Chief Development Officer, Muslim Advocates

About the position The Chief Development Officer (CDO) serves as the organization’s senior fundraising and revenue strategy leader, responsible for building, leading, and sustaining a comprehensive development program that supports Muslim Advocates’ mission and long-term growth. Reporting to the Executive Director and serving as a key member of the senior leadership team, the CDO oversees all fundraising strategy, systems, and relationships. The CDO partners closely with the Executive Director to cultivate and steward major donors, foundation partners, and institutional supporters, while building a strong internal culture of philanthropy across the organization. This role is both strategic and hands-on, requiring a leader who can design a long-term fundraising strategy while actively engaging donors and mentoring a growing development team.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership for a $5M fundraising operation with a strong emphasis on major gifts ($5,000+) and foundation grants.
• Partner closely with the Executive Director to manage, steward, and grow a dynamic and expanding portfolio of major donors through authentic, relationship-driven engagement aligned with Muslim Advocates’ mission and values.
• Develop and execute multi-year fundraising strategies that align with organizational priorities, program growth, and long-term sustainability.
• Strengthen and diversify revenue streams, including individual giving, institutional philanthropy, and other aligned funding opportunities.
• Work closely with program, legal, policy, and communications staff to establish and sustain a culture of philanthropy across the organization, ensuring fundraising is understood as a shared responsibility.
• Translate complex legal advocacy, policy impact, and movement work into compelling, donor-centered narratives that inspire investment and long-term partnership.
• Support leadership and staff in donor engagement efforts, including preparation for funder meetings, proposals, reports, and stewardship activities.
• Build, lead, and mentor a high-performing development team, including hiring staff and reimagining an ideal development staffing structure to support organizational growth.
• Establish clear goals, roles, performance metrics, and accountability structures for the development function.
• Strengthen fundraising systems, processes, and data management to support efficiency, transparency, and data-informed decision-making.
• Serve as a key member of the senior leadership team, contributing to organizational strategy, planning, and decision-making.
• Bring familiarity with movement-based, organizing-informed, or social justice–oriented fundraising, with the ability to engage donors around civil rights, equity, and systemic change.
• Act as a strategic partner to a well-regarded, authentic, and relationship-driven Executive Director, supporting external engagement, donor strategy, and organizational leadership.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred in a related field (nonprofit management, public policy, law, social sciences, or related discipline).
• Minimum of seven (7) to ten (10) years of progressive fundraising leadership experience, including significant responsibility for major gifts and foundation fundraising.
• Demonstrated experience leading multi-million-dollar fundraising programs and managing complex donor portfolios.
• Experience building, leading, and scaling development teams and fundraising infrastructure.
• Strong alignment with Muslim Advocates’ mission, values, and commitment to civil rights, equity, and justice.
• Demonstrated experience in major gifts fundraising and foundation relations, including donor cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
• Familiarity with movement-based, organizing, or social justice fundraising models and donor engagement approaches.
• Exceptional relationship-building skills, with the ability to engage donors, board members, staff, and external partners with authenticity and credibility.
• Strong strategic thinking, analytical, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to translate vision into actionable plans.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including proposal writing, donor communications, and executive-level presentations.
• High emotional intelligence, sound judgment, and a collaborative leadership style.
• Proficiency with CRM systems and fundraising tools to support tracking, reporting, and performance management.

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