Chief Development Officer

The Chief Development Officer plans, organizes, staffs, and directs an integrated cross-function portfolio of fundraising, marketing/communications and volunteer engagement activities designed to deepen community investment and advance the sustainability and expansion of Food Lifeline’s mission to end hunger in Western Washington.

• Serve as a key member of the executive team as part of the collaborative group that drives and shapes the mission, culture, and operation of Food Lifeline overall; while advising senior leadership on philanthropic, volunteerism, and marketing and communications issues.
• Ensure strategic alignment and integration across fundraising, marketing/communications, and volunteer engagement functions so that community engagement, storytelling, and philanthropy reinforce and amplify one another.
• Direct the development department’s strategic plan and ensure the creation of cohesive, cross-functional annual plans that align fundraising growth, brand evolution, and volunteer engagement with Food Lifeline’s broader organizational strategy.
• Promote a culture of philanthropy to drive social justice, demonstrating a commitment to using equity as a process and an outcome for the Development team’s work while fostering a culture of engagement that values volunteers and community members as essential partners in advancing Food Lifeline’s mission.
• Recruit, motivate and lead a high-performance team in alignment with Food Lifeline’s core values and desired culture. Manage the workflow of assigned staff, manage performance and make fair and equitable staffing decisions.
• Encourage and empower staff development and other employee professional growth opportunities.
• Support the President and CEO and overall organization working to ensure we maintain strong strategic communication with the board.

• Responsible for the oversight, planning and implementation of a comprehensive fund development program and strategy that secures significant financial resources from foundations, corporations, and individuals to support Food Lifeline’s mission.
• Work with senior staff to establish fundraising goals and accountability for these goals.
• Oversee the implementation and expansion of a digital engagement strategy that moves individuals through an integrated ladder of awareness, action, advocacy, and giving.
• Drive all major gifts functions, which may include planned giving, principal gifts, donor prospecting and research, and special multi-year fundraising campaigns.
• Responsible for moving a select group of prospects. Focus on long-range strategic priorities, advance the goals, and communicate a broad vision to others. Understand and comply with all gift-related policies and procedures and ensures ethical compliance
• In partnership with the CEO and key Board members, develop and define roles for board in fundraising for Food Lifeline. Provide staff leadership for Board fundraising efforts
• Ensure we have proactive, effective, and strategic communications with the board as necessary.
• Partner closely with Marketing and Communications and Volunteer Engagement leadership to ensure that donor cultivation, storytelling, and community experiences are coordinated and mutually reinforcing.

• Responsible for the oversight, planning, and implementation of a comprehensive marketing and communications strategy that advances revenue goals while strengthening Food Lifeline’s public voice, credibility, and leadership in addressing hunger and its root causes.
• Oversee marketing efforts; steward, grow, and evolve Food Lifeline’s brand to deepen community investment in our mission.
• Ensure inclusive and empowering messaging that centers the dignity of people experiencing hunger.
• Ensure alignment between brand strategy, fundraising priorities, volunteer engagement efforts, and organizational messaging to create a unified and compelling community narrative.
• Ensure we provide clear messaging and talking points for the President and CEO and Board.

• Oversee strategies designed to deepen engagement of volunteers as ambassadors,…