Chief Development Officer remote

The Chronicle of Philanthropy is the leading source of journalism, opinion, actionable insights, and training for nonprofit and foundation leaders, fundraising executives, and other professionals who drive social impact.

As our growing organization seeks to expand its work after raising $9 million to transition to nonprofit status, the Chronicle is now seeking a fundraising professional who can attract private support to enable the Chronicle to do more to help nonprofits thrive and ensure the public has a strong understanding of the importance of philanthropy to communities everywhere. Beyond your work to raise at least $2 million a year, you’ll have the opportunity to build a fundraising team and plan for a campaign to make our 40th anniversary in 2028.

This is a rare chance to become a key player in expanding one of the leading organizations in the social sector.

The chief development officer is a senior, strategic position who will drive The Chronicle’s work to attract foundation grants and explore other sources of philanthropic support, especially major gifts. The successful fundraising leader will understand our special role in providing independent journalism and professional development to nonprofits and foundations and in complementing our strong earned-revenue efforts, which represent about 80 percent of our budget.

The chief development officer will work closely with our CEO, chief revenue officer, and chief content officer to:

• Set our philanthropic strategy
• Develop our case for general operating support and innovation funding
• Cultivate foundations and other supporters
• Build a culture that ensures long‑term fundraising success

The right candidate is a seasoned development executive who is both a strategist and a doer: comfortable writing a six‑figure letter of intent one day and building a multi‑year revenue forecast on the next.

Beyond building a strong fundraising plan for the next three years, you’ll also assemble a team who can assist you and the rest of the organization. To aid you in that work, you’ll have an opportunity to gain insights from a feasibility study the Bridgespan Group is undertaking on our behalf.

• Design and implement a comprehensive development strategy, building on our successful foundation grant seeking
• Expand the number of foundations who provide support to the Chronicle, focusing both on support for specific programs and unrestricted funding
• Serve as a thought partner to the CEO in articulating programs, new initiatives, and the overarching impact and ambitions of The Chronicle.
• Examine the potential for attracting support from individuals, focusing on major and planned gifts
• Collaborate with our earned‑revenue team to build strategic partnerships and other opportunities
• Work with the Chronicle’s leadership team to build a culture of philanthropy in the organization, ensuring that all parts of the organization work together to carry out ambitious projects to serve the nonprofit world.
• Recommend annual fundraising targets (realistic yet ambitious) to the CEO and CFO and build a three‑year philanthropic plan that allows The Chronicle to expand service to the sector.

• Identify grant makers who can support our work and provide end‑to‑end support for the CEO to solicit funding, with the goal of raising at least $2 million, or 20 percent of our budget, annually
• Write major proposals and concept papers that the CEO can submit to funders that share our aims

• Develop and manage relationships with foundation leaders and program officers interested in advancing journalism, nonprofit capacity‑building, and social sector leadership
• Oversee the grants pipeline—from…