plan and vision.
• Provides leadership and direction to the development team and other departments as needed to ensure alignment with the organization’s goals and objectives.
• Leads the annual planning and budgeting process for the development department, ensuring that goals are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART).
• Provides regular updates to the CEO and Board of Directors on fundraising progress and challenges and make recommendations for course correction as needed.
• Supervises external affairs for the organization in public forums and develops and maintains relationships with external stakeholders, including donors, community leaders, and peer organizations, to advance the organization’s mission and goals.

Financial

• Develops and manages the annual budget for the Development department throughout the year.
• In collaboration with other Development staff, leads development activities to ensure the organization has sufficient funds to carry out its mission.