Chief Development Officer 

Position: Chief Development Officer

Reports To: Chief Executive Officer

Location: Continental US

Position Type: Full-Time, Remote

Location Requirement:

We are a global organization with a mix of remote, field-based, and in-office staff. This role is U.S.-based and remote and must be based within the continental U.S.

ORGANIZATIONAL PROFILE:

For more than 43 million people, blindness is a daily reality; another 295 million suffer from moderate to severe vision impairment. 90% of these people live in low- and middle-income countries where access to eye care is limited and the challenges for those who can’t see are severe. But there is hope: 80% of this burden is treatable or preventable. For example, 17 million blind people could be cured with a 10-minute cataract surgery. Millions more suffer from corneal blindness, which is often preventable or treatable. At Cure Blindness Project, we believe avoidable blindness can – and must – be overcome. For more than 30 years, we have worked alongside a capable network of collaborators to help people around the world retain and regain their sight by developing high-quality, cost-effective eye care systems in underserved areas of the world. With the help of partners in more than 30 countries, Cure Blindness Project has provided more than 1.6 million sight-restoring surgeries and screened more than 5 million people to provide care and basic treatments. We’ve trained more than 20,100 eye health professionals and have established 5 eye hospitals. There is more work left to do, but we can overcome the mountain of global blindness together.

Cure Blindness Project has just completed a year of its greatest impact ever and has grown its revenues dramatically in the past 3 years, and we are now preparing to meet new challenges, scale our work, and broaden our reach even further. We are seeking individuals who are passionate about changing lives and want to be a part of a team that works together to reach new heights. We want leaders who can aim high, make things happen, and are invested in building a positive team dynamic to bring the work to life.

VISION: A world where no one is needlessly blind

MISSION: We enable countries to cure avoidable blindness by developing high quality,

cost-effective eye care in underserved areas of the world.

SCOPE OF WORK:

The Chief Development Officer (CDO) will serve as a member of the executive leadership team and will provide leadership, strategy and management for all components of the organization's fundraising and revenue generation. Cure Blindness Project is looking for a leader who has a vision to build upon current strengths and relationships, embrace new opportunities and thinking, and lead our organization in designing and executing a clear, multiyear plan to sustain and grow our revenue base of $40M. The ideal candidate will bring deep acquisition and stewardship experience, show a proven commitment to team development and exhibit the collaborative nature to work closely with the CEO, other functional leaders and the Board of Directors to bring their vision to life.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

Development Portfolio Management

• Develop and oversee annual Development goals, priorities and key deliverables that support the overall organizationalplans.
• In collaboration with Finance, build the annual budget and track results on an ongoing basis to assess and forecast organizational revenue expectations.
• Assess current strengths and opportunitiesofCure Blindness Projectfundraising portfolio. Develop a comprehensive, data-driven fundraising plan that continues to steward and growa strong baseof individual donors and build plans to supportadditionalexpansion in areas of legacy giving,institutional giving,corporate partnerships or other avenues asidentified.
• Personally manage a portfolio ofapproximately 125-150HNWIdonors and support others managing portfolios of major donors. Track portfolio activity, key metrics, communication, and progress.
• Create a comprehensive cultivation and solicitation plan for donors and prospects in the portfolios and execute strategies that fulfill donors’ goals and increase giving.
• Provide guidance and support to development personnel, other seniorleadersor Board members to support their effective stewardshipof donors and potential donors.
• Oversee grants acquisition andgrantsmanagement, including establishing best-in-class practices forgrantsresearch,applicationandsubsequentreporting;collaborate with key finance andprogramsresources to ensureoptimaloutcomes.
• Collaborate with staff, board, and volunteers to align prospect interests toCure Blindness Project'shighest priority needs. Work with leadership and program staff to develop fundraising strategies around emerging organizational projects and priorities.
• Collaborate with CMO and marketing team to create compelling correspondence, including solicitations, cultivation pieces, proposals,reportsand other stewardship materials, toengagehigh value donors and prospects.
• Serve as a key liaison to the Board of Directors (along with CEO) for regular updates and toleverageBoard networks; Lead the Strategic Development committee of the Board.

Management and Organizational Leadership

• Contribute to organizational strategy as a member ofCure Blindness Project’s leadership team, including the development of organization-wide and department annual goals, strategies, and desired outcomes, along with the development of corresponding budgets.
• Lead and develop a team of8staff members.Ensure each team member has a clear understandingof their role scope and deliverables.Establish clear expectations to motivate and assess team effectiveness.
• Provide guidance, feedback,coaching,and mentoring to enable team members to continually develop and improve their effectiveness while also building a collaborative, motivated team.
• Manage Development team staffing and hiring processes.
• Oversee Development systems,infrastructureand processes(CRM,prospect research, gift processing).

QUALIFICATIONS:

Seeking a seasoned professional with a proven track record of leadership and fundraising success, coupled with strategic insight and strong organizational management as demonstrated by the following:

• Bachelor’s degreerequired; graduate degree preferred
• Minimum of fifteen years’ experience in fundraising, including increasing levels of leadership in portfolio and team management and executing against multi-year plans
  • Minimum of 10 years managing and developing a team of fundraising professionals
• Proventrack recordof raising funds from diverse sources, including major gifts fromindividuals, foundations,corporationsand other grant organizations
• Tangible experience of having expanded and cultivated existing donor relationships over time; this includes donor stewardship and solicitation, event planning, grant writing, contracts management, and database management
• Excellent communication skills, both written and oral; ability to influence and engage a wide range of donors and build long-term relationshipsacross a variety of stakeholders with different communication styles and needs
• Proven commitment to collaboration and productive relationship building across diverse groups of people and perspectives;demonstratedability and desire to interact effectively with a wide range of personalities
• Familiarity with donor tracking systems, preferably a detailed knowledge ofSalesforce and how toleveragedataforclear strategicprioritization
• Experience working in a global healthiNGO, ideally with familiarity with eye health.
• Experienceworking with aBoard of Directorson strategy and supporting stewardship andacquisitionefforts

Additional qualifications include:

• A sense of discretion and a high degree of professionalism isrequired,including theability tomaintainconfidentiality ofhighly sensitiveinformation.
• Strong interpersonal, communication, facilitation, and presentation skills.
• Detail oriented and able to efficiently prioritize tasksanddemonstratefollow-through.
• Flexibility to adjust and contribute to continually evolving work situations and changing priorities.
• Ability and willingness to travelup to 25%when needed for donor interactions - travel is mostly domestic but could include international travel for donor engagement and/or to deepen understanding of field programs to strengthen fundraising messaging
• Willingness and ability to work across multiple time zones, including participating in morning and evening calls.
• Excellent computer skills and technical aptitude, proficient with MS OfficeandideallySalesforce.
• Committed to advancing diversity,equityandinclusion.

Physical requirements:

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Must be able tolift upto 15 pounds at a time.

Cure Blindness Project encourages applications from people of all races, religions, national origins, genders, sexual orientations, gender identities, gender expressions, and ages, as well as veterans and individuals with disabilities.