Leadership role

Chief Development Officer

The senior fundraising executive, responsible for all private revenue from individuals, foundations and corporations.

Reporting and scope

Reports to the Executive Director / CEO and works with the board's development committee. Authority covers the whole fundraising program and its team.

Core responsibilities

  • Sets annual and multi-year fundraising goals and strategy
  • Leads major gift, planned giving, foundation and corporate teams
  • Plans and runs capital or comprehensive campaigns
  • Manages a personal portfolio of top donors with the CEO and board
  • Oversees gift processing, donor records and restricted gift documentation
  • Engages board members in giving and asking

How it differs

The Chief Philanthropy Officer is a near equivalent, often used in hospitals and health foundations. The VP of Development / Advancement and Director of Development lead fundraising at a lower level or in smaller shops, and the Director of Major Gifts manages one segment.

By organization size

In mid-sized organizations the role manages a small team and does much of the asking itself. In large institutions it leads dozens of fundraisers and campaigns counted in the hundreds of millions.

Filings from the last five years mapped to this role commonly report titles such as: Chief Development Officer; Chief Advancement Officer; Chief Dev Officer; Chief Dev. Officer; Chief Development; Chief Development of

Related roles

Roles this description compares with Chief Development Officer, or that compare themselves with it.

Chief Philanthropy Officer
The senior fundraising executive, typically in a hospital or health system foundation, accountable for all charitable giving.
VP of Development / Advancement
Leads a nonprofit's fundraising from individuals, foundations and corporations, and in advancement models its alumni and constituent relations.
Director of Development
Directs an organization's fundraising program, raising money from individuals, foundations, corporations and events.
Director of Major Gifts
Directs an organization's major gift program, securing large individual gifts through personal relationships.
Chief Marketing / Communications Officer
Directs an organization's marketing and communications, including its brand, public messaging and media relations.
Senior Vice President
A senior vice-president title filed without a named function; its duties vary by organization.

See what this role pays

Median reported total compensation, nationally: $191,000. Based on 6,758 IRS Form 990 filings, fiscal years 2021–2025.

This median spans organizations of every budget size and sector, so it will not match a benchmark for one organization.

State pay pages for this role: California, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Texas, Wisconsin.

Benchmark pay for this role

Back to the role library