Vice President and Chief Development Officer

We are seeking a Vice President and Chief Development Officer to join our team at Buckner. As a Vice President and Chief Development Officer you will be responsible for championing a holistic development model that places donor engagement at the center of relationship-building, philanthropic success, and long-term organizational impact. In this role, the Vice President and Chief Development Officer will provide visionary, integrated leadership and direction that consistently delivers effective, impactful fundraising strategies in support of Buckner’s ministries.

Strategic Leadership & Campaigns:

• Serve as the executive architect for an integrated engagement and development strategy that aligns fundraising (major gifts and annual giving), donor engagement, stewardship, campaigns, and external partnerships with organizational priorities.
• Build and sustain a culture of philanthropy across Buckner, deepening understanding and appreciation for the impact of philanthropy. Inspire a shared commitment in helping leaders, team members, trustees, donors, churches, corporations, and community partners understand the role of philanthropy in advancing the mission.
• Partner with the CEO, executive leadership team, Board of Trustees, and ministry leaders to shape and execute long-term fundraising priorities, annual revenue goals, capital needs, and campaign strategies.
• Lead comprehensive fundraising campaigns, including campaign planning, case development, prospect strategy, volunteer engagement, performance metrics, revenue forecasting, and accountability.
• Provide regular briefings to the CEO and other constituencies on fundraising performance, donor pipeline health, campaign progress, strategic opportunities, and areas of risk.
• Evaluate internal and external factors affecting philanthropy and recommend short-term and long-term development plans that support Buckner’s mission, values, growth priorities, and general objectives.
• Partner with the VP of Communications to advance communication strategies that elevate corporate, church, and community engagement as powerful drivers of successes in engagement, donor relations, annual fund, and stewardship functions. Ensure donor communications are relevant, timely, compelling, and aligned with Buckner’s brand and mission.
• Work with BI, BCFS, and BRS leaders to understand funding priorities, including capital construction, facility maintenance, program expansion, and strategic initiatives.
• Foster and strengthen cross-departmental collaboration across ministries and shared services to reduce silos, align priorities, and support coordinated donor engagement.
• Represent Buckner with key external constituencies, including donors, churches, corporations, foundations, professional organizations, community leaders, and government partners as appropriate.
• Attend Board of Trustee meetings, including committee meetings and ad hoc meetings as required. Participate in and serve on internal and external committees required by the Board of Trustees.

Portfolio Leadership & Donor Strategy:

• Serve as Buckner’s lead fundraising strategist, ensuring effective cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, and relationship management practices across all development functions.
• Represent Buckner to local community constituencies, churches, professional organizations and government agencies as directed.
• Maintain and actively manage a focused portfolio of principal-level prospects, working closely with the CEO and executive leadership to secure significant philanthropic commitments.
• Model frontline excellence by closing significant philanthropic commitments in support of top institutional priorities.
• Identify and implement innovative donor strategies for major gifts, principal gifts, planned gifts, campaign gifts, corporate partnerships, church partnerships, foundation support, and annual giving as applicable.
• Strengthen relationships with current donors, past donors, campaign funders, and prospective supporters to increase donor retention, engagement, and lifetime giving.
• Develop a balanced funding mix that supports Buckner’s current and future needs while increasing donor acquisition, donor retention, major gift conversion, and principal gift activity.
• Lead strategies to move qualified mid-level donors into major gift portfolios and create clear pathways for deeper donor engagement.
• Design and implement cost-effective fund development programs, employing economy while maintaining an acceptable level of quality and solid return on investment. Assure proper planning including goal setting, strategy identification, benchmarking and evaluation to support fund development.
• Model frontline fundraising excellence by participating directly in high-level donor cultivation, solicitation, closing, and stewardship.

Governance, Policy, & Operations:

• Develop and refine policies and procedures governing donor engagement, communications, gift acceptance, stewardship, major gift work, donor confidentiality, and donor intent.
• Ensure development practices comply with applicable laws, regulations, industry standards, ethical fundraising principles, internal policies, and donor restrictions.
• Ensure compliance with code of ethical principles and standards of professional conduct for fundraising executives, mitigate operational risk and uphold program integrity.
• Ensure systems, infrastructure, reporting tools, CRM practices, and development operations support effective fundraising, accurate gift processing, donor engagement, stewardship, and performance management.
• Oversee the fiscal management of the development function, including revenue forecasting, expense budgeting, budget monitoring, reporting, and responsible use of resources.
• Monitor fundraising trends, donor behavior, campaign performance, and nonprofit sector developments. Advise the CEO and Board on relevant opportunities, risks, and strategic implications.
• Identify potential issues that may affect fundraising performance, donor trust, organizational reputation, or revenue goals. Recommend timely solutions to the CEO.

Team Leadership & Development:

• Lead, develop, and hold accountable a high-performing development team focused on revenue growth, donor engagement, operational excellence, and mission impact.
• Establish clear goals, performance measures, portfolio expectations, revenue targets, and accountability practices for the development function.
• Oversee development officers, major gift officers, principal gift staff, and other assigned team members to ensure fundraising activity is strategic, coordinated, and effectively executed.
• Guide regional development activity, donor events, development councils, Great Heart Society receptions, donor trips, campaign events, and other engagement strategies.
• Ensure the successful development and implementation of operational strategies aligned with operational goals and objectives, focused on efficiency, scalability, and service excellence.
• Recruit, hire, coach, evaluate, and retain team members who align with Buckner’s mission, values, performance expectations, and leadership standards.
• Provide regular feedback, coaching, performance reviews, and professional development opportunities to strengthen team capability and prepare emerging leaders for expanded responsibility.

Additional Responsibilities:

• Attend Board of Trustees meetings, committee meetings, ad hoc meetings, internal committees, and external meetings as required.
• Maintain confidentiality of business, donor, employee, financial, and organizational information.
• Maintain compliance with Buckner policies, procedures, and applicable state and federal requirements.
• Work in a hybrid arrangement as approved, with in-person attendance at the Support Center when requested.
• Travel as needed to cultivate donors, support campaigns, assess funding opportunities, monitor programs, and strengthen external relationships.
• Attend, participate in, and facilitate meetings or training as required.
• Perform special assignments, projects, and other duties as assigned by the CEO.

What you’ll bring:

• Requires in-depth understanding of fund raising for non-profit organizations. Involves ability to define problems, draw conclusions and make decisions dealing with abstract variables. This field of knowledge is normally associated with education and experience appropriate to fundraising, the Buckner mission and the advancement of Buckner International. Requires a bachelor’s degree in a related field; Master’s Degree in a related field preferred.
• Requires seven or more years of proven business management and fundraising experience in a professional position including management of 20 or more staff. Minimum of 10 years experience in an executive leadership position providing strategic leadership and management required.
• Requires demonstrated success leading a comprehensive development program that produces measurable charitable contributions through major gifts, principal gifts, annual giving, planned giving, campaigns, corporate partnerships, foundation support, church engagement, and donor stewardship as applicable.
• Requires current Certified Fund Raising Executive certification, or ability to obtain certification within an established timeframe if approved by the organization.
• Requires in-depth knowledge of nonprofit philanthropy, fundraising ethics, donor motivations, volunteer engagement, prospect research, cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, proposal development, campaign strategy, and donor retention.
• Requires proven ability to personally cultivate, solicit, close, and steward major and principal gifts in support of organizational priorities.
• Requires experience assessing, planning, implementing, and evaluating multi-year fundraising campaigns, including campaign readiness, case development, prospect strategy, revenue forecasting, performance metrics, and volunteer engagement.
• Requires executive-level leadership skills, including the ability to lead large, cross-functional teams, manage through complexity, hold others accountable, develop staff, and build a high-performance culture aligned with Buckner’s mission, values, and servant leadership expectations.
• Requires strong communication skills, including executive presentation, proposal writing, negotiation, influence, consensus building, public speaking, and effective verbal and written communication.
• Requires strong relationship-building skills, diplomacy, cross-cultural sensitivity, and the ability to work effectively with donors, trustees, executives, ministry leaders, churches, corporations, foundations, government representatives, community leaders, staff, and volunteers.
• Requires strong analytical skills, including the ability to define problems, evaluate complex information, draw sound conclusions, make decisions involving abstract variables, and produce measurable results.
• Requires experience developing, directing, and managing multiple strategic initiatives, projects, and program goals while meeting deadlines and adapting effectively in a fast-paced environment.
• Requires proficient knowledge of budget management, revenue forecasting, expense oversight, policy development, and reporting.
• Requires ability to maintain confidentiality and exercise sound judgment with donor, business, financial, employee, and organizational information.
• Requires working knowledge of Microsoft Office applications, donor database systems, CRM practices, fundraising reports, gift processing, donor records, prospect tracking, and development operations.
• Requires ability to work under minimal supervision, manage competing priorities, remain flexible as needs change, and perform effectively under pressure.
• Requires proficient ability to speak, read, and write English.
• Requires recognition that the organization is a faith-based organization operating with a commitment to Christian principles.

The above description reflects the details considered necessary to describe the essential functions of the job and should not be construed as a detailed description of all the work requirements that may be performed in the job.