Director of Development

About Children’s Flight of Hope

Children’s Flight of Hope (CFOH) exists to ensure that distance and the cost of travel never prevent a child from accessing life-saving, specialized medical care. We coordinate and fund commercial air travel for children with rare and complex diagnoses, along with a caregiver, to leading centers of excellence across the United States - regardless of distance or frequency of treatment.

Since our founding in North Carolina in 1991, CFOH has evolved from a small organization into a rapidly scaling national nonprofit. From 1,300 flights in 2022, to a goal of 3,000 flights in 2026, we are in a phase of intentional expansion focused on serving more children and their families during times of financial, emotional, and medical burden.  

Position Summary: Director of Development

The Director of Development is a strategic, donor-facing leader responsible for advancing the mission of Children’s Flight of Hope by securing and growing philanthropic support. This role leads and executes a comprehensive low to mid-tier development strategy in close partnership with the CEO, staff, and Board of Directors.

The Director of Development builds and stewards meaningful relationships with individual donors, corporate partners, and foundations - translating mission into investment and ensuring sustainable revenue growth. This position drives a results-oriented culture grounded in collaboration, accountability, and measurable impact.

Key responsibilities include overseeing all fundraising initiatives, strengthening donor engagement and retention, polished event execution, and identifying new growth opportunities. The Director of Development has the opportunity to expand and shape a high-performing development team aligned with the organization’s strategic vision.

Key Responsibilities

Development

• Key contributor of a $4M+ annual development portfolio across individual, corporate, foundation, and event revenue streams.
• Engage and steward of an established portfolio of low to mid-tier donors and partners, deepening relationships and increasing long-term support.

• Expand the network of supporters by identifying, cultivating, and securing new donors and partners.
• Build and manage a strong donor pipeline, leveraging CRM tools to track engagement and performance.
• Partner with staff, board, volunteers and extended CFOH community to strengthen fundraising efforts and expand opportunities.
• Managing of Donor Relations Coordinator. 

Marketing and Communications

• Partner with staff to deliver compelling, mission-driven messaging across all channels.
• Collaborate on integrated fundraising campaigns and donor communications.

Events

• Serve as a key contributor to the success of Children’s Flight of Hope’s three signature events, driving revenue, engagement, and polished mission-driven execution.
• Team lead for event execution – mission forward, logistics, communications, on-line platforms, etc.
• Delegation and management of appropriate event details to other team members.
• Collaboration with Board and community volunteers to meet gross and net revenue goals.
• Support community events held on behalf of the organization.
• Lead donor cultivation events and strengthen relationships with sponsors and partners.

Skills and Experience

• 5+ years of nonprofit development leadership experience with proven results.
• Established Triangle-based network
• Demonstrated success in meeting revenue targets through partnerships, campaigns.
• Demonstrated success with well-executed events such as golf, galas, and peer-to-peer models.
• Strong knowledge of fundraising strategy, donor engagement, and nonprofit best practices.
• Experience with CRM systems and cross-functional collaboration
• Deep commitment to the mission and families served.
• Relationship-driven, strategic, and results-oriented with a strong hunter mindset
• Proactive, adaptable, and accountable, with a focus on delivering measurable outcomes.
• Strong communicator with high emotional intelligence and professionalism
• Collaborative team player with the energy, drive, and tenacity to identify opportunities and expand impact.

Qualified candidates should apply directly to pat@cfoh.org.