Chief Development Officer - National Office - Big Brothers Big Sisters of America

We are pleased to announce that Big Brothers Big Sisters of America has retained DHR Global (DHR) to conduct the search to recruit our next Chief Development Officer. For more than 30 years, DHR has been a leading provider of executive search, leadership consulting and emerging leader search solutions, with more than 50 wholly-owned locations around the globe. Please direct applications, nominations, referrals, and any other inquiries to MOchoa@jobplex.com.

Scope and Responsibilities

As a direct report of the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), the Chief Development Officer (CDO) serves as the organization’s lead revenue strategist, responsible for developing and executing a best-in-class, multi-channel fundraising strategy that ensures sustainable financial growth and mission impact. This includes deep expertise in corporate engagement, brand partnerships, strategic alliances, cause marketing, major gifts, and high-impact individual giving. The CDO will be a transformational leader, shaping how Big Brothers Big Sisters of America engages donors and corporate investors at a national scale. They will shape and oversee fundraising strategy, donor engagement, and transformational giving, ensuring alignment with the BBBSA mission and long-term objectives. The CDO will leverage innovation including digital fundraising, AI-driven donor insights, and cross-sector collaboration to increase revenue growth and amplify the BBBSA brand.

As part of this structure, the CDO will:

Drive BBBSA’s network-wide fundraising efforts, increasing revenue across the national organization and local affiliates.
Engage and mobilize high-net-worth donors, corporate partners, and philanthropic investors.
Partner with the CEO and leadership to align fundraising with advocacy initiatives.
Foster a high-performance, accountable, and ethical fundraising culture.
Ensure alignment between fundraising operations and financial strategies.

Specific Responsibilities

Strategic Fundraising Leadership

Develops, expands and leads a comprehensive, multi-channel fundraising strategy, including major and planned giving, corporate and foundation partnerships, donor-advised funds, cause marketing, and national fundraising events.
Strengthens cause marketing and social impact investments, ensuring national campaigns enhance brand visibility and drive unrestricted revenue.
Drives BBBSA network-wide revenue growth, supporting the organization and local affiliates in fundraising capacity building.
Partners with the CEO and Board of Directors (Board) to cultivate high-net-worth donors and corporate executives, expanding revenue opportunities.
Works in collaboration with the Chief Financial & Administrative Officer (CFAO) to align fundraising strategies with the organization’s financial priorities.
Identifies and develops innovative revenue streams, such as social impact investments and venture philanthropy.
Oversee digital fundraising innovation, including peer-to-peer fundraising, corporate giving platforms, and donor personalization through CRM and AI tools.
Develop a fundraising innovation lab focused on testing and scaling new funding models, including social impact investments and strategic corporate alliances.
Ensures ethical fundraising practices, financial transparency, and compliance with nonprofit fundraising regulations.

Major & Transformational Giving

Drives and expands a national major gifts strategy, securing seven- and eight-figure gifts from high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs), foundations, donor-advised funds (DAFs) and corporate partners.
Ensures the application of a structured moves management system that enables targeted donor engagement and retention strategies, guiding major donors from cultivation to stewardship.
Implements wealth screening and predictive analytics to identify top prospects and create highly personalized donor journeys.
Oversees the creation of compelling case statements and funding proposals.

Corporate & Foundation Partnerships

Expand national corporate partnership and foundation portfolios and their strategies to ensure partnerships go beyond sponsorships to include mission-aligned, long-term, multi-year investments.
Accelerates cause marketing and retail partnerships to generate revenue and relevancy for the BBBSA mission.
Drive engagement with C-suite executives and corporate social responsibility (CSR) leaders to create high-value strategic alliances.
Enhance corporate workplace giving and employee engagement programs, providing innovative opportunities for participation including branded cause initiatives.

Board Engagement & Leadership Partnerships

Mobilizes and strengthens the role of the Board in fundraising, ensuring active participation in transformational giving initiatives, increasing board-led philanthropic contributions and network expansion.
Equip Board members with high impact fundraising training, ensuring they are confident in soliciting major gifts and corporate partnerships
Designs customized Board and executive engagement strategies.
Partners with the Board’s Development Committee to expand philanthropic networks and giving opportunities.

Partnering Leadership of Advocacy Strategy

Aligns revenue generation with advocacy-driven funding priorities by working closely with the CEO, CFAO and Government Relations team to secure funding for initiatives that advance policy, legislative impact, and community-based solutions.
Develops strategic partnerships with corporate and philanthropic leaders to co-create funding models that drive mission aligned impact, systemic change, and long-term sustainability.
Leverages donor networks and cause marketing campaigns to amplify awareness and mobilize philanthropic investments in policy and advocacy initiatives.
Integrates storytelling and data-driven impact measurement into advocacy-focused donor engagement strategies, ensuring funders see both the human and systemic impact of their contributions.
Equips board members, executive leaders, and corporate stakeholders with the tools to champion policy-driven fundraising efforts and deepen engagement in high-impact social change initiatives.

Partnering with the BBBSA Network

Partner with BBBSA Agency Growth Team to strengthen and expand local BBBSA fundraising capacity, ensuring alignment between national strategies and local priorities to drive sustainable revenue growth.
Facilitate aligned national communications, collaborative forums and trainings that equip local affiliates with tools, resources, and best practices to accelerate their donor engagement, corporate partnerships, and fundraising innovation.
Serve as a thought leader and strategic advisor to affiliate leadership, fostering a culture of shared success and codeveloping network-wide initiatives that drive pass-through revenue, shared connections, brand relevance and deeper Impact.

Operational Excellence & Innovation

Leverage cutting-edge fundraising technologies, AI-driven donor engagement, predictive analytics and CRM strategies to drive donor acquisition and retention.
Builds and leads a highly efficient fundraising infrastructure, ensuring top-tier donor acknowledgment, stewardship, and recognition programs.
Ensures all fundraising operations adhere to the highest ethical and financial stewardship standards.
Works closely with the CFAO to ensure alignment with financial planning goals.

Team Leadership & Culture

Develops and leads a high-performing fundraising team, fostering a culture of innovation, optimism, accountability, and excellence.
Succession planning for fundraising leadership roles to ensure long-term talent development.
Establishes clear KPIs and performance metrics to measure revenue growth and donor engagement success.
Ensures a collaborative and inclusive team environment, aligning with BBBSA organizational values.
Recruits, trains, retains, and cultivates the professional development of direct reports.
Creates a dynamic, supportive, and effective team that is impactful across the BBBSA and the Big Brothers Big Sisters Network.
Lead and manage people and capital resources that retain and cultivate positive, measurable success.
Monitor progress against performance targets; implements countermeasures as needed.

Mindset & Cultural Expectations

BBBSA operates in a fast-paced, high-impact environment where innovation, agility, and a “roll up your sleeves” mentality are essential for success. The CDO must be energized by the opportunity to lean in, to lead by example, and step into the work—whether building high-level partnerships or ensuring operational execution at a granular level. The ideal candidate will embody a leadership style that is:

Empathetic and inclusive, fostering a sense of belonging and shared purpose across diverse teams and stakeholders.
Collaborative and consensus-building, with a strong ability to work cross-functionally and bring people together toward common goals.
Nimble and adaptable, thriving in a fast-paced environment and responding with agility to new challenges, opportunities, and shifting priorities.
Optimistic and solutions-focused, maintaining a positive outlook and inspiring confidence in times of change.
Hands-on and proactive, recognizing that leadership is about both vision and execution.

This role requires someone who can drive strategy while remaining deeply engaged in the work itself, ensuring that fundraising efforts are not only visionary but also executable, scalable, and sustainable. The CDO must have high and focused energy embracing the pace, complexity, and entrepreneurial spirit of the BBBSA environment and bring a mindset that fuels innovation, resilience, and long-term growth.

Organizational Culture

Demonstrates a commitment to BBBSA’s shared leadership competencies and organizational values.
Provides consistent follow-up regarding assigned projects and after meetings.
Cultivates an environment where all team members feel valued, included, and empowered to achieve their potential.
Manages related duties as assigned in support of department and business needs.

Key Selection Criteria

Bachelor’s or advanced degree preferred or equivalent experience
15+ years of experience in fundraising, philanthropy, and revenue generation, including proven success in corporate engagement and brand partnerships.
Deep expertise in major gifts, individual giving, and cause marketing.
Proven outcomes in independently leading and securing transformative and major gifts in seven and eight figure range.
Experience leading national cause marketing campaigns and overseeing strategic alliances with Fortune 500 companies.
Experience in venture philanthropy, social impact investments, or new philanthropic funding models is a plus.
Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) or equivalent certification preferred.

Skills and Knowledge

Business acumen, ethical leadership, and financial stewardship.
A natural team builder and inclusive leader who drives at the strategic and execution level.
Strategic fundraising vision with experience in multi-year revenue planning.
Ability to develop and execute major national fundraising campaigns.
Exceptional relationship-building skills with high-net-worth individuals and corporate leaders.
Data-driven decision-making using fundraising analytics and donor segmentation
Proven ability to develop and lead major corporate alliances and strategic partnerships.
Expertise in major gifts, individual philanthropy, and cause-driven fundraising campaigns.
Deep understanding of AI-driven donor analytics, wealth screening, and predictive giving models.
Ability to leverage digital philanthropy and social media to drive national fundraising campaigns.
Experience in managing cross-functional fundraising teams, including regional and national fundraising leaders.

Contact Information

Renato T. Amador
Partner
+1 202-683-7230
ramador@dhrglobal.com

David Sheahan
Partner
+1 214-906-7336
dsheahan@dhrglobal.com

Mariana Ochoa
Senior Associate
+1 312-631-2292
Mochoa@jobplex.com