Chief Development Officer (CDO)

Position Overview

The Chief Development Officer (CDO) is a senior executive leader responsible for designing, executing, and scaling REED Charitable Foundation’s comprehensive development strategy. As a key member of the executive leadership team, the CDO oversees all fundraising functions—including major gifts, grants, corporate and foundation partnerships, annual campaigns, planned giving, and signature events—while building the systems, culture, and relationships necessary to sustain long-term growth.

Working closely with the President, Chief Operating Officer, Board of Directors, and senior staff, the CDO will cultivate meaningful donor relationships, expand RCF’s base of support, and align revenue strategy with organizational priorities and impact goals. This role requires both strategic vision and operational discipline, balancing relationship-centered fundraising with data-driven decision-making.

The ideal candidate is a seasoned development or sales professional with a proven track record of revenue growth who thrives in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment. They are an exceptional communicator, a confident leader, and a systems-oriented thinker who understands that strong fundraising is built on trust, accountability, and consistent execution.

Development Strategy & Revenue Growth

• Design and execute a strategic, sustainable Annual Development Plan encompassing major gifts, grants, corporate sponsorships, annual and year-end campaigns, planned giving, endowments, and fundraising events.

• Grow the overall donor base and increase recurring giving in alignment with established KPIs.
  Proactively cultivate and manage a portfolio of major donor prospects through tailored engagement strategies, coordinated closely with the CEO and Board.

Financial Management & Accountability

• Oversee all development-related budgeting, financial tracking, and forecasting.

• Ensure accurate reporting, grant compliance, and transparent financial stewardship.
  Develop annual performance plans with clearly defined revenue goals, timelines, and KPIs, providing regular progress reporting and board-ready insights.

Grants & Institutional Giving

• Lead a comprehensive grants program in partnership with the Grants & Development Manager.

• Guide grant prospect research, program alignment, proposal development, compliance, and stewardship.

• Review and approve all grant submissions to ensure clarity, alignment, and quality.

Donor Communications & Stewardship

• Create and implement a donor-centric communications and stewardship strategy with consistent monthly, quarterly, and annual touchpoints.

• Ensure donors and funders receive timely, data-informed impact reporting that reinforces trust and long-term engagement.

Events, Partnerships & Volunteer Leadership

• Oversee all fundraising events, ensuring alignment with revenue goals and coordination with Communications and Events teams.

• Lead RCF’s CORE volunteer leadership team, aligning high-capacity volunteers with strategic priorities.

• Strengthen existing strategic partnerships while cultivating new corporate, foundation, and community relationships to expand RCF’s reach and resources.

Team Leadership & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Lead, coach, and develop the development team, fostering a culture of accountability, clarity, and continuous improvement.

• Build scalable systems, processes, and performance metrics that support consistent execution and growth.

• Collaborate cross-departmentally with communications, events, and structured literacy teams to align funding priorities with mission-driven initiatives.

Experience & Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Nonprofit Management, Communications, Marketing, Accounting, or a related field required
  (Master’s degree and/or CFRE credential preferred but not required).

• Minimum of five (5) years of progressive fundraising experience within a $1M+ organization, including at least three (3) years leading or managing a comprehensive development function.

• Demonstrated success across multiple fundraising channels, including major gifts, grants, partnerships, and events.

• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills with the ability to tell compelling impact stories.

• Strong leadership presence with experience managing teams, setting expectations, and holding self and others accountable.

• Systems-oriented strategist who builds repeatable processes and leverages data to drive decisions.

• Highly organized, self-directed, and capable of managing multiple priorities in a dynamic environment.

• Proficiency with Google Workspace, Zoom, event registration platforms, and donor management systems (DonorPerfect preferred).

• Experience with—or willingness to learn about—the literacy crisis and neurodiversity.

How to Apply - Qualified candidates should submit a resume and cover letter to: hiring@reedcharitablefoundation.org

About REED Charitable Foundation:

RCF makes best-in-class literacy training, implementation support and educational events financially & geographically accessible because every child deserves to feel empowered and have a teacher who can confidently teach them how to read. Our vision at RCF is to end the literacy crisis and ensure ALL children, including the 1-in-5 with dyslexia, are afforded their fundamental right to literacy, identify their inherent strengths and are equipped with a strong foundation of confidence for life-long success.

REED Charitable Foundation (RCF) provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics.  In addition to federal law requirements, RCF complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location RCF serves.  This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training. RCF expressly prohibits any form of workplace harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, disability or veteran status.  Improper interference with the ability of RCF’s employees to perform their job duties may result in discipline up to and including discharge.