Chief Development Officer (CDO) (Volunteer)

Chief Development Officer (CDO) (Volunteer)

Organization: Mentor A Promise (MAP)

Division: Development & Advancement

Location: Remote via Google Meet and/or New York City

Type: Volunteer (Unpaid)

About Mentor A Promise

Mentor A Promise (MAP) is a New York City–based nonprofit dedicated to supporting children and youth ages 5–18 experiencing housing instability. Through mentorship, literacy development, academic enrichment, social-emotional learning, creative expression, and community-centered innovation, MAP creates safe, consistent, and empowering spaces where young people and families can thrive.

As MAP grows in scale and scope, our fundraising must grow with integrity, transparency, and long-term vision—never at the expense of mission or community trust.

The Role at a Glance

The Chief Development Officer (CDO) is a senior executive leadership role responsible for setting and executing MAP’s comprehensive fundraising and advancement strategy.

This role exists to ensure that MAP’s development efforts are:

• Strategic and sustainable
• Relationship-driven, not transactional
• Aligned with mission, programs, and impact
• Grounded in ethical stewardship and trust

This is not a hands-only fundraising role. It is a visionary, systems-oriented leadership position overseeing strategy, people, partnerships, and accountability.

Core Responsibilities

Organizational Development Strategy

• Lead and execute MAP’s organization-wide fundraising and advancement strategy.
• Set short- and long-term revenue goals aligned with programmatic and strategic priorities.
• Ensure diversification of funding streams (grants, individual giving, corporate partnerships, events, institutional support).

Fundraising & Revenue Leadership

• Oversee grant strategy, institutional fundraising, major gifts, and donor stewardship.
• Guide donor cultivation, solicitation, and relationship management with integrity and care.
• Partner with the Executive Director and Board on fundraising strategy and engagement.

Team Leadership & Infrastructure

• Build, mentor, and oversee the development team (staff and volunteers).
• Establish clear systems, workflows, metrics, and accountability structures.
• Ensure alignment between Development, Finance, Programs, and Communications.

External Relations & Stewardship

• Serve as a senior representative to funders, donors, and institutional partners.
• Ensure high-quality donor communications, reporting, and stewardship practices.
• Support ethical storytelling and responsible use of impact narratives in fundraising.

Governance, Compliance & Continuous Improvement

• Ensure compliance with nonprofit fundraising regulations and best practices.
• Partner with Finance and Legal teams on transparency, reporting, and risk management.
• Check and respond to emails daily, with responses within 48 hours.
• Lead continuous improvement of fundraising systems, strategy, and leadership practice.

How MAP Supports Executive Leaders

MAP treats development leadership as mission stewardship, not pressure-driven revenue extraction. In this role, you can expect:

• Executive-level authority, trust, and visibility
• Close collaboration with the Executive Director and Board
• Respect for professional judgment, boundaries, and sustainability
• Transparent goals, constraints, and shared accountability
• Professional references and letters of recommendation
• Recognition of development leadership as strategic, relational work

Ideal Background & Expertise

• Senior experience in nonprofit development, advancement, or fundraising leadership.
• Demonstrated success designing and leading comprehensive fundraising strategies.
• Strong understanding of grants, major gifts, institutional fundraising, and donor stewardship.
• Ability to balance strategic vision with practical execution.
• Excellent communication, relationship-building, and leadership skills.
• Commitment to equity, transparency, and mission-aligned fundraising.

Highly Valued (but not required)

• Experience with education, housing, or youth-serving nonprofits
• Experience working with Boards on fundraising
• Familiarity with donor CRMs and fundraising analytics
• Bilingual or multilingual abilities (Spanish or Haitian Creole a plus)

Commitment

• Volunteer role, approximately 5–10 hours per week
• Minimum 6–12 month commitment strongly preferred
• Remote collaboration via Google Meet, with optional NYC-based meetings
• MAP prioritizes sustainability, clarity, and care over urgency or burnout

What You’ll Gain

• Executive-level leadership experience shaping a growing nonprofit’s future
• Portfolio-worthy accomplishments in ethical fundraising and organizational growth
• Close collaboration with executive leadership and Board members
• Professional references and letters of recommendation
• The opportunity to ensure critical programs for youth and families remain strong and sustainable

How to Apply

Please reply in Idealist with your resume and send your resume and LinkedIn profile (and a brief statement of interest) to

hr@mentorapromise.org

Subject line: Chief Development Officer – Mentor A Promise

You may also apply directly here:

https://forms.gle/ptgy2zBZXJB1q7GV8

Lead with integrity. Build with trust. Help ensure Mentor A Promise grows in ways that honor the communities it serves.