Fractional Chief Development Officer

Fractional Chief Development Officer (90-Day Engagement with Ongoing Leadership Opportunity) About Action4Equity Action4Equity is a North Carolina-based nonprofit building the civic infrastructure necessary for long-term systems change. We organize communities, strengthen community governance, influence policy, and align capital to improve education, health, economic mobility, housing, public safety, and overall community well-being. Rather than operating a single program, Action4Equity serves as the backbone organization for multiple countywide and statewide initiatives. We are entering an exciting phase of growth and are building the organizational infrastructure necessary to support statewide expansion across North Carolina. We are seeking an experienced development executive to help build that infrastructure. This is not a grant writing position. We are looking for a strategic leader who has successfully built development departments, fundraising systems, institutional partnerships, and sustainable revenue strategies for growing nonprofit organizations. The Opportunity This engagement begins as a 90-day consulting project focused on designing and implementing Action4Equity's complete Development Department. The consultant will work directly with executive leadership to build the systems, processes, documentation, dashboards, and fundraising infrastructure required for long-term organizational sustainability. Following successful completion of the initial engagement, the selected consultant will have the opportunity to continue as Action4Equity's Fractional Chief Development Officer, leading and managing the development function on an ongoing basis. Project Goal At the conclusion of the first 90 days, Action4Equity will have a fully operational Development Department with: Annual Development Strategy Multi-Year Revenue Strategy Diversified Funding Framework Institutional Fundraising Strategy Prospect Research System Active Funding Pipeline Grant Management System Donor Stewardship Program Major Gifts Framework Strategic Partnership Process HubSpot configured for fundraising Executive Development Dashboard Revenue Forecasting Model Board Fundraising Framework Development Policies and Standard Operating Procedures Annual Development Plan Scope of Work Phase 1 – Foundation (Days 1–30) During the first 30 days you will: Assess current funding sources, grants, donors, sponsorships, contracts, and partnerships Analyze revenue mix, concentration risk, and long-term sustainability Develop an annual development strategy aligned with organizational goals Establish annual and multi-year revenue targets Build funding priorities and prospect segmentation Create a prospect research process Develop a master prospect universe Review and optimize HubSpot Build fundraising pipeline stages Develop a grant calendar Create executive development dashboards Update the organization's Case for Support Develop fundraising and donor stewardship policies Phase 2 – Systems & Infrastructure (Days 31–60) You will build: Prospect management system Grant management system Opportunity pipeline Donor stewardship process Sponsorship development framework Major gifts process Proposal development workflow Funder communication standards Reporting systems Revenue forecasting model Board fundraising framework Strategic partnership development process Development content library HubSpot fundraising configuration Phase 3 – Activation (Days 61–90) You will: Launch prospect cultivation Begin executing the grant calendar Support institutional funder meetings Launch donor stewardship activities Conduct the first pipeline review Train board leadership on fundraising responsibilities Launch sponsorship outreach Launch partnership cultivation Complete the Annual Development Plan Begin monthly dashboard reporting Complete a revenue risk assessment Required Experience We are seeking a consultant who has: 12+ years of nonprofit development leadership experience Served as a Chief Development Officer, Vice President of Development, or equivalent executive role Built development departments from the ground up Designed fundraising operations and organizational infrastructure Developed institutional fundraising strategies Built CRM systems such as HubSpot, Salesforce, Raiser's Edge, or similar platforms Designed fundraising dashboards and executive reporting systems Built grant management and proposal development systems Secured six- and seven-figure institutional investments Successfully diversified nonprofit revenue streams Experience working with organizations focused on healthcare, education, public policy, community development, civic infrastructure, collective impact, or systems change is strongly preferred. Success Looks Like By the end of the engagement, Action4Equity will have: A documented and repeatable development operation Diversified fundraising strategies A qualified institutional funding pipeline Professional fundraising systems and workflows Executive development dashboards Revenue forecasting capability Board fundraising infrastructure HubSpot fully configured for fundraising A scalable Development Department capable of supporting statewide growth Ongoing Leadership Opportunity The initial 90-day engagement is intended to establish the foundation for a long-term partnership. Upon successful completion of the engagement, the selected consultant may continue as Action4Equity's Fractional Chief Development Officer, responsible for: Leading implementation of the development strategy Managing the institutional fundraising pipeline Cultivating foundation, healthcare, corporate, and government partners Overseeing grant strategy and proposal development Monitoring fundraising KPIs and revenue forecasts Coaching executive leadership and the Board on fundraising Continuously improving fundraising systems Supporting statewide growth and long-term organizational sustainability Engagement Details Initial Contract: 90 Days Estimated Commitment: 15–25 hours per week Remote Reports to: Co-CEO Opportunity for long-term ongoing fractional executive engagement based on performance How to Apply Please submit: A summary of your experience building nonprofit development departments. Examples of organizations where you designed fundraising systems and infrastructure—not just wrote grants. The largest annual fundraising budget you have managed. The largest institutional grant or philanthropic investment you helped secure. Your experience implementing fundraising CRM platforms. Examples of dashboards, reporting systems, or fundraising operations you have built. Why your experience is a strong fit for this engagement. Finalist Exercise Finalists will be asked to complete a paid strategic exercise. You will review Action4Equity's publicly available information and prepare a brief strategic memo outlining: The three biggest opportunities to strengthen our development function. Your priorities for the first 30 days. The funding markets you would pursue first and why. The information you would need to finalize your development strategy. This exercise is designed to help us evaluate strategic thinking, systems design, and long-term leadership fit.