How to hire a chief development officer

How to hire a chief development officer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step chief development officer hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a chief development officer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new chief development officer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a chief development officer do?

Post a chief development officer job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   The chief development officer hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A chief development officer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, chief development officers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   The following list breaks down different types of chief development officers and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Chief Development Officer	Description	Hourly rate
   Chief Development Officer	Public relations managers plan and direct the creation of material that will maintain or enhance the public image of their employer or client. Fundraising managers coordinate campaigns that bring in donations for their organization.	$32-95
   Division Director	A division director is a professional who is responsible for managing team members and business operations that are assigned in his/her or her division to achieve the goals of a company. Division directors are required to evaluate division performance and ensure that the team's work complies with the company policies and procedures... Show more	$32-102
   Managing Director	A Managing Director oversees workflow and progress, making sure that all operations align within the company or organization's mission or set of goals. They are responsible for crafting strategies, devising effective business plans, and executing guidelines that would nurture a company's growth, and as well as to be the driving force that would direct employees to the company's objectives... Show more	$34-112

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Kids
   • Oversight
   • CDO
   • Strategic Plan
   • Relationship Building
   • Fundraising Strategy
   • Fund Development
   • Strategic Direction
   • Development Programs
   • Individual Giving
   • Capital Campaign
   • Financial Support
   • Alumni
   • Fundraising Campaigns

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage SDLC process, while participating in requirements gathering, functional documentation, data analysis, and implementation plans.
   • Collaborate with, and provide oversight for, community providers, vendors, and contractors.
   • Partner with architects and provide weekly construction oversight.
   • Serve as back-up for payroll processing and benefits administrator.
   • Coordinate alumni benefits program, including travel and marketing services.
   • Thank and recognize donors in an appropriate and timely manner and manage and maintain donor database including updating and managing files.

   More chief development officer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your chief development officer job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A chief development officer salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, chief development officers' average salary in hawaii is 42% less than in new york.
   • Seniority. Entry-level chief development officers earn 66% less than senior-level chief development officers.
   • Certifications. A chief development officer with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a chief development officer's salary.

   Average chief development officer salary

   $116,047yearly

   $55.79 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level chief development officer salary

   $67,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 28, 2025

   Average chief development officer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$135,375	$65
   2	California	$133,510	$64
   3	Texas	$127,260	$61
   4	Illinois	$126,345	$61
   5	Georgia	$121,045	$58
   6	District of Columbia	$118,620	$57
   7	Arizona	$117,800	$57
   8	Ohio	$116,120	$56
   9	Massachusetts	$114,587	$55
   10	Pennsylvania	$111,659	$54
   11	Arkansas	$110,728	$53
   12	Rhode Island	$110,646	$53
   13	South Dakota	$109,282	$53
   14	Michigan	$108,887	$52
   15	Colorado	$104,006	$50
   16	Maryland	$103,660	$50
   17	Washington	$99,214	$48
   18	Nebraska	$98,344	$47
   19	Missouri	$96,622	$46
   20	Maine	$94,355	$45

   Average chief development officer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	McKinsey & Company Inc	$205,481	$98.79
   2	Goodwin	$197,183	$94.80
   3	SAP	$161,887	$77.83	49
   4	Catholic Relief Services	$159,487	$76.68
   5	Sandia National Labs	$155,781	$74.89	87
   6	University of Maryland, Baltimore	$142,013	$68.28	24
   7	The Metropolitan Museum of Art	$140,679	$67.63
   8	Amnesty International USA	$138,125	$66.41
   9	MWH Americas Inc	$133,654	$64.26	2
   10	Summit Public Schools	$125,235	$60.21
   11	The ONE Campaign	$125,189	$60.19
   12	SAIC	$124,805	$60.00	19
   13	Aspen Valley Hospital	$122,899	$59.09
   14	WIT - Accelerate Digital Transformation	$119,806	$57.60
   15	Jefferson Consulting Group	$116,425	$55.97
   16	Grantham University	$115,821	$55.68
   17	International Center of Photography	$114,287	$54.95
   18	Epharmix	$113,973	$54.79
   19	National Democratic Institute	$111,880	$53.79
   20	Dev	$111,414	$53.56	17

4. Writing a chief development officer job description

   A job description for a chief development officer role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a chief development officer job description:

   Chief development officer job description example

   Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, Executive Management, this position is responsible for leading, directing and managing the Philanthropy Services department in contributing to the Medical Center's strategic direction. This includes interfacing, motivating and leading current and future Philanthropy Services staff, Board members and participants. The incumbent in this position leads, advises and provides support to the Philanthropy Services Board and oversees Men's Club, Women's Club, and the Volunteer Service Guild. The incumbent in this position will manage and direct the annual fund appeals, specific funding initiatives, as well as any capital campaigns that may be needed to solicit donations for use in enhancing and complimenting the needs of the Medical Center. This position has further accountability for developing, implementing, and administering a Planned Gifts Program designed to identify, educate, and cultivate donors of major gifts of cash, insurance, securities, land and residences or other appreciated assets. This position is held by a leader who understands the importance of building long-term, sustainable donor relationships. This position serves as a hospital employee for the purposes of job performance, salary, and benefits.
   
   1. Minimum Bachelor's Degree in Marketing/Business/Public Relations/Communications is required, with a Master's Degree in Public Administration, Fund Development, or a related field preferred.
   
   2. Minimum of five to seven years of successful experience in major gift and mid-tier fund raising with demonstrated knowledge in donor identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship skills.
   
   3. Experience in managing a fundraising team from a related organization or association with a proven successful record is essential.
   
   4. Must have capital campaign and strategic funding initiatives experience that require multi-year donor commitments. Skilled in Donor Recognition planning as relates to Naming Opportunities for large principal gifts ($100,000 to $10,000,000 and above).
   
   5. Demonstrated understanding of prospect research and proven strategies/experience in securing philanthropic gifts utilizing a volunteer led (Board) fundraising program.
   
   6. Proficiency in working with and understanding of a comprehensive donor database (CRM) system to produce prospect lists for solicitation, donor history documents for recognition and moves management, and production of monthly financial reports for Trinity Health Philanthropy Services to track progress and goals.
   
   7. Experience in working with Boards, Volunteers and Committees, overseeing meetings, participating in recruiting, and reporting critical needs of the hospital and financial progress.
   
   8. Excellent interpersonal, analytical, and communication skills (both verbal and written). Excellent organizational and time management skills, ability to work towards goals within deadlines, and attention to detail and accuracy required.
   
   9. Must be comfortable in a clinical setting, interacting with patients at various stages of care. Demonstrated ability to build effective and collaborative relationships with a wide range of constituencies with exceptional customer service orientation, and a solid track record of accomplishments in fund raising.
   10. Strong leadership skills are required.
   
   **Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion**
   
   Trinity Health is a family of 115,000 colleagues and nearly 26,000 physicians and clinicians across 25 states. Because we serve diverse populations, our colleagues are trained to recognize the cultural beliefs, values, traditions, language preferences, and health practices of the communities that we serve and to apply that knowledge to produce positive health outcomes. We also recognize that each of us has a different way of thinking and perceiving our world and that these differences often lead to innovative solutions.
   
   Our dedication to diversity includes a unified workforce (through training and education, recruitment, retention, and development), commitment and accountability, communication, community partnerships, and supplier diversity.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right chief development officer for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your chief development officer job on Zippia to find and recruit chief development officer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as pr news job board, pr council, prsa job center, hoojobs.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit chief development officers, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new chief development officer

   Once you've selected the best chief development officer candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new chief development officer. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire a chief development officer?