Leadership role
VP of Business Development
Develops new partnerships, customers or sources of revenue for an organization.
Reporting and scope
Usually reports to the Executive Director / CEO, COO or a Chief Growth / Innovation Officer. Authority covers earned revenue, contracts and partnerships rather than charitable fundraising.
Core responsibilities
- Pursues government contracts, fee-for-service agreements and payer relationships
- Develops earned-income lines and social enterprise ventures
- Negotiates partnerships with health systems, school districts or corporate partners
- Prepares proposals and pricing for contract bids
- Evaluates new markets, service lines or affiliations
- Coordinates with finance on unrelated business income questions
How it differs
The VP of Development / Advancement raises charitable gifts and grants; this role grows earned and contract revenue. A Chief Growth / Innovation Officer usually holds broader strategy and new-model authority at the C-level.
By organization size
The role is rare in small nonprofits and tends to appear in larger health, human services and workforce organizations that depend on contracts. In the largest it may oversee mergers and affiliations as well as sales.
Filings from the last five years mapped to this role commonly report titles such as: VP of Business Development; VP Business Development; VP, Business Development; SVP, Business Development; SVP Business Development; Vice President, Business Development