Chief Development Officer

Description

• About Fountain House

For more than 75 years, Fountain House has been a beacon of hope and recovery for people living with serious mental illness (SMI). We start with a simple yet profound insight: the intentional creation of community is an evidence-based, therapeutic intervention. By bringing this into practice and at scale, we transform lives, effectively use public and private dollars, and help fill a glaring gap in our national mental health approach.

Founded in 1948 in New York City, Fountain House originated the clubhouse model of community mental health, which is now an evidence-based approach that increases recovery, employment, education and thriving—while reducing homelessness, incarceration, and costs. What began as a single community in Manhattan has grown into a global and national model, now replicated in more than 200 locations across 32 states, and reaching more than 60,000 people in the United States, alongside its global reach.

Today, Fountain House stands at an exciting and pivotal moment—mental health is receiving unprecedented attention at the local, state, and federal levels as both a public health and public safety issue. And it means that the opportunities for change are also unprecedented.

In response, Fountain House has spent the past five years building a national movement for change, leveraging its base in New York City with over 1,200 members in the clubhouses we directly operate, and emerging projects in Los Angeles and Chicago. Fountain House does this work alongside key Clubhouse partners across the country and an expanding coalition in the healthcare, criminal-legal, and housing sectors. Fountain House’s strategy combines advocacy, narrative change, research, and strategic partnerships to drive policy, practice, and regulatory change at all levels of government.

This momentum is matched by growing interest from public and philanthropic partners who are supporting the opportunity to scale what works. With strong leadership and a clear strategy for growth, Fountain House is building the partnerships and resources needed to expand access, strengthen systems of care, and drive lasting impact at a national level.

Compensation: $275,000 - $290,000

Work Location: New York City preferred

For more information, please visit our website

• We strongly encourage a cover letter with applications.

Requirements

Your Impact

The Chief Development Officer (CDO) is a senior executive leader responsible for shaping and driving the philanthropic strategy that fuels Fountain House’s mission, growth, and long-term impact—both in its direct service and its scaling work. A dynamic and strategic leader, the CDO combines long‑term vision with thoughtful, compassionate leadership to advance Fountain House’s mission to transform how the nation sees, supports, and enables people most impacted by mental illness to recover, thrive, and lead. The Chief Development Officer is a leader who not only delivers results but embodies the values of the clubhouse model, demonstrating what we call our HERO characteristics: fierce optimism, professional curiosity, and a deeply communitarian approach to partnerships, leadership, and engagement,

At a transformational phase in our evolution, Fountain House is poised to expand our reach, elevate our national presence, and deepen our impact. The CDO will play a critical role in building a modern, diverse, and scalable development function that advances both revenue growth and mission visibility. This is a unique opportunity for a leader who can elevate a strong foundation into an innovative future‑facing strategy, rooted in philanthropy, lived experience and leadership of members, ensuring that strategy authentically reflects the dignity, agency, and leadership of people living with serious mental illness.

Reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer, the CDO, a core member of the executive team, is charged with building and leading a high‑performing development function that both sustains the organization’s direct service work today while building the funding pipeline to expand its impact nationally. The CDO will work closely with the executive team and Board of Directors to shape and execute a comprehensive philanthropic strategy that diversifies and grows revenue across individual, institutional, and public funders, deepens strategic partnerships, and mobilizes philanthropic investment to advance innovative approaches to recovery and expand the organization’s impact.

Executive Leadership

• Serve as a core member of the executive leadership team, contributing to organizational strategy, financial sustainability, and long‑term growth while partnering closely with the Board, staff, and members.
• Set the strategic direction for the development function and help lead the organization’s overall revenue strategy; this includes supporting alignment with public funding and government revenue priorities, driving sustained fundraising growth and expanding philanthropic investment to support program scaling.
• Serve as ambassador and culture carrier, exemplifying Fountain House’s values and commitments that start with the agency, potential and dignity of people with SMI and extends to changing systems and practices to advance these values.
• Contribute meaningfully to race, equity and inclusion initiatives, known as We The People (WTP), to identify and develop policies and practices that advance race equity principles, particularly in conjunction with the intersection of disability equity principles, in our workplace and work.
• Staff and steward the Development Committee of the Board of Directors, as well as recruit new Directors

Fundraising Strategy and Revenue Growth

• Develop and lead a comprehensive fundraising strategy that sustains core programs while supporting the organization’s growing national presence and diversifying funding streams.
• Build and manage a high‑value portfolio of individual and institutional partners, cultivating and securing transformational philanthropic investments that support the organization’s core work and strategic growth.
• Partner with program, external impact, members, and leadership teams to align philanthropic investment with strategic priorities, innovation, and emerging opportunities for growth and collectively fundraise toward those needs.
• Identify opportunities for catalytic philanthropic investments that accelerate innovation, program expansion, and national impact.
• Partner with the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Chief Financial Officer (CFO), and executive team to regularly monitor and evaluate fundraising performance and support the development of financial projections and organizational planning.
• Partner with program, finance, and leadership to align philanthropic strategy with public funding opportunities and support a coordinated, forward‑looking approach to government revenue.
• Collaborate closely with communications and marketing to shape and execute an integrated external strategy that advances Fountain House’s narrative, elevates visibility, and drives philanthropic engagement.
• Manage internal and external relationships with humility, integrity, and emotional awareness

Strategic Philanthropic Engagement.

• Engage major donors, foundations, corporations, and public funders as strategic partners in advancing innovative approaches that support recovery, community, and leadership for people living with serious mental illness.
• Elevate the organization’s national philanthropic profile and visibility among leading donors and institutional partners.
• Develop and execute differentiated philanthropic strategies that ensure the sustained funding of core Clubhouse programs in New York City and Los Angeles, while also advancing national growth priorities, recognizing that these efforts may require distinct value propositions, funding approaches, and donor engagement strategies.
• Partner with the CEO and Board of Directors to expand philanthropic networks and deepen engagement with major donors and strategic partners.
• Support and activate the Board in its philanthropic leadership, including donor cultivation, strategic introductions, and ambassador roles.
• Design and lead meaningful donor engagement opportunities that connect funders with members, programs, and the impact of the Clubhouse model.
• Strengthen stewardship and reporting practices that prioritize transparency, impact, and long‑term relationships with philanthropic partners.
• Foster a culture of philanthropy across the organization, engaging board members, staff, and members as ambassadors for the mission.

Team Management

• Intentionally build, assess, and strengthen a development team across key areas (institutional foundations, individual donors, development operations), ensuring the team’s structure and capabilities align with organizational priorities and growth goals.
• Serve as an inspiring leader for staff; promote a culture of integrity, high performance, meaningful collaboration, and continuous improvement that values commitment to Fountain House’s core values and achieving results.
• Hire, train, and retain a diverse and engaged team, holding team members to high standards while also providing coaching and opportunities for growth.
• Foster strong cross‑department communication and collaboration, especially with program, external affairs, and finance teams.
• Navigate sensitive conversations with professionalism, discretion, and diplomacy.
• Provide regular feedback to team members and lead regular performance evaluation processes.

Who you are

• Fundraising expertise – A minimum of 15 years of development leadership experience, with a track record of success in developing fundraising strategies and securing seven+ figure gifts from institutional and individual donors.
• Acknowledge & Reward Individuality – Builds inclusive, high‑performing teams where individuals are supported, challenged, and empowered to contribute their perspectives and ideas; actively seeks feedback and demonstrates a commitment to continuous self‑growth and development.
• Relationship building – Ability to cultivate and steward current and prospective donors and activate networks towards revenue goals; ability to inherit and manage donor relationships that have made Fountain House successful to date.
• Compassionate Emotional Intelligence – Demonstrate empathy and strong listening skills when engaging donors, partners, staff and members.
• Strategic thinking – Demonstrated success developing and adjusting plans for increasing donor engagement and growing revenue, leveraging qualitative and quantitative information in planning; track record of building and refining systems and processes necessary to meet goals.
• Storytelling – Ability to translate Fountain House’s work and experience, beginning with the leadership and experiences of FH members and the powerful Clubhouse model Fountain House pioneered into an effective set of narratives that engage and inspire funders.
• Mission Connection – Alignment with organizational values and approaches; demonstrated commitment to and ability to serve as an exemplar for an organization’s values and foster an inclusive and respectful workplace.

What you bring

• Undergraduate degree is required.
• Graduated degree in related field, preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in fundraising, philanthropy, and/or revenue generation.
• Experience leading a comprehensive development team that includes major gifts, foundation support, annual giving, and direct response fundraising.

Why Join Fountain House?

• Empower Marginalized Communities – Elevate the voices of individuals with lived experience and drive real systemic change.
• Innovate Mental Health Advocacy – Join a mission‑driven team at the forefront of mental health reform.
• Professional Growth & Leadership – Access to mentorship, training, and career development opportunities in a rapidly evolving field.
• A Defining Moment of Opportunity – Fountain House is at a moment of real momentum and growth, with increasing uptake of its model and expanding interest from partners.
• Opportunity to increase public and media attention on mental health – Elevate Fountain House’s voice, shape the narrative, and expand the impact at a critical moment. Recent national media coverage, including in The Progressive Magazine, reflects growing attention to this work and broader relevance.

Join Us and Make an Impact!

Be part of a movement that is transforming mental health care through research, advocacy, and community.

Fountain House, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer

At this time Fountain House, Inc. is not able to sponsor visas

Note: This job description should not be construed to imply that these requirements are the exclusive standards of the position. Incumbents will follow any other instructions, and perform any other related duties, as may be required. The employer has the right to revise this job description at any time. This job description is not to be construed as a contract for employment.