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Chief Development Officer
Maryland Heights, MOMarch 31st, 2026
Chief Development OfficerTransforming Pediatric Healthcare Through Philanthropy: A Historic Opportunity
Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital is reimagining what's possible for children with complex medical needs. We're seeking a visionary fundraising leader who will help transform pediatric healthcare by securing the resources needed to advance our vital mission, while simultaneously establishing the legacy of our newly incorporated Foundation. This rare opportunity combines the strength of a hospital with an 80+ year history (founded in 1941) with the entrepreneurial excitement of leading a new Foundation into its first formative chapter. Join our dedicated team committed to creating a world where every child with complex medical needs lives their best life.
About Our Mission
At Ranken Jordan, we're not just providing healthcarewe're inspiring life-changing solutions for patients and families. We serve the 1% of children who are medically complexthose who require specialized, ongoing care for serious conditions that are often functionally limiting and sometimes life-threatening. Unlike traditional children's hospitals that primarily focus on acute care, Ranken Jordan bridges the gap between hospital and home for children who need continued medical support but are ready to take steps toward independence.
These children often require multiple medications, specialized equipment, frequent medical visits, and round-the-clock care. As a leader in transitional healthcare, we deliver exceptional services through innovative approaches that challenge conventional thinking, helping these extraordinary children achieve milestones their families once thought impossible. Every donation secured, every relationship built, and every story shared advances this transformative work. Now, with our newly established Foundation, we're poised to amplify this impact to unprecedented levels.
Position Overview
This pivotal leadership role offers a unique opportunity to directly impact the lives of children facing complex medical challenges while making your mark as the first executive to lead our newly incorporated Foundation. As both Executive Vice President for the Foundation and Chief Development Officer, you will harness the power of philanthropy to turn medical challenges into stories of hope and possibility, while establishing the foundational systems, culture, and strategy that will define this organization for generations to come. You'll lead a dynamic team equally committed to this extraordinary mission while personally securing transformational gifts that make breakthrough care possible.
The ideal candidate will provide comprehensive leadership across all fundraising channelsfrom principal and major giving to planned giving, annual campaigns, events, foundation grants, and corporate partnershipswhile ensuring excellence in donor database management and creative stewardship strategies that inspire continued investment in our mission. You'll have the rare opportunity to shape philanthropic best practices from the ground up while leveraging the established reputation of an historic pediatric institution.
Foundation Team Leadership
As EVP and CDO, you will lead a talented team of eight development professionals dedicated to advancing Ranken Jordan's mission through philanthropy. This collaborative team includes specialists in major gifts, leadership gifts, corporate and foundation relations, annual giving, special events, donor relations, and fundraising operations. You will be instrumental in developing top talent, mentoring team members to reach their highest potential, and fostering a culture of excellence, innovation, and accountability.
Your leadership approach will be critical in maintaining the high-performing, mission-driven culture that has been established. The team responds well to a leader who gets results, who provides clear direction while encouraging creativity and autonomy, who celebrates successes while using challenges as growth opportunities, and who models the relationship-building excellence expected in all donor interactions. The next leader will have the opportunity to further shape this team structure as the newly incorporated Foundation grows and evolves.
Core Values in Action
Join a team where our values infuse every aspect of our transformative work:
Excellence: Be part of pioneering approaches that continuously redefine what's possible in pediatric care
Collaborative Teamwork: Contribute to a mission-driven environment where diverse talents unite toward our common vision
Respect: Participate in a culture where every interaction honors the dignity of patients, families, and donors
Compassion: Experience the profound impact of caring deeply for children, families, donors, and colleagues
Play: Discover how creativity and joy become powerful tools in fundraising for pediatric healthcare
Key Responsibilities
Personally identify, cultivate, solicit, and close transformational gifts that translate donor passion into life-changing care for children with complex medical needs
Inspire and develop a dynamic fundraising team united by our vision of reimagining what's possible for children
Pioneer the strategic direction and operational infrastructure of our newly incorporated Foundation while honoring the legacy of the hospital's 80+ year history
Provide strategic leadership across all philanthropic channels including principal giving, major giving, planned giving, annual giving, events, foundation relations, and corporate partnerships
Establish robust donor database management and innovative stewardship programs that strengthen donor retention and increase lifetime value
Collaborate with the CEO and Board of Directors to craft compelling narratives that translate medical innovation into powerful cases for philanthropic investment
Serve as a strategic thought partner in advancing breakthrough approaches to pediatric transitional care
Create comprehensive fundraising strategies that connect donors to our transformative mission across multiple channels
Build meaningful relationships with visionary donors and stakeholders who share our commitment to excellence in pediatric care
Become an ambassador for possibility, effectively communicating how philanthropy transforms pediatric healthcare
Develop stewardship practices that celebrate the direct impact donors have on reimagining children's lives
Provide strategic analysis that connects philanthropic success to patient outcomes
Key Expected Outcomes-Year One
Lead the Foundation team to achieve at least 3 million in revenue within first fiscal year
Raise at least 1 million in solo revenue within first full fiscal year
Develop and operationalize key stakeholder feedback to strengthen and support the Foundation within first fiscal year
Add at least three high-capacity trustees to the Foundation board within first fiscal year
Qualifications
Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree or relevant certification (CFRE) preferred
10+ years of progressive development experience with at least five years in an executive leadership role including managing executives and trustees
Proven track record of successful fundraising with demonstrable experience personally soliciting, negotiating, and closing gifts up to and including $10 million that directly advance organizational mission
Entrepreneurial mindset with experience building or significantly growing philanthropic programs, ideally including work with new foundations or campaigns
Comprehensive experience leading diverse fundraising programs including major gifts, planned giving, annual campaigns, events, foundation grants, and corporate partnerships
Expertise in donor database management, data analytics, and designing high-impact stewardship strategies
Passion for connecting philanthropic vision to healthcare transformation
Experience building and mentoring teams united by a powerful mission
Exceptional ability to build relationships with donors inspired by possibility
Compelling communicator who can translate complex medical concepts into inspirational giving opportunities
Strategic visionary who sees beyond traditional fundraising approaches
The Extraordinary Opportunity
This position offers far more than a leadership role, it provides the unprecedented chance to shape the first chapter of a new Foundation while building upon the respected legacy of a historic pediatric institution. You'll fundamentally transform how children with complex medical needs experience healthcare while establishing philanthropic systems and strategies that will sustain this vital work for decades to come. Your leadership will directly enable innovative therapies, groundbreaking programs, and compassionate care that change children's trajectories from medical challenge to fulfilled potential. If you're ready to make history by leading philanthropic efforts that make the impossible possible for children and families, we invite you to join us in this vital mission.
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