Chief Development Officer

12+ years of progressive nonprofit development, with at least 5 years in a senior leadership role overseeing a multi-channel fundraising operation

Demonstrated track record of building or rebuilding development infrastructure — systems, processes, reporting, and team structure — in an organization of $25M+ in annual revenue excluding government funds.

Deep expertise in CRM administration and development operations (Salesforce NPC), including data governance, gift coding, and reporting architecture.

Direct experience leading or supporting comprehensive or capital campaigns ($25M+), with mastery of campaign mechanics: gift-range charts, pipeline staging, pledge accounting, and campaign reporting.

Demonstrated experience overseeing a direct marketing or direct response program at scale, including multi-channel acquisition, renewal, mid-level upgrade strategy, list and audience management, testing discipline, and agency/vendor oversight.

Proven success managing and developing high-performing teams of 8+ professionals, including senior individual contributors and people-managers.

$159,000 - $238,000

Blue Star Families

Blue Star Families is the largest nonprofit dedicated to making military life better for families. Each year, we support over 1.5 million military- and veteran-connected family members through a national network of 300,000+ members and local chapters in communities across the country.

Our mission is simple and bold: We make military life awesome for families. We listen, share, partner, and act to deliver evidence-based, data-driven solutions that work for real people. We’re a lifestyle organization, a friend and neighbor, and a trusted partner. Our approach is collaborative, human-centered, and designed with the whole family in mind.

A Blue Star Family is one with an immediate family member — a spouse, parent, or child — actively serving in the U.S. Armed Forces, including the Guard and Reserves. These families face unique challenges, including frequent relocations, deployments, career disruptions, and isolation. We respond with research-informed programs that create connection, build resilience, and foster a true sense of belonging.

We serve with urgency but build trust over time — because change happens at the speed of trust. Whether we’re driving spouse employment, supporting caregivers, or helping communities welcome military families, we strive for upstream solutions.

Build cross-sector partnerships that get things done

Help military families feel at home wherever they live

The Chief Development Officer is a senior executive responsible for building and leading the infrastructure that supports a $35M+ fundraising operation.

This role is primarily focused on enterprise-level strategy and operational leadership rather than direct frontline fundraising.

While the CDO serves as a key thought partner to the President, CEO, Board of Directors, and Executive Leadership Team on major donor strategy and high-level engagements, the core responsibility of the role is to design, implement, and continuously strengthen the systems, structures, and capabilities that enable a high-performing development function.

They bring a strong focus on executional excellence, pipeline discipline, and cross-functional alignment.

Blue Star Families empowers military and Veteran families to thrive by connecting them with their civilian neighbors — both people and organizations — to create strong communities of mutual support. We believe we're all stronger when we take care of one another.

Our groundbreaking research is raising the nation's awareness of the unique challenges of military family life. With the help of neighbors across the country, Blue Star Families is overcoming the isolation and alienation of frequent moves, deployments, and reduced support from the government. Our innovative programs are solving specific challenges for military families, including fighting economic insecurity with resources that foster spouse career development, creating family strength with rich family programming, and providing critical peer support for caregivers, whose numbers are only increasing.

Blue Star Families is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

EEO Policy

Blue Star Families is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.