Chief Development Officer (CDO), Full Time, Remote

CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER (CDO) – POSITION PROFILE

Child Care Aware® of America (CCAoA) is the only national organization that supports every part of the child care system. In partnership with an on-the-ground network of Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) organizations, we work in states and communities to advance high-quality, affordable child care — transforming a patchwork of resources into a system that works for everyone. Together, we make child care strong, and that makes everyone stronger.

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Chief Development Officer (CDO) serves as the senior strategic leader driving all revenue at CCAoA and is a critical member of the Senior Leadership Team, reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer. As the organization advances a bold 10-year strategic framework to make child care work for every child, family, and community, the CDO will architect and lead the development program required to diversify, grow, and sustain CCAoA’s philanthropic and government grants funding.

The CDO is responsible for building a modern, high-performing development function from the ground up, including foundation giving, high-net-worth individual major gifts, and corporate support. In time, the CDO will be responsible for coordinating CCAoA’s state and federal government grant program, as funding opportunities arise. The CDO will translate CCAoA’s 10-year strategic framework into a compelling case for support, drive a shift toward unrestricted, multi-year funding, and partner closely with the CEO and board on six- and seven-figure donor strategies. This leader will activate a culture of philanthropy across the board, senior leadership, and staff—equipping CCAoA’s champions to be effective ambassadors and donors in their own right.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Strategic Leadership of Revenue

• Serve as the senior strategic leader for all philanthropic revenue, setting the vision,strategy, and multi-year roadmap to diversify and grow CCAoA’s funding base.
• Establish annual and multi-year multi-channel revenue targets, forecasts, and performance benchmarks, reporting to the CEO and board regularly on progress.
• Provide executive leadership and strategic oversight across foundation, individual, and corporate giving channels, ensuring an integrated approach to cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
• Lead the buildout of development infrastructure—including instituting a moves
  management process, CRM utilization, prospect research, pipeline development, reporting systems, and hiring members of the team itself—to professionalize and scale the function.
• Translate CCAoA’s 10-year strategic framework into compelling funder-facing materials and drive the shift toward unrestricted, multi-year funding.
• Represent CCAoA externally as a senior spokesperson, elevating the organization’s visibility and credibility with donors, funders, and sector leaders.

CEO Partnership and Principal Gifts

• Position CCAoA as a high-impact investment opportunity grounded in real-world results and national influence.
• Serve as a close strategic partner to the CEO, activating her time, relationships, and voice for high-impact fundraising.
• Collectively steward a shared portfolio of top foundation funders and high-net-worth individual prospects, providing tailored cultivation and solicitation strategies for six- and seven-figure gifts.
• Prepare the CEO for donor meetings with briefing materials, call plans, and follow-up strategies; accompany the CEO on principal gift cultivation and solicitation as the strategy requires
• Identify, qualify, and advance new principal and major gift prospects, building a robust pipeline capable of producing transformational gifts that sustain and grow CCAoA’s mission.

Board Partnership and Culture of Philanthropy

• Partner with the Board Chair, Development Committee, and CEO to activate a culture of philanthropy across the board, including clear giving expectations, ambassador activities, and prospect identification.
• Equip board members with the tools, talking points, training, and support they need to be effective champions—including a comprehensive ambassador toolkit, sample pitches, and tailored engagement opportunities.
• Support board recruitment strategies that intentionally build fundraising capacity, networks, and philanthropic reach, in partnership with the Governance Committee.
• Staff board-led fundraising efforts, including any giving task forces or campaign
  committees, and provide regular updates on philanthropic progress at board meetings.
• Lead across boundaries–influencing up, down, and across the organization to ensure shared ownership of revenue goals.

Team Leadership and Development

• Lead, mentor, and build the development team, stewarding the staffing structure, roles, and leadership layer needed to support strategic growth.
• Manage three direct reports across institutional grants (foundation and government), individual giving, corporate partnerships and sponsorships, and development operations; foster a collaborative, accountable, and high-performing team culture.
• Champion professional development, equity, and continuous improvement within the team.

Governance, Finance, and Operations

• Partner with the Chief Financial Officer to develop and manage the development budget, ensuring fiscal responsibility and alignment with revenue targets.
• Identify and manage strategic, reputational, and revenue-related risks across fundraising and external positioning to safeguard CCAoA’s credibility and long-term sustainability.
• Ensure all philanthropic activity aligns with CCAoA’s monitoring and evaluation frameworks, ethical fundraising standards, and compliance requirements.

QUALIFICATIONS

• 15+ years of progressively senior experience in fundraising and development, with a proven track record of designing and leading multi-channel development programs that generate transformational, multi-year, and unrestricted revenue. Direct experience building and leading philanthropic programs.
• Demonstrated success closing six- and seven-figure gifts from institutions, corporations, and high-net-worth individuals; and partnering with CEOs and board members on principal gift strategies.
• Experience building or significantly scaling a development function, including infrastructure, team structure, moves management, and donor pipeline systems.
• Proven ability to translate complex organizational strategy into compelling donor-facing materials that inspire unrestricted support.
• Strong track record partnering with nonprofit boards to activate giving, recruit philanthropic capacity, and build a culture of philanthropy.
• Experience leading through organizational change, including shifting a revenue base, building new capabilities, and managing competing priorities with focus and discipline.
• Exceptional relationship-building, executive communication, and influence skills across diverse stakeholders, including CEOs, boards, major donors, institutional funders, and senior staff.
• Strong financial acumen, including forecasting, budgeting, and performance measurement.
• Technologically proficient, with working knowledge of CRMs (HubSpot preferred), Microsoft Office, and project management tools.
• Deep commitment to CCAoA’s mission of ensuring every family has access to high-quality, affordable child care.

LOCATION:

CCAoA is headquartered in Arlington, VA. This role is 100% remote.

TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS:

This role will require up to 15-20% of travel.

SALARY:

The salary band for this position begins at $210,000 and is commensurate with experience.

BENEFITS:

CCAoA offers a comprehensive benefit package including medical, dental, and vision; employer retirement match; flexible working arrangements; and time off including sick time, bereavement leave, personal time, 12 paid federal holidays, and vacation.