Chief Development Officer

Join our team and become a part of something bigger – a force for change in the fight against hunger. The Community Foodbank of New Jersey is more than just a food bank – we champion healthier lifestyles and positively impact social and economic change. Together we can create a stronger, more resilient New Jersey for everyone. 

This is our 50th year! In 2025, there will be remarkable opportunity for a strong c-suite executive to play a pivotal leadership role at CFBNJ to drive major capital campaigns and donor initiatives aligned with our 50th year celebration. In this role you will be a strong and resilient frontline fundraiser enthusiastic about CFBNJ’s mission, vision, and values. You will be responsible for driving the organization’s strategic growth and sustainability and will collaborate closely with the President/CEO, Board of Directors, and other key stakeholders to forge new partnerships while enhancing existing ones with donors, corporations, foundations, and volunteers. As Chief Development Officer, you will spearhead multi-faceted fundraising campaigns and work in close association with the  Assistant Vice President, Events, Marketing & Communications to ensure growing public awareness leads to a strategy targeted to increase a diverse pipeline of supporters for vibrant revenue streams and essential volunteer engagement, you will be responsible for developing and nurturing a committed team of individuals, including hiring, coaching, and evaluating performance.  

In this role, you will manage and support the Senior Director, Corporate Relations & Volunteers; Director, Donor Engagement & Planned Giving; Director, Foundation & Government Relations; Director of External Relations (EHT); managers of Donor Services (2) and Development Coordinators. 

What you’ll do in your role:  

Strategic Planning 

• Provide visionary leadership and strategic direction to ensure CFBNJ’s stability and long-term growth through comprehensive annual and capital fundraising plans. 

• Thoroughly understand and articulate the organization’s broader strategic plan and its long-term vision for reducing food insecurity. 

• Collaborate with senior leadership to develop and execute short and long-term growth strategies, identifying and leveraging all engagement opportunities. 

• Provide leadership for CFBNJ’s donor communication strategy, effectively engaging with major donors and board members. 

• Inspire, motivate, and mentor staff, driving processes to achieve strategic and tactical goals. 

• Maintain and expand CFBNJ’s development potential, building a sustainable philanthropic future. 

• Provide executive leadership to the volunteer services department, fostering a diversity of participants and experiences. 

• Oversee a range of development strategies, including individual giving, major gifts, institutional giving, restricted and unrestricted funding, capital campaigns, and creative donor engagement techniques. 

• Manage a portfolio of high-capacity donors and prospects, maximizing their engagement with the organization. 

Revenue Development 

• Identify new opportunities to expand organizational funding from charitable and/or earned sources and design, plan, and lead a successful new capital campaign initiative based on best practices and well-crafted strategies. 

• Develop annual fundraising budgets. Identify, cultivate, solicit, and expand the number of individual annual, mid-level, and planned giving prospects and donors. 

• Seek out opportunities for sponsorships, grants, and partnerships that can contribute to the organization’s visibility and mission delivery. 

Donor Relations and Cultivation 

• Create, implement, manage, and assess a comprehensive donor relations plan to support the organization’s fundraising efforts, including responding to donor concerns and/or requests, gift acknowledgments, program information, and stewardship. 

• Foster a positive ongoing relationship with donors and ensure long-term relationships by maintaining contact and proactively educating donors on outcomes and results of CFBNJ’s efforts. 

• Design and implement growth and retention strategies with existing donors and identify opportunities to target diverse donors and forge new donor relationships. 

Data-Driven Approach 

• Continue to build out a methodical, data-driven approach to this work, with effective use of Moves Management and CFBNJ’s Salesforce CRM. 

• Evaluate strategies, measure performance, and continuously improve fundraising efforts by leveraging Salesforce to gain insights from donor behavior and financial data. 

• Provide analysis and reporting on the overall performance of fundraising against goals and strategic plans. 

Why you’ll love working at CFBNJ:  

• Opportunity for impact: Last year we provided over 90 million nutritious meals across New Jersey and educated over 25,000 people about health and nutrition. 

• Balance: Generous time off, 14 paid holidays, childcare resources, and organization-wide engagement days.  

• Financial Wellness: 401k with 4% company match after 1 year.  

• Health Benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision and Wellness Programs.  

• Recognition and Certifications: Learning opportunities, tuition and certificate reimbursement, and engagement with our reward and recognition program, Bonusly! 

What you’ll need to be successful in this role:  

• Ten or more years of executive-level experience in fundraising including leading annual campaigns, major gifts, grant writing including government grants, preferably in a non-profit or corporate foundation environment. 

• Demonstrated success as a frontline fundraiser personally securing principal gifts (six, seven, or eight figure support) and/or supporting a major capital campaign.  

• Advanced knowledge of strategic planning, budgeting, donor relations and cultivation, metrics, and evaluation. 

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills including public speaking and media experience. 

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and managing CRMs required. 

• Certified Fund-Raising Executive (CFRE) Professional preferred. 

CFBNJ is an equal employment opportunity employer and is committed to complying with all applicable laws prohibiting discrimination based on race, religion, color, national or ethnic origin, age, sex , sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, transgender status, marital status, domestic partnership or civil union status, pregnancy or breastfeeding, disability, being a victim of domestic violence, status in the uniformed services of the United States (including veteran status), justice involved, as well as any other category protected by federal, state or local laws.