Director of Development

Supervises:

Grant Writer (contract), Event Coordinator, Commissioned Fundraisers

Co-Founder

The Chris Atwood Foundation is a $3M nonprofit in Northern Virginia dedicated to saving lives and supporting recovery from behavioral health conditions. We provide FREE recovery and harm reduction services for individuals and families, advance policies that improve public health, and work to prevent substance use disorder and overdose.

Our work is rooted in lived experience—staffed by people who have walked the path of addiction, mental health, and recovery —ensuring that every service we offer is compassionate, authentic, and effective. Our evidence-based programming includes a recovery community center in Fairfax City, a peer-run 24/7 hotline and mental health respite home, a mobile comprehensive harm reduction van, jail-based and reentry support, family education, behavioral health workforce development, and assistance with housing, employment, transportation, and resource navigation.

The CAF is entering a new phase of evolution and infrastructure development and is seeking a Director of Development to work with the org’s Co-Founder to build and grow a professional, scalable fundraising department that ensures our services remain free, accessible, and responsive to community needs.

This role is ideal for a hands-on fundraiser who enjoys both strategy and execution. The Director of Development will personally manage a portfolio of donors and lead major gift and corporate solicitations, using the Executive Director, Co-Founder, and Board as strategic partners.

The Director of Development is the senior leader responsible for designing, managing, and executing The CAF’s fundraising strategy with a focus on growing unrestricted revenue and reducing dependence on government grants. A candidate local to the DC metro area is strongly preferred. The position can work remotely on strategy, research, and virtual donor contact, but on-site presence will be required for fundraising events, in-person meetings with local donors / partners, and at least 2 on-site staff meetings per month at our Recovery Community Center in Fairfax, VA.

• Revenue strategy
• Team management
• Reporting and forecasting

• Contracted grant writer
• Contracted fundraisers
• The organization’s co-founder as a high-level closer and public ambassador.

• Develop and execute The CAF’s annual fundraising strategy and revenue plan
• Set revenue targets and manage toward them
• Serve as senior fundraising advisor to the leadership team and board

• Manage contracted grant writer and oversee full grant portfolio
• Supervise event coordinator
• Recruit and manage commission-based fundraisers in compliance with organizational policy and ethical fundraising standards
• Own donor CRM, pipeline tracking, reporting, and forecasting

• Build and manage major donor and corporate pipeline
• Personally manage and solicit a portfolio of major donors and prospects
• Lead donor cultivation, solicitation, and closing efforts, using the co-founder and board strategically when appropriate
• Lead corporate sponsorship and partnership strategy
• Achieve defined first-year benchmarks for donor meetings, solicitations, and closed gifts

• Own revenue strategy and sponsorship for fundraising events
• Oversee event execution through operations staff

• Provide regular revenue reporting and forecasting
• Partner with executive director on external strategy

• 7+ years of nonprofit fundraising experience
• Proven track record of closing major gifts and partnerships
• Experience building or scaling a development program
• Strong strategic and systems thinking
• Comfort managing contractors and consultants
• Experience in healthcare, behavioral health, or social services strongly preferred

Year 1: $90,000–$110,000

Year 2:
Planned increase to $110-120k after milestones achieved

Health insurance

401k

Performance incentives tied to revenue growth