Chief Development Officer

Founded in 1980, New York Common Pantry has evolved into New York City’s most innovative emergency food provider, serving 10.2 million meals annually and receiving 730,000 visits from people seeking meals, social service support, and stability. Beyond food assistance, the organization tackles poverty by offering a comprehensive, whole-person approach to tackle the root causes for food insecurity and establish long-term independence for those it serves.

New York Common Pantry is at a pivotal moment in its growth. Building upon its innovative and robust programs, the organization seeks to dramatically scale its impact by doubling the number of meals it serves annually by 2029. To that end, New York Common Pantry is in the silent phase of an anticipated $25 million comprehensive campaign to purchase and renovate a 23,500 square foot storage and distribution hub in the Bronx, scale its holistic programming, and transform its strategies for the provision of emergency food.

New York Common Pantry seeks a mature and strategic Chief Development Officer (CDO) to guide the strategic growth of the organization’s fundraising program. The successful candidate will design and implement a comprehensive fundraising strategy with the goal of expanding and diversifying philanthropic income sources, with a focus on further building a major and annual giving program. To expand and diversify the prospect base, s/he will develop mechanisms for integrating the volunteer base into the major gifts pipeline. The CDO will build and carry a portfolio of major gifts prospects, including research, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.

The ideal candidate will partner with New York Common Pantry’s fundraising counsel, the Executive Director, and the Campaign Committee to successfully complete the $25 million comprehensive campaign. S/he will strategically engage the Executive Director, Campaign Committee, and the Board of Directors in public outreach and fundraising activities, providing meaningful engagement opportunities and effective support. The successful CDO will build deep, collaborative relationships across the organization to further build the culture of philanthropy and integrate the development team into the fabric of the organization.

The Chief Development Officer will report to the Executive Director and serve on the Leadership Team, which is comprised of the Executive Director, Deputy Executive Director, and Senior Director of Finance. The candidate will build and lead a development team of two direct reports with oversight of an additional nine development professionals in major gifts, individual giving, institutional giving, events, and communications. The candidate will strategically build a robust development team.

S/he will partner with the Deputy Executive Director and Managing Director of Programs to oversee the government grants process. The successful candidate will staff the Development Committee of the Board of Directors. S/he will work alongside fundraising counsel, CCS Fundraising, and the Executive Director to manage the Campaign Committee.