Chief Development Officer

Chief Development Officer

Location: Valley Cottage

Reports to: CEO

Compensation: $125k – $145k

Position Summary

The Chief Development Officer provides strategic leadership for The Arc Rockland's comprehensive fundraising program and is responsible for advancing philanthropic growth, revenue diversification, and long-term sustainability. The role leads fundraising strategy and execution across annual giving, major gifts, planned giving, corporate and foundation partnerships, government funding, sponsorships, campaigns, and donor engagement initiatives. The position also oversees philanthropic event strategy and performance, strengthens relationships with donors, funders, board members, families, vendors, and community partners, and partners closely with the Chief Executive Officer and Foundation Board to expand philanthropic investment and support the organization's mission and financial goals.

Position Qualifications

Minimum Education: Bachelor's in Marketing, Business Management, or related field required.

Minimum Experience: Progressive senior-level fundraising experience in a mission-driven organization, including cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of major donors and high-net-worth individuals; development of planned giving initiatives preferred; management of corporate, foundation, and government funding relationships; leadership of comprehensive fundraising strategy and campaign planning; and oversight of philanthropic event strategy, planning, coordination, and evaluation. Experience in non-profit management and communications; and in partnering with executive leadership and board members on donor engagement, fundraising strategy, and revenue growth strongly preferred.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities

• Knowledge of the local, state, and national nonprofit, philanthropic, corporate, foundation, and government funding landscape
• Strategic and critical thinker with the ability to design and lead comprehensive fundraising and campaign strategies that support long-term organizational priorities
• Skilled communicator and relationship-focused leader with demonstrated ability to engage major donors, institutional funders, corporate partners, and board members
• Exceptional capacity for managing and leading people
• Commitment to The Arc Rockland mission
• Ability to identify issues and make effective decisions
• A track record delivering superior results, commanding respect and assuming leadership roles
• Ability to pay attention accurately and efficiently to details without losing sight of strategic priorities
• Excellent communication skills and interpersonal skills and ability to exercise tact in organizational settings
• Demonstrable intermediate skill levels in computer software that constitutes Microsoft Office Suite and Raiser's Edge

Physical Requirements

• Must be able to travel to various program sites and to other agencies across New York State
• Must have visual acuity adequate to read correspondence, computer screen, forms; manual dexterity for keyboarding; speaking and hearing ability sufficient to communicate by phone or in person at normal volumes.

Job Responsibilities

• Partners with the Chief Executive Officer to align fundraising priorities with the organization's mission, strategic direction, and long-term growth goals.
• Provides leadership and supervision to development staff, including hiring, onboarding, training, performance management, scheduling, and other personnel decisions.
• Develops and manages annual fundraising goals, budgets, and performance measures that support short- and long-term organizational objectives.
• Leads the organization's overall fundraising strategy, establishing short- and long-term objectives that support philanthropic growth, revenue diversification, and campaign priorities.
• Directs fundraising growth across major gifts, planned giving, annual giving, corporate and foundation partnerships, government funding, sponsorships, and campaign initiatives.
• Builds and manages a pipeline of current and prospective donors, funders, and strategic partners to support new and ongoing investment in the organization.
• Oversees the development of fundraising communications and materials for donors, prospects, and the broader community.
• Leads the pursuit and management of grant and public funding opportunities and relationships with foundation, institutional, and government funders.
• Monitors fundraising performance and regularly reports progress, priorities, and opportunities to the Foundation President, Chief Executive Officer, and Foundation Board, while partnering with board leadership to strengthen engagement in fundraising.
• Oversees fundraising operations, including financial tracking, gift administration, and maintenance of accurate records related to receipts and disbursements.
• Provides strategic oversight of fundraising events and engagement opportunities, including planning direction, coordination, and evaluation of results and return on investment.

Annual Giving, Major Gifts, Corporate Giving & Grants

• Implements fundraising strategies across annual giving, major gifts, planned giving, campaigns, and donor pipeline development to achieve revenue and engagement goals.
• Develops donor engagement strategies that connect philanthropic interests with the organization's mission, impact, and funding priorities.
• Designs and drives the annual giving program, including direct mail, online giving, donor appeals, and related donor retention efforts.
• Directs a relationship-based major gifts program and leads the development, implementation and systematization of a planned giving program.
• Shapes mission-aligned fundraising events and engagement opportunities that deepen donor connection and support philanthropic participation.
• Establishes annual goals, performance measures, and return-on-investment criteria for fundraising events and related engagement initiatives.
• Oversees staff, committees, and contractors responsible for fundraising event planning, logistics, administration, and post-event evaluation.
• Builds and sustains corporate, foundation, and institutional relationships that support philanthropy, sponsorship, and strategic investment in Arc initiatives.
• Secures support for Arc initiatives through creative giving opportunities, sponsorships, and mission-driven fundraising campaigns.
• Cultivates and sustains meaningful relationships with family members of people supported by the agency, as well as vendors and community partners, to strengthen connection to the agency's mission, inspire philanthropic engagement, and expand opportunities for charitable support and partnership.
• Develops and advances grant and public funding strategies, including cultivation of relationships with private foundations, institutional funders, and government funding sources.
• Identifies, evaluates, and prioritizes new grant and public funding opportunities aligned with the organization's mission, strategic priorities, and program needs.
• Collaborates with staff and leadership to develop competitive proposals, strengthen funder stewardship, and support grant renewals.
• Partners with finance and program leadership to develop grant budgets, align funding requests with program needs, and ensure accurate financial reporting to funders.
• Oversees grant management, including tracking proposals, outcomes, reporting requirements, compliance obligations, and fulfillment of funder expectations.
• Manages the implementation of Raiser's Edge and oversees a process and staff responsible for data entry and gift processing.

Additional Responsibilities

• Plans the agenda for and facilitates quarterly Foundation Board of Directors meetings and other organizational committee meetings, and supports board engagement in fundraising strategy, donor cultivation, stewardship, and campaign activity.
• Conducts staff, management, and stakeholder meetings, as necessary.
• Performs other duties as needed.

The Arc Rockland is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

The Arc Rockland strives to create and maintain a work environment in which people are treated with dignity, decency, and respect, providing everyone with an equal opportunity to thrive. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace that values the unique perspectives and contributions of all of our employees – a workplace where every employee is able to bring their whole self to work.