Chief Development Officer

ABOUT PLAYWORKS, at Playworks we believe in the power of play to bring out the best in every kid. We are changing the school climate by leveraging the power of safe, fun, and healthy play at school every day. We create a place for every kid on the playground to feel included, be active, and build valuable social and emotional skills. We partner with schools, districts, and after-school programs to provide a service or mix of services including on-site coaches, professional training for school staff who support recess, and consultative partnerships.

ABOUT THE ROLE, reporting to Elizabeth Cushing, Playworks’ Chief Executive Officer (CEO), the Chief Development Officer (CDO) serves as a key leadership team member and an active participant in making strategic decisions affecting Playworks nationwide.  In partnership with the CEO and in collaboration with development leaders, this position is responsible for developing fundraising strategy and orchestrating effective implementation across Playworks’ network of development professionals. The successful candidate will help forge new and sustain existing relationships to build Playworks’ visibility, impact and financial resources. The CDO also will design and implement a comprehensive plan for collaboratively developing key external partnerships by cultivating, soliciting and stewarding philanthropic support from individuals, corporations and foundations.   

The CDO will have primary responsibility for establishing and implementing the infrastructure needed to create a “One Playworks” fundraising strategy.  This includes building standards of practice for relationship management, developing key performance indicators for all fundraising staff, investing in professional development strategies, and creating a culture of joy and promise on the organization-wide Development team.  The CDO will deftly balance the need for local autonomy and entrepreneurial spirit with the need to develop and scale organization-wide best practices.  

The CDO will expand and diversify the organization’s donor base/pipeline and work closely with other team members to secure funding for existing and new Playworks programs. The CDO will work closely with the National Board of Directors and support board members in their revenue-raising role.   

The position reports to the CEO and serves as a member of the executive management team.  The CDO will participate with the Board of Directors, CEO and other organizational-level leaders in charting the direction of Playworks, assuring its accountability to all constituencies and ensuring its effective operation. Within Playworks, the position has primary working relationships with the CEO, senior management team, and VPs. The CDO directly supervises HQ Development team: Director of Individual Giving and Director of Major Gifts.

In addition to meeting the strategic expectations outlined above, the CDO is responsible for the following:

• Develop a multi-year fundraising  strategy with clear measures of success, alignment to Playworks’ strategic plan, and effective engagement of all regional fundraisers to scale and sustain all fundraising initiatives
• Consistently collaborate with fundraising teams to implement and support strategies, manage portfolios and engage regional Executive Directors in achieve their fundraising goals
• Develop strategies to recruit leading philanthropists and corporations with standard pricing models, donor experiences, and clearly articulated returns on philanthropic investments
• Develop and implement a stewardship program aimed at cultivating deeper ties with donors and institutions 
• Actively work with the CEO, development staff, and senior staff to develop and implement a diversified revenue strategy to include support from individuals, families, corporations, and foundations
• Support and partner with the CEO and Board members on all major fundraising and programs
• Collaborate with the CEO, CFO, President, and Board Development Committee on budget formation and management
• Manage HQ Development Department fundraising and a portfolio of significant supporters across all fundraising streams
• Recruit major philanthropic support from youth- and education-focused philanthropists, corporations, and institutional foundations
• Oversee and research funding sources and trends, with foresight, to help position Playworks ahead of major funding changes or trends
• Monitor and report regularly on the progress of the development program 
• Train, develop, lead, coach, and mentor the development team
• Establish a professional development program for all fundraising staff
• Create a culture of philanthropy across all functional areas of Playworks, whereby all staff understand their role in the fundraising strategy

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