Executive Vice President, Chief Development Officer
Obama Foundation
Chicago, Illinois – Hybrid work model based at the Obama Foundation office in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago
Anticipated Start Date: Open
Description
The Obama Foundation seeks a mission-driven leader to fill the critical role of the Executive Vice President, Chief Development Officer (“CDO”). The CDO will work closely with the CEO, Chief Financial Officer, leadership team and staff, and the Board of Directors, and will direct and lead the Foundation’s efforts to advance donor understanding of and engagement with the programs and priorities of the organization.
The CDO will conceptualize, organize, and implement a comprehensive and strategic development program that will sustain and fully leverage the reach of and support for the Obama Foundation to meet the organizational mission and strategy and ensure organizational sustainability. The CDO will report to the Foundation CEO, serve as a key member of the executive team, and oversee a Development team currently comprising approximately 45 staff. Priorities for the CDO include planning and executing a $2B+ endowment campaign to ensure the ongoing sustainability of the Obama Presidential Center that will open in 2026.
Responsibilities
Evolution from a nascent to a mature and fast-growth organization: The CDO will build the strategy and operational plan for the Foundation’s fundraising activities. Critical to this will be the creation and implementation of processes, reporting, and analytics to enable effective execution and stewardship.
Communication and reach: The CDO will span grassroots to global sophistication in developing and implementing short and long-term plans for fundraising and increasing and diversifying income sources. Collaboration will be internal with the CEO, executive team, Board of Directors, and Development staff, and external with a broad range of constituents and partners.
Leadership, talent, and development: The CDO will structure and scale the team to execute the fundraising needs and opportunities for the Foundation today and for the future. The CDO will recruit a broad-based team, cultivating individual and team growth, and build succession planning.
Requirements
While the Obama Foundation will consider a broad range of backgrounds, the ideal candidate will have the following qualifications/experience:
Authentic connection to and passion for the Obama Foundation mission. 20+ years of proven leadership experience in planning and implementing a successful, comprehensive fundraising operation for a nonprofit organization, including major gifts, annual fund, planned giving, corporate and foundation giving, e-philanthropy, and direct mail, as well as leadership in a major fundraising campaign (planning, implementation, and successful conclusion); an established track record of increasing philanthropic revenue (with an emphasis on major giving).
Knowledge of and fundamental adherence to the principles, ethics, and best practices of modern fundraising, including the integration of various giving programs to diversify the funding base and cultivate greater donor commitments. Experience leading a diverse staff.
Ability to lead, recruit, evaluate, and develop a diverse team of development professionals and contribute to the ongoing fostering of a high-functioning, results-oriented, multi-racial/multi-ethnic workforce. Track record of maintaining best practices, clear goals, and shared accountability, as well as conceptualizing and executing development office growth.
Demonstrated success in developing the case for support and strategic, innovative fundraising plans, and executing those plans to grow fundraising and exceed goals. Demonstrated experience cultivating, training, building relationships with, and working in collaboration with executives, senior staff, and volunteer leaders on development-related activities, providing them with quality support and intelligence and increasing their comfort with and success in fundraising.
Successful track record of personally identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding major gifts from individual and institutional donors at the level of six to seven-figures or greater. A forward thinker with a track record of utilizing new methods of constituent engagement and connectivity, who will be driven by innovation in developing advancement best practices.
The ability to extract and analyze data to make effective, efficient decisions about donor strategy and process. Working knowledge of modern data management practices and innovations that can streamline advancement processes and contribute to the integration of related functions.
Ability to travel on a national scale, as needed, consistent with public health guidelines. Graduate degree preferred, Bachelor’s degree required.
The Obama Foundation is committed to creating a diverse work environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. The Foundation does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, age, disability, parental status, veteran status, or any other protected status under applicable laws. We encourage individuals of all backgrounds to apply. If you are a qualified candidate with a disability, please e-mail careers@obama.org if you require a reasonable accommodation to complete this application.
Salary Range and Employee Benefits
The annual salary for this role is expected to range from $350,000 to $400,000, commensurate with experience.
How to Apply for this Job
About the Organization
At the Obama Foundation, we are guided by a core belief: that ordinary people working together can change history. Our mission is to inspire those people to take action, empower them to change their world for the better, and connect them so they can achieve more together than they can alone. We were founded by community organizers, so when we seek change, we do it by bringing people together.
That approach begins at home, on the South Side of Chicago, where we are building the Obama Presidential Center. The Center represents a historic opportunity for Chicago: a chance to build a world-class museum and public gathering space that celebrates our nation’s first African American President and First Lady, steps away from where he began his career, where she was raised, and where—together—they made their home.
But that approach extends to all our work, whether it’s holding leadership training sessions in communities throughout the U.S., bringing local leaders together in countries around the world, working to support the global education of girls, or ensuring young men of color have pathways to opportunity. As President Obama has said, “we cannot solve the challenges of our time unless we solve them together.”
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