St. Louis Education Fund
Chief Development Officer (CDO)
The Chief Development Officer (CDO) serves as a strategic executive leader responsible for designing, leading, and executing a comprehensive fundraising and development strategy that advances the mission of the St. Louis Education Fund. The CDO will build and sustain a diverse portfolio of philanthropic investments, corporate partnerships, foundation support, major gifts, and community engagement efforts to expand opportunities for students and strengthen educational outcomes across St. Louis.
As a member of the executive leadership team, the CDO will partner closely with internal leaders, the Board of Directors, community stakeholders, and district partners to cultivate transformational relationships and ensure sustainable resource development aligned with the Fund’s priorities.
About the St. Louis Education Fund
The St. Louis Education Fund champions innovative and scalable solutions that equip students to thrive in school and life. The Fund serves as a trusted bridge that leverages community resources and expertise to close funding gaps and foster innovation. Key investment priorities include:
- Health and Wellness
- PreK–8 literacy
- College and career readiness/post-secondary opportunities
Essential Responsibilities
Strategic Fundraising Leadership
- Develop and implement a comprehensive multi-year fundraising strategy aligned with organizational priorities and growth goals.
- Establish annual fundraising targets, performance metrics, and long-term revenue projections.
- Lead strategies across major gifts, annual campaigns, institutional giving, corporate partnerships, planned giving, sponsorships, and special initiatives.
- Identify emerging funding opportunities that align with the Fund’s impact priorities.
Major Gifts and Donor Relations
- Manage and grow a portfolio of major donors and prospective philanthropic partners.
- Cultivate, solicit, and steward transformational gifts from individuals, foundations, and corporate partners.
- Develop personalized donor engagement strategies and stewardship plans.
- Build meaningful relationships that result in sustained philanthropic investment.
- Lead the strategic planning and execution of annual Fall and Spring stewardship events, generating more than $200,000 in philanthropic revenue each year.
Partnership Development
- Serve as a key ambassador and external representative of the Fund.
- Develop strategic relationships with corporations, civic organizations, foundations, and community leaders.
- Collaborate with school district leadership and community stakeholders to identify shared opportunities and partnership models.
- Expand regional visibility and strengthen the Fund’s philanthropic network.
Board and Executive Leadership Support
- Lead the CEO, CIO, and Board of Directors to strengthen fundraising capacity and engagement.
- Support board members in donor cultivation and relationship-building efforts.
- Prepare fundraising reports, dashboards, and strategic updates for leadership and board meetings.
Development Operations and Team Leadership
- Lead development operations, systems, and fundraising infrastructure.
- Ensure accurate donor database management and reporting practices.
- Establish processes that support donor stewardship and revenue tracking.
- Supervise and mentor development staff while fostering a collaborative culture of excellence.
Communications and Community Engagement
- Partner with communications staff to align fundraising messaging and storytelling.
- Develop compelling narratives that connect donor investment to measurable impact.
- Support public-facing events and community engagement opportunities.
Qualifications
Required
- Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree preferred.
- 8–10+ years of progressive leadership experience in fundraising, advancement, philanthropy, or nonprofit development.
- Demonstrated success securing major gifts and managing diverse fundraising portfolios.
- Experience leading organizational fundraising strategies resulting in measurable revenue growth.
- Strong relationship-building and external engagement experience.
- Proven track record in managing multiple donor projects and priorities
- Advanced skills in managing donor database systems
- Excellent written, presentation, and communication skills.
- Experience working collaboratively with executive leadership and boards.
Preferred
- Experience in education, youth-serving organizations, or public-sector partnerships.
- Knowledge of philanthropic and corporate giving landscapes in the St. Louis region.
- Familiarity with donor database systems and fundraising analytics tools.
- Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE).
Employee Benefits
This position will be eligible to participate in all of the STLEF benefit plans, including without limitation group health, life, disability, dental and vision insurance and/or participation in the STLEF’s retirement plan, or other benefits. Health, Dental and Vision benefits are covered by the Fund. Additionally, the Fund offers a time off policy with 4 weeks per year, and 12 paid holidays.
Our organization’s culture is built on a foundation of putting people first. We thrive in a highly collaborative environment where each individual’s strengths are celebrated and leveraged to drive our shared goals and outcomes. Join us to be part of a team where your contributions are valued, and your unique skills are aligned with our collective success.
Please submit a cover letter and resume to Nikki Doughty – nikki@stledfund.org
