Chief Development Officer (CDO)

Chief Development Officer (CDO), Sixth & I 

Sixth & I seeks a dynamic fundraising professional to lead the vision, planning, and coordination of fundraising activities as Chief Development Officer (CDO). A community-centered nonprofit, Sixth & I is a center for arts, entertainment, ideas, and Jewish life in Washington, DC. 

Sixth & I’s unique model uses wide-ranging, thought-provoking, and accessible experiences to celebrate unexpected intersections between culture and spirituality. Learn more by visiting www.sixthandi.org.

Sixth & I is guided by a strategic plan that elevates an approach to social justice as an extension of its mission and Jewish values. With an explicit commitment to becoming an anti-racist institution, Sixth & I focuses on social justice through organization-wide staff training, updated operating procedures, and public programming that fosters respectful dialogue and different perspectives on social issues. 

Position Overview

Working closely with the CEO, Board of Directors, and senior leadership, the CDO will build on a strong culture of philanthropy among an active and loyal group of champions. The ideal candidate will be a confident and passionate fundraiser with a strong track record of cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding major gifts. 

The CDO is a member of Sixth & I’s five-person senior leadership team and will steer Sixth & I’s strategic objectives and implement a cohesive culture of philanthropy grounded in commitments to Jewish Life, arts and culture, and equity and social justice. They will oversee the day-to-day administration of an annual contributed operating revenue of approximately $2.7 million. 

With three direct reports, the incoming CDO will have strong people and project management skills, with the aptitude to direct development operations and annual planning. The CDO will be responsible for setting the department’s strategic direction, as well as managing a portfolio of high-net-worth individuals and historic donor relationships and cultivating new major donors. 

Specific areas of responsibilities include:

Development Strategy 

• Create and implement a multi-year and annual development plan with measurable financial goals, feasible timelines, detailed workplans, and clear tactics. 
• In collaboration with the CEO, design strategic approaches to cultivate, solicit, and steward existing and new donors, with an eye toward expanding major gift strategy. 
• Report on fundraising metrics on a regular basis to CEO, Board of Directors, and Sixth & I senior leadership. 

Fundraising Responsibilities

• Direct a portfolio of 80–100 major and mid-level donors with tailored moves management plans for donor identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship. 
• Provide the leadership, vision, and oversight for three to four annual fundraising campaigns.
• Work with senior staff and program managers to identify strategic opportunities for funding. 
• Actively engage Board of Directors in support of annual fundraising goals and activities and leverage board relationships to identify and cultivate new institutional and individual donors.  
• Support planning for donor engagement events with fundraising components. 
• Oversee staff management of Sixth & I’s grant portfolio, including its research, proposal development, site visits, and reporting functions. 

Departmental Leadership & Collaboration

• Supervise and coach a high-performing team of development professionals while steering departmental culture-building efforts. Set clear departmental priorities and annual goals. 
• Oversee annual departmental budget. Work with the COO and finance team to develop program budgets, assist with the annual audit, and develop accurate financial forecasts.
• Support communication functions to integrate fundraising and marketing strategies.

Requirements and Qualifications

The most competitive applicants will likely have many, if not all, of the following attributes:

• At least 10 years of experience in fundraising or related field, with at least five years of experience supervising teams.
• Experience executing ambitious fundraising goals, with a strong focus on major gifts. 
• A passion for Sixth & I’s mission. Personal or professional experience with Jewish culture, values, and philanthropic landscape is considered a plus. 
• Ability to work effectively both independently and collaboratively, fostering teamwork within the development team and a culture of philanthropy across the organization.
• High degree of self-motivation, personal discipline, discretion, and integrity. 
• Excellent written, verbal, and electronic communication skills. Able to craft compelling cases for different audiences and coach team members to support fundraising activities.
• Fluent with financials, including creating and managing budgets, reviewing financial reports, and incorporating financial information, figures, and statistics into cases for support.
• Strong technological proficiency, including experience with prospect research tools and fundraising databases. Familiarity with Raiser’s Edge, RENXT, and/or Tessitura are pluses.
• Experience with capital campaign strategy and/or implementation is considered a plus. 

Location

Sixth & I is based in Washington, DC’s Chinatown neighborhood. A hybrid schedule with approximately two days on-site is available, and the CDO must be located in the Washington, DC region to facilitate on-site work, which includes at least five evening events per month. 

Compensation & Benefits

Sixth & I has conducted a comprehensive pay equity philosophy and has budgeted the salary for this role in the $160,000s. Sixth & I offers a generous benefits package that includes health, vision, and dental insurance, flexible scheduling, paid time off and holidays, pre-tax transit benefits, and a matched retirement savings plan.

Application Process

Sixth & I has retained Good Insight, a national executive search firm serving nonprofits, to conduct this search. See the full executive profile and application information at www.good-insight.org/careers. Resume reviews begin immediately. For best consideration, please apply by late September 2024. Early applications are encouraged due to the pace of the search.

Equal Employment Opportunity

We encourage applicants from all walks of life and faith backgrounds. This role is secular in nature and does not require knowledge or affiliation with Judaism. Sixth & I is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity, and it complies with all applicable laws which prohibit discrimination and harassment in the workplace.