Fractional Chief Development Officer

Executive Strategy.Hands-On Execution.Measurable Growth.

I partner with nonprofit CEOs and Executive Directors as an embedded Fractional Chief Development Officer—leading revenue strategy, teams, systems, technology, and board alignment, and working alongside your team to execute. You get seasoned executive development leadership driving measurable growth, without the cost or long-term commitment of a full-time CDO hire.

Schedule a Conversation Explore the Fractional CDO Model

$13M → $33M+in one year

Annual revenue growth achieved with a single client under executive leadership.

$13M → $33M+in one year

Annual revenue growth achieved with a single client under executive leadership.

CFRE

C-Suite Leadership

Full Development Function

AI-Enabled Development

The Real Problem

You don't need another consultant handing you a strategy and walking away. You need leadership that turns strategy into results.

Growth often exposes gaps that were easier to manage when the organization was smaller. The CEO becomes too involved in fundraising execution. The development team works hard but lacks senior leadership. Revenue becomes difficult to forecast. The board wants growth but is unclear about its role. Fundraising, marketing, communications, and partnerships operate independently instead of as one coordinated growth strategy.

That is where fractional executive leadership can make the difference.

Revenue has plateaued despite significant effort.

The CEO is carrying too much of the fundraising function.

The development team needs experienced executive leadership.

The pipeline exists, but forecasting and accountability are weak.

The board needs stronger engagement in revenue growth.

You are not ready to hire a full-time CDO.

A development leadership transition has created a gap.

You may not need more activity. You may need experienced leadership that can turn activity into strategy, accountability, and results.

Meet James Gillen, CFRE

I help nonprofit CEOs determine what needs to happen—and then work alongside their teams to help make it happen.

For decades, I have built and led fundraising strategies, teams, pipelines, partnerships, and board alignment from inside organizations. Today, I bring that experience to a select number of nonprofits as a Fractional Chief Development Officer—working as an embedded member of your executive team, not a consultant on the sidelines.

My perspective comes from leading the work, not simply advising organizations about it. I can step back and see the strategic picture, but I also understand what it takes to turn a strategy into daily priorities, systems, decisions, conversations, follow-up, and execution.

My work spans the full development function—major gifts, individual and monthly giving, grants, corporate and foundation partnerships, and capital campaigns—along with the teams, systems, pipelines, forecasting, and board alignment required to make them successful.

I work with CEOs, development teams, and boards to build alignment around growth—helping boards understand the changes required, strengthening their role in fundraising, and creating development committees that become active partners in revenue generation.

Fundraising does not happen in isolation. I bring deep executive leadership experience across development, marketing, communications, and brand—including comprehensive brand refresh initiatives for multiple national nonprofits—helping organizations align how they position themselves, tell their story, build awareness, engage audiences, cultivate relationships, and generate revenue.

I bring together comprehensive development leadership, brand strategy, integrated marketing and communications, cross-sector revenue discipline, board alignment, practical AI integration, and hands-on execution—so the functions that drive growth reinforce one another rather than operate in silos.

Meet James

Results at a Glance

Executive leadership that produced measurable growth.

$13M → $33M+

Provided executive development leadership during a period in which annual revenue grew from approximately $13M to $33M+.

Decades of Experience

Decades of C-suite leadership across development, marketing, communications, and partnerships for national nonprofits.

Corporate & Foundation

Built and closed multimillion-dollar corporate, foundation, and government partnerships.

Systems & Accountability

Built pipelines, forecasting, dashboards, and executive systems that made revenue growth durable.

Brand & Marketing Alignment

Aligned development, marketing, communications, and brand around a unified case for support—so awareness and revenue reinforce one another.

What Sets This Apart

Executive leadership, revenue discipline, and hands-on execution.

Executive-Level Leadership

Decades of C-suite experience leading development, marketing, communications, brand, partnerships, teams, and organizational growth—including comprehensive brand refresh initiatives for multiple national nonprofits.

The Entire Growth Ecosystem

Development, brand, marketing, communications, and board engagement work best when they are aligned. I help nonprofits see how the pieces fit together—and lead the work required to bring them together around shared organizational goals.

Hands-On Execution

I do not stop at strategy or recommendations. I help build the priorities, systems, accountability, and momentum required to turn the plan into pipeline, partnerships, and measurable results—working alongside the CEO and team from the boardroom to the workroom.

AI-Enabled. Human-Led.

Practical AI integration across development, marketing, and communications workflows—strengthening research, personalization, productivity, and team capacity while keeping relationships and human judgment at the center.

Cross-Sector Perspective

Nonprofit experience. Business discipline.

My approach has been shaped by leading growth in both nonprofit organizations and revenue-generating businesses. That combination keeps development work grounded in relationships and mission—while strengthened by the discipline required to build predictable, sustainable revenue.

Fundraising is not sales. But strong development organizations can benefit from the systems, discipline, and accountability that drive successful revenue organizations.

Pipeline development and management

Proactive corporate and prospect outreach

Weighted revenue forecasting

Performance management and accountability

Alignment of development, brand, marketing, and communications

Scalable systems and processes

Strategy + Execution

Strategy Without Execution Is Just a Good Idea.

Executive strategy is only valuable when an organization can execute it. I know how to get the work done because I have spent my career doing it from inside organizations—building teams, revenue strategies, pipelines, partnerships, systems, campaigns, and the accountability required to produce results.

I operate at the executive level, but I stay close enough to the work to see where execution is breaking down, remove barriers, strengthen critical opportunities, and help the team maintain momentum until the strategy produces results.

Strategy

Know where you are going.

Clarify the revenue strategy, priorities, and decisions required for growth.

Execution

Turn the strategy into action.

Work directly with the team to build pipeline, outreach, systems, and accountability.

Results

Measure what is actually changing.

Track performance, forecast revenue, remove barriers, and adjust quickly.

How We Can Work Together

Three ways I partner with nonprofit CEOs.

Fractional Chief Development Officer

Ongoing executive leadership across the full development function for organizations that need experienced C-suite leadership without immediately hiring a full-time CDO. Depending on the organization's needs, that may include leading major gifts, individual and monthly giving, grants and foundations, corporate partnerships, capital campaigns, revenue diversification, development team performance, board alignment, pipeline, forecasting, and development systems—as well as strengthening the alignment between development, marketing, communications, and brand so these functions reinforce one another rather than operate in silos. I do not stop at strategy—I work alongside the CEO and team to help turn the plan into pipeline, partnerships, systems, accountability, and sustainable revenue growth.

Explore Fractional CDO Leadership

Executive Growth Assessment

A comprehensive executive-level review of your development and growth infrastructure, with a prioritized 12-month roadmap for action.

Explore the Executive Growth Assessment

Interim Chief Development Officer

Experienced executive leadership during a development leadership transition, executive search, or other critical period.

Discuss Interim Leadership

A young woman embraces a US service member in front of an American flag.

Featured Executive Result

National Veterans Nonprofit

Beyond the revenue growth, this executive leadership role required building the strategy, systems, and execution disciplines needed to sustain it:

Annual revenue grew from ~$13M to $33M+ during tenure
Built a multi-year major gifts and corporate partnership pipeline
Aligned fundraising, marketing, communications, and brand around a unified case
Strengthened forecasting, reporting, and executive dashboards
Engaged board in fundraising with clear expectations and results

View Selected Results

A Selective Practice

A Deliberately Hands-On Model.

I intentionally work with a limited number of organizations at any given time so I can remain genuinely engaged.

That means working directly with the CEO, staying connected to the team, participating in critical decisions, helping solve problems as they emerge, and remaining involved as strategy moves into execution.

You are not hiring my name while the work is delegated to someone else. You work directly with me—from strategy through execution.

Corporate volunteer day — national service project — National service project

James Gillen delivering podium remarks at United Way Suncoast — Podium remarks — United Way Suncoast

Executive reception with corporate partners — Executive reception — corporate partners

Your organization's next stage of growth may require a different level of development leadership.

If you are evaluating your development strategy, considering your next executive hire, navigating a leadership transition, or trying to understand what is holding revenue growth back, I'd welcome a conversation.

Schedule a Conversation

A 30-minute conversation to discuss where your organization is today, where you want to go, and whether fractional executive leadership may be the right fit.

Schedule a Conversation