Chief Development Officer

Job Description

Job Description

Description:

The Opportunity

Fenway Health seeks an exceptional Chief Development Officer (CDO) to drive a bold, modern advancement strategy for one of the nation’s most influential LGBTQIA+ healthcare and equity. As Fenway enters a new era after more than fifty years of national leadership in LGBTQIA+ primary care, HIV services, research, and advocacy, this role offers a rare opportunity to lead transformational growth at a defining moment.

As a key member of the executive team, the CDO will architect and execute a comprehensive fundraising strategy—advancing major gifts, individual giving, corporate and foundation partnerships, and government support. The ideal candidate is a sophisticated fundraiser who understands donor motivations, emerging giving vehicles, and how to convert organizational impact into compelling philanthropic investments.

Reporting directly to the CEO and partnering closely with the EVP of External Affairs, this leader will inspire a committed team, mobilize an engaged Board, and deepen relationships across a passionate donor community. They will strengthen Fenway’s visibility, credibility, and philanthropic momentum to expand high-quality, affirming care for LGBTQIA+ people and underserved populations.

Candidates should bring a strong track record in major gifts, board partnership, and preparing organizations for transformational fundraising initiatives—including campaign readiness and case development. The ideal executive is an equity-centered, LGBTQIA+ culturally fluent leader with exceptional relationship-building, communication, and management skills. They will embed racial equity and social justice across all development practices, ensuring fundraising both advances and reflects Fenway’s mission and values.

Representative Duties

Strategy & Leadership

• Strategic Fundraising Leadership: Lead a comprehensive, multi-year fundraising strategy aligned with the organization’s mission, growth trajectory, and capital ambitions. Set clear annual and long-term revenue targets across all funding streams and identify new philanthropic opportunities and innovative funding models. Apply an intersectional equity lens across all development strategies, donor engagement, and stewardship practices.
• Strategy Execution & Accountability: Translate strategy into actionable development plans, timelines, and accountability structures that drive consistent progress toward revenue goals.
• Strategic Visioning: Build and grow an individual giving program from design through execution, including donor cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship. Re-envision special events and engagement strategies to inspire sustained donor commitment in a shifting philanthropic and market environment.
• Team Leadership: Lead, coach, and mentor a multimember donor engagement team, fostering collaboration, accountability, and professional growth fostering a culture that is entrepreneurial, collaborative, and results-driven. Oversee hiring, training, supervision, performance management, and professional development and make employment-related decisions.

Donor Engagement & Portfolio Management

• Major Donor Portfolio: Bring and actively cultivate a portfolio of high-capacity philanthropic relationships while expanding the pipeline and advancing major prospects capable of seven to nine-figure investments.
• Donor Relationship Management: Serve as a primary relationship manager for key donors and partners, building trusted relationships that deepen long-term engagement, philanthropic investment, and stewardship. Design inclusive donor engagement strategies that authentically cultivate and steward supporters across racial and ethnic identities, sexual orientations, gender identities, and generations, including younger and emerging donors.
• Donor Communications: Oversee donor communications in partnership with marketing to ensure messaging is compelling, consistent, and mission-aligned. Build ethical storytelling and gift acceptance practices aligned with Fenway’s values; ensure community impact narratives are community-respectful, and measure inclusivity in donor participation/retention across segments.

Leadership & Board Partnership

• CEO Partnership: Work closely with the CEO to advance high-level fundraising priorities, major gift opportunities, and key donor engagements.
• Board Engagement & Activation: Equip and activate the Board of Directors as philanthropic donors themselves as well as ambassadors by identifying opportunities within their networks, preparing them for donor conversations, and supporting their meaningful participation in fundraising efforts.
• Transformational Partnerships: Collaborate with the CEO and Board to pursue major gift strategies, naming opportunities, and transformational philanthropic partnerships.

Infrastructure & Performance

• Development Infrastructure: Build and strengthen the systems, processes, and tools that improve donor engagement, increase philanthropic conversion, and support sustained fundraising growth.
• Analytics & Performance Measurement: Leverage data to inform strategy, forecast revenue, and monitor pipeline performance through clearly defined key performance indicators (KPIs).
• Reporting & Financial Accountability: Provide regular, transparent reporting to the CEO and Board while ensuring the development function operates with strong fiscal discipline.

Collaboration & Innovation

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner across executive leadership, communications/marketing, clinical, programming, finance, and operations to ensure fundraising strategies align with organizational priorities and programmatic opportunities.
• Philanthropic Innovation: Stay ahead of emerging trends, emerging funding models, and donor engagement innovations to strengthen Fenway’s ability to inspire investment and expand its community of supporters.

Meets agency participatory expectations

• Adheres to all agency and departmental policies and procedures
• Participates in quality assessment and improvement activities as requested
• Adheres to the highest principles of patient, client, and donor confidentiality
• Adheres to established safety policies, procedures and precautions; identifies potential or actual unsafe situations in the environment and takes measures to rectify the situation
• Attends all required meetings, in-services and professional trainings
• Maintains professional competence necessary to perform job responsibilities; maintains and provides agency with records of continuing education activities
• Serves on agency committees and in professional organizations when requested

Perform related duties as assigned

• 10+ years of progressive nonprofit fundraising leadership experience, including at least 5-7 years at the executive-level
• Minimum 5 years in healthcare and/or, nonprofit organizations (including FQHCs)
• Demonstrated success securing seven- and eight-figure philanthropic investments.
• Proven success in senior development roles, including supervising and leading midsized teams.
• Demonstrated ability to engage individuals and communities around a shared mission and build a strong culture of philanthropy.
• Strong track record designing and executing diverse fundraising strategies, including major gifts, planned giving, peer-to-peer giving, events, and donor cultivation.
• Demonstrated success securing principal and transformational gifts.
• Experience successfully engaging a diverse donor base, including communities historically underrepresented in philanthropy.
• Demonstrated commitment to fostering inclusive, equitable, and supportive workplace environments.
• Experience with corporate and foundation fundraising with an established network of corporate relationships.
• Ability to set ambitious yet achievable goals, develop clear plans and metrics, and adapt strategies as needed.
• Strong project management skills, with the ability to prioritize and lead complex initiatives to completion.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Solid understanding of event strategy, execution, and cost management.
• Experience in healthcare, research, and/or LGBTQIA+- serving organizations preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to work respectfully and effectively with individuals from a wide range of backgrounds, perspectives, and life experiences. This includes engaging constructively with colleagues, patients, clients, and vendors in a manner that reflects professionalism, empathy, and cultural awareness, without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, or other protected characteristics as defined by applicable law.

OTHER PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS

• Enthusiasm and passion for Fenway Health’s mission
• Impeccable integrity with a strong commitment to professionalism and promoting well-being of staff
• Strong interpersonal skills; an effective relationship builder
• LGBTQIA+ identified persons, people of color, and others from historically underrepresented communities are strongly encouraged to apply

Physical Requirements:

• Ability to meet the following physical requirements with or without reasonable accommodations:
• Sit at a computer station for extended periods of time
• Ability to keyboard for extended periods of time

Supervisory Responsibilities

Supervises Development and Fundraising Team

We offer competitive salaries, and for those who qualify, an excellent benefits package; including comprehensive medical and dental insurance plans, and a retirement plan with employer match. We also provide 12 paid holidays, paid vacation, and more.

LGBTQIA+ identified persons, Black, Indigenous, and other people of color (BIPOC), and individuals from other historically underrepresented communities are strongly encouraged to apply.