Chief Development Officer

The Organization:

Brooklyn Org is a champion for Brooklyn. We celebrate Brooklyn’s brilliance and resilience, its incomparable culture and uncompromising grit – and we demand more for our communities.

We are a platform for galvanizing giving. We are here to ensure that ideas are met with resources, challenges are met with solutions, and inequity is met with justice.

Brooklyn Org was founded in 2009 as Brooklyn Community Foundation, the first and only public foundation dedicated to New York City’s largest borough. Over our 15-year history, we have moved $130 million to nonprofits in partnership with generous Brooklynites, through our community-powered grantmaking and Donor Advised Funds.

With a new model for community philanthropy, we are bringing together Brooklynites, Brooklyn backers, businesses, and broader believers in equity and justice to make Brooklyn a beacon for the world:

• Nonprofits: We are the advocate for Brooklyn’s nonprofit community. We fund over 100 organizations annually working across every issue, while we invest in the development of emerging nonprofits and leaders.
• Donors: We crowdfund resources from Brooklyn, for Brooklyn, and use our deep knowledge and experience to co-invest strategically in our communities.
• Partners: We collaborate with Brooklyn believers—businesses, government, foundations, and more—to further our shared vision for a stronger Brooklyn.
• Communities: We are connected to communities and cultures across Brooklyn—and these long-standing relationships play a key role in informing our investments.

Our Strategic Plan

This plan lays out our vision to build on our successes to date, and strategically expand our work towards creating a fair and just Brooklyn. We will not waver from our firm commitment to racial justice and participatory grantmaking—the heart of our approach to philanthropy.

Rooted in our vision for a fair and just Brooklyn, our plan includes two goals that will drive our next chapter of growth and impact.

• Goal: Build the capacity and power of organizations that serve Brooklyn
• Goal: Activate and mobilize greater resources for community impact

Read more here.

The Role:

Reports to: President & CEO

Location: Brooklyn, NY (residence in one of the 5 boroughs preferred, to allow for regularly work in office) Currently full-time employees are expected to work in the BKO office, located in Downtown Brooklyn, Monday through Thursday with occasional events on Friday.

Internal Relationships: Executive Leadership Team comprised of:

President & CEO, Chief of Staff, VP Programs, and Chief Operating & Financial Officer

Direct Reports: VP of Development & Special Events, VP of Philanthropic Partnerships (open position), Donor Services Associate, Donor Engagement Associate, plus vendors and consultants

Overview: As a key member of the Executive Leadership Team, the Chief Development Officer (CDO) is an entrepreneurial, results-oriented, and seasoned fundraising professional.

They will be a high-performer, responsible for developing and executing an ambitious fundraising strategy that expands and diversifies revenue across individuals, foundations, corporations, and events with a strong emphasis on major gifts and growing the Donor Advised Funds (DAF) program.

Brooklyn Org seeks a bold, action-oriented and mission-aligned leader who brings a proven track record of raising at least $3m-$4m+ annually annually and scaling donor engagement. The ideal candidate is a relationship-builder who is ready to actively engage in Brooklyn’s community, build trust through transparency and momentum, and tell the story of how collective giving drives community transformation.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Fundraising Leadership:

• Rapidly gain a thorough understanding of the scope and diversity of Brooklyn Org’s history, programs, constituents, donors, and special events.
• Establish credibility and a trusted relationship with the President & CEO, Board of Directors, development team, leadership and staff to gain an understanding of the substantive priorities of the current strategic plan and translate those priorities into successful fundraising initiatives.
• Set and achieve ambitious but attainable fundraising goals for new individual donors, foundations, and corporate prospects with the President & CEO.
• Build and execute targeted strategies to significantly grow Donor Advised Funds (DAF) – including deeper relationships with current DAF holders and identify new prospects.
• Strategically execute and grow the new membership program to develop a broad base of new individual donors, families, and small businesses to build connections to the Brooklyn nonprofit community and develop long-term relationships and donor leadership.
• Support planning and execution of major donor events, including the annual Changemakers Ball.
• Lead the research, identification, engagement, and cultivation of new individual, corporate, and foundation prospects, completing research profiles and tailored cultivation strategies for each prospect.
• Oversee and implement Brooklyn Org's institutional/foundation giving strategy, including research, reporting, underwriting, and management of corporate partnerships are of the highest caliber and aligned with the organization’s equity centered mission
• Ensure the growth of Brooklyn Org’s donor base through list acquisition, direct marketing strategies, and broad-based fundraising campaigns.
• Develop budget projections based on historical and market assessments.
• Perform other related duties as required.

Team and Operational Management

• Supervise and mentor a growing development team and external vendors. Build a high performance, collaborative and accountable fundraising culture.
• Set annual performance goals for development staff, evaluate performance against targets and provide real- time coaching and professional development.
• Cultivate a high performing, inclusive team culture grounded in learning, accountability, and shared values.
• Oversee growth, maintenance, and enhancement of the organization's development database in collaboration with the development team
• Manage fundraising revenue reporting and reconciliation with Finance team.
• Ensure documentation of all development activity related to donor identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship in CRM platform (Community Suite).

Community-Centric Engagement

• Serve as a passionate and informed advocate for Brooklyn.Org, clearly articulating the organization’s vision, impact, and opportunities for involvement across public, private and philanthropic networks.
• Represent Brooklyn Org at donor meetings and events, articulating the organization’s unique value to the borough, community engagement practices, strategies, and successes.
• Strategically engage the President and CEO and all key staff in public outreach and fundraising activities, providing meaningful engagement opportunities and effective support.
• Quickly establish relationships with our existing donors and donor advised fund holders who are currently supporting Brooklyn Org.

Board & Executive Partnership

• Partner with the Board’s Development Committee and President & CEO to advance a culture of philanthropy among Board members, providing training, tools, and opportunities for meaningful donor engagement, and set ambitious but attainable fundraising goals and strategies.
• Keep Board leadership and other key stakeholders informed of progress, opportunities, and challenges.
• Work closely with the Executive Leadership Team to ensure alignment between fundraising strategy and organizational priorities, participating actively in strategic planning and decision-making.

The Leader:

Skills and Qualifications:

• Minimum of 10-15 years of progressive leadership in fundraising with demonstrated success in raising $3m-$4m+ million annually with a track record of growing revenue year over year across diverse fundraising strategies to include major gifts, individual giving, foundation support and corporate partnerships.
• Extensive experience leading high-performing development teams, with a strong emphasis on coaching, accountability, and professional growth.
• Proven track record of providing strategic direction, leadership, and operational management of fundraising initiatives, resulting in marked improvement and growth.
• Strong analytical and organizational skills, with the ability to operationalize fundraising plans and track results using data and CRM tools.
• Skilled at managing Donor Advised Funds (DAFs), including stewarding high-net worth individuals and designing personalized donor strategies.
• Demonstrated ability and skill to enhance the infrastructure of Brooklyn Org’s prospect and grant writing programs, with knowledge of prospect research methods and tools.
• Excellent communication (writing, speaking, presentation and listening) skills and keen attention to detail, with the ability to effectively communicate with key internal and external constituencies.
• Experience with Salesforce preferred.

Attributes:

• Passion, commitment, and understanding of Brooklyn Org’s mission and values, with a deep commitment to racial equity, justice, and community led philanthropy.
• Passionate advocate and storyteller with the ability to inspire donors and external stakeholders through compelling verbal and written communication
• Enthusiastic leader, who will thrive in a fast-paced environment, with the ability to adapt to changing priorities, refine strategies after feedback, and multi-task to meet deadlines.
• Collaborative and genuine team player with the ability to build long-term, collaborative relationships based on good judgment, collaboration, mutual trust and confidence, integrity, and discretion.
• Diplomatic and confident, with a strong presence in donor and Board settings; comfortable making high-dollar asks and engaging in nuanced relationship building.
• Affirmative, positive, and motivational style, combined with a strong, results-oriented work ethic.

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree required
• Master’s degree, CFRE, or CAP certification preferred.

Compensation:

• The salary range for this position is $200,000 – $210,000 and is dependent on the successful candidate’s relevant experience.
• Brooklyn Org has a competitive and exhaustive benefits and leave package.

Racial justice is an ongoing practice that we center in our work—whether by standing in solidarity with Brooklyn communities at the margins of power and access, marshaling resources to maximize the economic potential of racial justice across the borough, or continuously strengthening our community-led grantmaking approach.

Brooklyn Org is an equal opportunity employer. The Organization does not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability, marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.

To learn more about this opportunity, please contact:

Tory Clarke

Partner, Bridge Partners

tory.clarke@bridgepartnersllc.com