Chief Development Officer

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Full details and application at:

Position Title: Chief Development Officer

Location: 15 Bank Row, Greenfield, MA

Position classification: Full-time, Exempt

Salary Range: $90,000 – $115,000

Application deadline : September 15th, or until filled

Organization Overview:

Founded in 1952, the Connecticut River Conservancy (CRC) protects and advocates for New England’s longest river—the Connecticut River—and its tributaries, from source to sea. With programs across New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Connecticut, CRC works to restore and sustain a healthy watershed through science, advocacy, and community engagement.

Under new leadership, CRC has experienced dramatic growth over the past three years, doubling its budget and adding depth and expertise to the staff. Looking ahead to its 75th anniversary in 2027, the organization has recently completed a new strategic plan for the next five years that aspires for continued growth in scale and impact across the whole of the watershed. This position offers an outstanding opportunity to join a dynamic organization at a pivotal point in its evolution. Learn more atctriver.org.

Position Description:

Reporting to the Executive Director (ED), the newly created role of Chief Development Officer (CDO) will bring CRC’s existing Development Team of four into its next era of success. The CDO will develop and implement a comprehensive Development strategy, including a major fundraising campaign; will inspire and strengthen the Development team, which raised nearly $2M in FY2025; and will carry their own portfolio of prospects and donors. A key member of the leadership team, the CDO will also live the organization’s values and help foster a culture of philanthropy throughout the organization.

The Ideal Candidate:

This opportunity is ideal for a goal-oriented leader who loves to promote mission-driven work to prospects and donors, enjoys coaching and developing team members, delivers exceptional stewardship/customer service, and understands the importance of a strong fundraising infrastructure including policies and databases. Our ideal candidate will be an ambitious professional with an entrepreneurial spirit, who takes initiative and has a passion for the Connecticut River watershed. We seek a collaborative and dependable team player, who executes sound judgment, inspires donors, and can effectively carry out the daily functions of this position. The ability to establish and maintain outstanding working relationships with internal colleagues, Board members, donors, and other CRC stakeholders is key.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Design and execute a comprehensive Development strategy for CRC, including a campaign for CRC’s 75th anniversary in 2027, to dramatically increase philanthropic support from all sources.
• Integrate all prospects and donors into a concrete, actionable pipeline with associated annual goals and metrics to track progress. Assign prospect portfolios to each frontline fundraiser on the team, including the ED.
• Write content for appeals and other fundraising-related messaging while workingcollaboratively with the Director of Communications on written and visual assets, events, and campaigns
• Serve on the senior leadership team, and provide input into organization-wide decisions. Inculcate and reinforce a culture of philanthropy across the organization.
• Supervise, mentor, and grow the Development team, including providing ongoing supervision, coaching, and professional development. Manage the annual performance review process.
• Strengthen policies and procedures to guide all aspects of fundraising including donor cultivation, stewardship, gift receipt and acknowledgement, corporate gifts/sponsorships, grants, and event logistics.
• Manage a personal portfolio of major gift prospects and implement strategies to cultivate and steward these donors towards larger gifts. Make connections with high-net-worth individuals and equip them with current statistics and stories.
• Build positive, productive, and collaborative relationships with board membersthrough cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship. Help develop and staff the newly reinvigorated Board Development Committee.
• Implement and optimize use of the donor database for prospect management and tracking, gift and contact report entry, and dashboards.
• Ensure ethical and confidential handling of donor information.

Qualifications:

• Demonstrated track record of success in nonprofit fundraising, including securing major gifts and growing planned giving programs.
• Experience leading fundraising teams and collaborating across departments.
• Supervisory experience with demonstrated ability to manage and motivate staff.
• Strategic thinker with strong organizational, relationship-building, and project management skills.
• Demonstrated commitment to fostering belonging in both workplace culture and public activities.
• Writing and communication experience across a range of mediums including donor appeals, project highlights, and grant proposals.
• Excellent public speaking skills and ability to comfortably connect in-person with a variety of external constituencies as well as staff.
• Tech-savvy with an ability to develop efficient processes, including proficiency in CRM systems (Virtuous or similar), prospect research tools, and analytics.
• Knowledge of planned giving vehicles and estate planning tools.
• Passion for the environment and the mission of CRC; familiarity with the Connecticut River watershed is a plus.
• Clean driving record and ability to access events in all four watershed states.
• Ability to lift and carry up to 25 pounds

Are you excited about this opportunity and don’t meet every requirement?

We are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace. We understand that many folks who may be impacted by biased hiring standards, such as women, individuals with disabilities, LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC applicants, may only apply if they meet every requirement listed in a job posting. If you are interested in this opportunity and believe you meet most of the job requirements, we encourage you to apply.

This position is based at CRC’s headquarters in Greenfield, MA. While a hybrid work schedule may be available after 120 days, regular in-office presence is expected for team collaboration, donor engagement, and key meetings. Evening and weekend work is expected.

Location:

This position is based at CRC’s headquarters in Greenfield, MA. While a hybrid work schedule may be available after 120 days, regular in-office presence is expected for team collaboration, donor engagement, and key meetings. Evening and weekend work is expected.

Salary and benefits:

$90,000 – $115,000

CRC offers a comprehensive benefits package including:

Health insurance: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts.

Retirement plan with employer contribution at a 3% match.

Generous paid time off: vacation (15 days); personal days (5); and all federal holidays.

Membership in appropriate professional organizations for planned giving, fundraising, and nonprofit leadership.

Application instructions:

Apply using the application instructions at

Deadline to apply:

September 15th

The Connecticut River Conservancy is an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer and will engage in an inclusive recruiting and hiring process. It considers all applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by state or federal law.

Seniority level

• Seniority level

  Executive

Employment type

• Employment type

  Full-time

Job function

• Job function

  Business Development and Sales

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