Chief Fund Development Officer

As the city’s largest volunteer network, we connect individuals, companies, and community partners to urgent needs across education, food security, public health, housing, and workforce development. At New York Cares, we believe that meaningful volunteerism has the power to strengthen communities, expand opportunities, and improve lives across New York City. We turn passion into action, creating long-lasting change.

As we look forward to our next chapter of growth and impact, we are seeking a transformational leader as our next Chief Fund Development Officer to elevate our fundraising strategy, deepen donor engagement, and position New York Cares as the most compelling investment in the nonprofit sector.

Why Join New York Cares

This is an opportunity to help shape the future of one of New York City’s most visible and impactful nonprofit organizations.

The Chief Fund Development Officer will play a defining role in:

• Expanding our community impact across New York City
• Building transformational partnerships
• Leading a development organization poised for ambitious revenue growth
• Creating innovative models that connect volunteerism and philanthropy

About The Position

The Chief Fund Development Officer is a revenue strategist, relationship builder, and organization leader responsible for designing and driving a bold, diversified fundraising strategy that significantly expands and elevates New York Cares among donors, corporations, foundations, and civic leaders leading to significantly increased financial investments in our impact.

Reporting directly to the Executive Director, Sapreet K. Saluja, and serving as a key member of the Senior Leadership Team, the CFDO leads all aspects of fundraising: institutional giving, corporate partnerships, major gifts, events, donor stewardship, and development operations.

Our next fund development leader will build a best-in-class development function capable of generating transformational growth, creating differentiated partnerships, and positioning New York Cares as a premier nonprofit in New York City and beyond.

About You

You are both strategic and highly execution oriented. You are someone who has personally closed significant gifts and partnerships and understands how to scale development teams. You inspire investment through compelling vision, storytelling, data driven decision making, and measurable outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

• Execute a multi-year fundraising strategy aligned with organizational growth goals
• Identify new revenue opportunities and scalable philanthropic partnerships
• Create innovative donor engagement strategies that differentiate New York Cares in a competitive nonprofit landscape
• Partner with Executive Director and Board to establish ambitious fundraising targets year over year with accountability measures
• Drive sustainable revenue growth through diversified funding streams

Major Gifts & Philanthropy

• Personally manage and grow a portfolio of high-net-worth donors and prospects
• Cultivate, solicit, and close high-value gifts
• Lead the development of tailored donor strategies executed across the team that deepen engagement and long-term investment
• Ensure a robust major gifts pipeline and donor-moves-process
• Partner closely with the Senior Leadership Team and Board members on strategic cultivation

Corporate Partnerships & Institutional Giving

• Lead strategy for corporate partnerships, employee engagement partnerships, and cause-marketing opportunities
• Expand foundation and institutional support through compelling proposals and relationship management
• Build partnerships that extend beyond transactional sponsorships into long-term strategic alliances
• Position New York Cares as the preferred social impact partner for leading companies and philanthropists

Leadership & Team Development

• Lead, mentor, and inspire a high-performing, accountable, development team focused on growth and results
• Establish clear performance metrics, accountability, and professional development opportunities
• Foster a collaborative, mission-driven, and results-oriented culture
• Strengthen cross-functional partnership between Development, Programs, Marketing, Finance, Tech, and Talent

Operations & Analytics

• Oversee development operations, forecasting, reporting, donor systems, and fundraising analytics
• Use data and insights to optimize fundraising performance and donor engagementEnsure strong stewardship, compliance, and operations excellence across all fundraising activities
• Oversee Development operations, budgeting, and forecasting
• Lead quarterly Development Committee meetings with Board members
• Activate Board members as fundraisers in furthering the fundraising culture

External Events

• Lead the strategic vision, planning, and execution of high-profile fundraising engagement events, including annual gala & soirees, donor recognition & cultivation receptions
• Drive event-based revenue growth through sponsorship development, donor cultivation, ticket sales, and strategic partnership opportunities
• Oversee event budgeting, vendor management, production timelines, and operational executions
• Use data and post-event analytics to evaluate effectiveness
• Collaborate closely with Marketing and Communications to create integrated event campaigns, media visibility, and promotional strategy

People and Culture Leadership

• Big-Picture Mindset: consistently planning ahead, making the right tactical moves now that will successfully deliver the larger strategic goals in the future
• Prioritizes analytical rigor in thinking and decision making
• Collaborative, inclusive, and open; able to communicate up and down the organization
• Flexible and willing to change course based on changes in the business & environment
• Willing to make tough decisions and support those decisions with data/rationale
• Integrity, credibility and a commitment to making the organization successful
• Empathy and a willingness to understand our stakeholders

Qualifications

Required Experience

• 15+ years of progressive fundraising and development experience, with at least 5 years in a senior leadership role overseeing at least one to two development channels.
• Proven track record of generating significant philanthropic revenue growth through a deep understanding of donor psychology, engagement, and stewardship
• Experience building fundraising infrastructure, strategy, and system that scale
• Superior interpersonal skills with demonstrated ability to cultivate relationships, communicate information to a wide range of audiences internally and externally, build support for new initiatives, and excellent storytelling skills
• Demonstrated success securing major gifts, corporate partnerships, and institutional funding
• Experience leading high-performing development teams
• Background partnering closely with CEO’s/Executive Directors, Boards, and executive leadership teams.

Preferred Experience

• Experience in large non-profit, civic, human services, or mission-driven organization
• Familiarity with the New York philanthropic and corporate landscape
• Experience leading capital, comprehensive, or transformational fundraising campaigns

BENEFITS

• Hybrid schedule: In office Mon/Tue/Thu. Remote Wed/Fri
• 11 paid holidays + 3 floating holidays
• Paid time off: 12 days in year 1 + paid last week of Dec. 18 days in year 2
• Paid sick leave
• Health & wellness coverage: medical, dental, vision (80% employer-paid), plus life & disability insurance
• Retirement & tax‑advantaged accounts: 403(b) plan, flexible spending accounts, transit reimbursement