Chief Development Officer

CAMELBACK VENTURES

Camelback Ventures (Camelback) increases access to opportunity for entrepreneurs of color and women by investing in their ventures and leadership while advocating for fairness in their funding. Camelback’s flagship program is the Camelback Fellowship. Since 2015, Camelback has raised over $50M and supported 160+ social entrepreneurs – 95% identified as people of color and 55% as women. Our Fellows have raised over $140M, have been named as Forbes 30 under 30, and have made an impact nationwide in communities from Eastern North Carolina to Seattle.

THE ROLE 

The Chief Development Officer (CDO) will play a crucial role in advancing Camelback Ventures' mission by leading all fundraising and development initiatives. The CDO will build and oversee a comprehensive development strategy to secure $20M+ over the next three years through diverse revenue streams, including annual and major gifts, foundation partnerships, and corporate relations.

As a member of the leadership team, the Chief Development Officer is expected to participate actively in organizational visioning, long range planning, goal setting and the overall resource development efforts of the organization. 

The primary focus of the Chief Development Officer is securing major gifts and will report directly to the CEO, and building a Development team of three full-time staff members, including the Senior Director of Institutional Relations and Development Manager.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES 

Strategic Leadership & Team Management

• Design and implement a comprehensive development strategy and annual plan aligned with Camelback Ventures' strategic plan and mission

• Build and lead a high-performing Philanthropy team, including direct supervision of the Sr. Director of Institutional Relations 

• Recruit and oversee the new role of Development Manager focused on annual fund development, donor stewardship, and development operations

• Foster a culture of philanthropy across the organization, engaging board members, staff, and stakeholders in fundraising efforts 

• Establish robust systems for donor prospecting, stewardship, and relationship management

• Design and implement moves management systems to track and advance donor relationships

• Build and manage the Philanthropy team annual budget 

• Develop and monitor key performance indicators for all philanthropic revenue and utilize CRM to record fundraising information and track key data

Major Donor Cultivation & Engagement

• Collaborate with the CEO to build and maintain a robust donor pipeline, solicit major gifts, and develop tailored proposals based on donor interests aligned with organizational priorities

• Personally manage and cultivate a portfolio of high-net-worth individual donors

• Develop and execute strategies to identify, cultivate, and secure major gifts from diverse communities

• Create compelling donor engagement opportunities that showcase Camelback Ventures' impact

• Work with the Board to identify, cultivate and solicit prospective donors and key relationships in their network

Requirements

THE PERSON

The person we would be over-the-moon to work with is excited to add to our culture based on: a deep belief in our mission; a desire for constant learning; a spirit that is unafraid of failure; and an ethic that is humble, yet hungry. The CDO will see themselves in the examples below.

• You thrive at problem solving. You are excited that each week or month may be a bit different. One week it may be working with a team to build their business development strategy while the next week it is leading the effort with the CEO to figure out what the narrative is to close a seven-figure gift. Even more, the following week you will be digging into data systems to find the hidden revenue opportunity.

• You have an entrepreneurial mindset. You understand what it means to be the first or second in a role for an organization that is growing (there is some stuff in place, but not everything perfectly set up yet). You are okay doing it, not just overseeing it. You tend to be the person who rolls up their sleeves and to make stuff happen.

• You are a business minded leader that sees fundraising not only as “passing the hat.” You understand the “power of passing the hat” after a great speech, inspirational video, or intimate fundraising dinner. At the same time, you have enough experience in sales, fundraising or business development that you understand the science behind the discipline, how to approach strategy from the perspective of creating value and how to set up the teams to create repeatable practices.

• You are equally excited about the transactional and the relational. Whether you are an introvert or extrovert, you genuinely like people, find understanding them interesting, and want to build allies, not just customers. At the same time, you know that progress is based on increasing revenue and have the systems and disposition to know how to properly calibrate your time and energy on the highest potential opportunities.

EXPECTATIONS

• 15+ years of progressive fundraising experience, with at least 10 years of demonstrated success building and managing development teams and working directly with the organization’s leader to achieve progressive fundraising goals.

• Proven track record of securing six and seven-figure gifts from individual donors

• Experience working with diverse communities and donors

• Strong history of meeting or exceeding ambitious fundraising goals

• Up to 30%-40% travel annually. 

IMPACT & SUCCESS METRICS

• Achievement of $20M+ fundraising goal over three years

• Development of a sustainable and diverse funding base

• Building an effective and cohesive development team

• Implementation of robust development systems and processes

• Expansion of the individual donor base

• Growth in earned income revenue

THE TANGIBLE GOODS

• HQ: New Orleans, LA

• Position Location:  Flexible within the continental U.S.  This position is remote with up to 40% travel expectations.

• Salary Range: $180,000.00 - $220,000.00

• Benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision, 403(b), Professional Development Stipend, Education Reimbursement Program, Generous Paid Time Off, & Unlimited Sick Leave

• Priority Application Deadline: February 14, 2025

• Start date: mid to late April 2025

• Position FAQ: Before applying, review the Position FAQs

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by the individual(s) assigned to this position. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, and skills required.  Management reserves the right to modify, add, or remove duties and to assign other duties as necessary.  In addition, reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position.

Camelback Ventures provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.