$1 - $100,000 USD yearly
Request for Proposal: Fractional Development Director
Please respond by 5:00pm Eastern Standard Time on August 24, 2026. We will review proposals on a rolling basis.
Catholics for Choice (CFC) is a non-profit that exists to amplify the voices of the pro-choice Catholic majority and counter Catholic institutional overreach around reproductive freedom. At Catholics for Choice, we encounter, educate, and embolden pro-choice Catholics nationwide. Our work generates impact in three key areas: shifting public perception to demonstrate that the majority of Catholics support reproductive freedom, organizing pro-choice Catholic advocates to counter the institutional Catholic hierarchy, and strengthening the broader reproductive rights movement by highlighting Catholic support for reproductive rights.
Overview of the Engagement
Catholics for Choice seeks an experienced senior development professional to serve as a part-time fractional Development Director and help build the infrastructure, team, and operating systems needed for a strong and sustainable development program.
This is a time-limited consulting engagement focused on building organizational capacity and preparing CFC for the successful recruitment and transition of a permanent senior development leader. The consultant will report directly to the Co-President for Programs & Development and work closely with her as a strategic and operational partner.
The consultant will not serve as a frontline fundraiser and will not cultivate, solicit, steward, or otherwise serve as a relationship manager for CFC donors. The consultant’s role with respect to major gifts will be to provide strategy, planning, systems, and coaching in support of the Co-
President for Programs & Development, who will retain responsibility for major donor relationships and solicitations, as well as overall responsibility for the development program and approval of major strategic, staffing, and resource decisions.
We anticipate the engagement will begin in early fall 2026 and continue for approximately six to nine months, ideally through the recruitment and transition of the permanent senior development leader. The level of effort may vary over the course of the engagement based on the work required at different stages, and consultants may propose an alternative level of effort or engagement structure that they believe would best achieve the desired outcomes. The position is fully remote.Organizational Context
CFC has operated without senior development leadership for the past year. The current development operation is significantly understaffed, with one development staff member (the Senior Manager for Development & Organizational Initiatives) managing institutional giving, major donor solicitation and stewardship, database management, executive scheduling, staff prospecting training, and other functions. The annual appeal is currently being managed outside the development department as a temporary measure.
CFC has recently adopted a co-leadership structure, with a Co-President for Programs & Development overseeing CFC’s fundraising program, and is entering a period of intentional investment in its development capacity. As of July 2026, CFC established Development as a standalone division, reporting directly to the Co-President for Programs & Development — a deliberate structural commitment to giving fundraising the dedicated focus and leadership it needs. The immediate priority is not maximizing short-term revenue growth but building the infrastructure, team, systems, and management practices needed to support long-term, sustainable fundraising growth and success.
CFC’s development strategy is currently heavily centered on institutional funding from foundations and other grantmaking partners, with a smaller portion of revenue coming from major donors and other individual giving. CFC aims to develop a robust major gifts program with the goal of eventually shifting the preponderance of revenue to major gifts. The fractional Development Director should bring substantial experience leading a major-gifts-focused development program, as well as experience overseeing institutional fundraising. Experience primarily focused on special events, peer-to-peer fundraising, or small-dollar digital acquisition will not, by itself, provide the background needed for this engagement.
The Co-President for Programs & Development, an experienced and effective fundraiser, is personally establishing relationships with CFC’s major donors and institutional funders and will continue to serve as the primary relationship manager for major donors throughout the engagement.
Purpose of the Engagement
The fractional Development Director will provide experienced development leadership during a period of organizational building and transition.
The consultant will help CFC:
• Establish clear development priorities and a realistic work plan for the remainder of 2026 and early 2027, aligned with CFC’s FY27 planning cycle.
• Strengthen the management, focus, and effectiveness of the current development operation.
• Assess and improve development systems, workflows, documentation, and operating practices.
• Build appropriate administrative capacity within the development team.
• Define the structure, responsibilities, and qualifications of the permanent senior development leadership position.
• Support the planning and execution of the fall annual giving campaign.
• Support the recruitment and selection of an administrative development position (search to be led by the Senior Manager for Development & Organizational Initiatives).
• Support the recruitment and selection of the permanent senior development leader (search to be led by the Co-President for Programs & Development).
• Prepare for and support a successful transition to permanent leadership.
Scope of Work
The consultant’s work is expected to include:
Development assessment and prioritization
• Conduct a focused assessment of CFC’s current development operation, including staffing, responsibilities, systems, workflows, donor portfolios, institutional funding processes, and immediate priorities.
• Work with the Co-President for Programs & Development to establish priorities and a realistic development work plan for the remainder of 2026 and early 2027.
• Help identify work that should be continued, strengthened, deferred, reassigned, or discontinued given current organizational capacity.
Development leadership and staff support
• Provide strategic direction, prioritization, coaching, and support to current staff engaged in development work, including with annual year-end campaign.
• Establish effective development management practices and operating rhythms, such as regular development meetings, portfolio reviews, pipeline management, and accountability for follow-up.
• Help clarify roles and responsibilities within the evolving development team.
• Exercise delegated authority over development priorities and operations within parameters established with the Co-President for Programs & Development.
Major donor strategy support
• Serve as a strategic partner to the Co-President for Programs & Development in planning major donor cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
• Help review donor portfolios and establish priorities for year-end and early 2027 engagement.
• Provide research-informed strategic preparation for significant donor meetings and solicitations, including meeting objectives, cultivation and solicitation strategy, and next steps.
• Help establish consistent moves-management and donor documentation practices.
The consultant will not have direct contact with CFC donors or build, carry, or manage a personal portfolio of donor relationships.
Development infrastructure and systems
• Strengthen development systems, workflows, and documentation.• Improve practices related to donor records, moves management, gift acknowledgment, prospect assignment, grant calendars, proposal and reporting deadlines, and other recurring development functions.
• Develop practical documentation and playbooks for key development processes.
• Identify opportunities to improve the quality and usefulness of development data and reporting.
• Establish sustainable management and reporting practices that can be continued by the permanent senior development leader.
Development team design and administrative capacity
• Recommend an appropriate near- and longer-term structure for CFC’s development team, including allocation of responsibilities among senior development leadership, institutional giving, major gifts, and administrative support.
• Advise and support the Senior Manager of Development & Organizational Initiatives in defining, recruiting, and selecting development administrative support, including mentoring her through the hiring process as appropriate.
• Advise and support the Senior Manager of Development & Organizational Initiatives in onboarding, training, and supervising the new administrative team member and developing effective management practices for the position.
• Help determine appropriate roles and responsibilities as the development team grows.
Permanent senior development leader search and transition
• Work with the Co-President for Programs & Development to define the role, responsibilities, qualifications, and position description for the permanent senior development leader.
• Help develop the recruitment and selection process.
• Participate in the hiring committee and candidate assessment process.
• Help prepare for the permanent leader’s arrival by ensuring that priorities, systems, documentation, team responsibilities, and key development information are organized and transferable.
• Provide structured transition support and knowledge transfer to the permanent leader.
Expected Deliverables and Outcomes
By the conclusion of the engagement, CFC expects to have:
• A clear development strategy and prioritized work plan appropriate to the organization’s current capacity and goals.
• A stronger and more effectively managed development operation.
• Clear roles, responsibilities, and management practices for staff engaged in development work.
• A functioning development administrative support position with appropriate responsibilities, systems, and supervision.
• Improved development systems, workflows, documentation, and data practices.
• Established practices for donor portfolio management, moves management, prospect review, institutional funding management, and development reporting.• A recommended longer-term development team structure and staffing plan.
• A well-defined permanent senior development leadership position and a thoughtful recruitment and selection process.
• A successful transition plan and knowledge transfer to the permanent senior development leader.
Desired Consultant Profile
CFC seeks a senior development professional with substantial experience building and leading successful nonprofit development programs.
The ideal consultant will have:
• Significant senior-level experience leading a major-gifts-focused nonprofit development program, including responsibility for major donor strategy and portfolio management, with additional experience overseeing institutional fundraising.
• Demonstrated experience designing development systems, management practices, team structures, and fundraising infrastructure.
• Deep expertise in major gifts strategy, donor portfolio management, moves management, and the systems and management practices required to support a successful major gifts program, along with strong knowledge of institutional fundraising.
• Experience managing, coaching, and developing development staff.
• Experience recruiting and hiring senior development professionals and other development staff.
• The ability to move comfortably between strategic advising and hands-on implementation.
• Strong judgment about organizational priorities and the ability to distinguish what is essential from what can wait.
• The ability to establish credibility and effective working relationships quickly in a remote organization.
• A collaborative working style and comfort operating with meaningful delegated authority while maintaining clear accountability to the Co-President for Programs & Development.
Experience serving as an interim or fractional development executive, or consulting with organizations undergoing development team building or leadership transitions, is particularly valuable.
Budget
Proposals should present a cost structure appropriate to the consultant’s proposed approach, level of effort, and the scope and deliverables described in this RFP. Cost and overall value will be considered as part of the selection process. CFC is open to hourly, monthly retainer, or fixed-fee proposals. Proposals should clearly identify the proposed fee structure, anticipated level of effort, and any assumptions underlying the proposed budget.Proposal Requirements
Proposals should include:
• A brief description of the consultant’s relevant experience and interest in the engagement.
• The consultant’s proposed approach to the work, including initial priorities and how they would structure the engagement.
• Examples of comparable engagements or experience building or strengthening nonprofit development programs.
• The consultant’s anticipated availability and proposed level of effort.
• A detailed cost proposal consistent with the Budget section above.
• The names and contact information of two or three references, including at least one client reference.
Selection Considerations
Proposals will be evaluated based on:
• Depth and relevance of senior development leadership experience.
• Demonstrated ability to build development programs, teams, systems, and infrastructure.
• Quality and practicality of the proposed approach.
• Experience managing organizational change and leadership transitions.
• Ability to work effectively with executive leadership and development staff in a remote environment.
• Availability and ability to begin the engagement promptly.
• Proposed cost, overall value, and fit for CFC’s needs.
Submission Instructions
Please submit your proposal as a single PDF document by email to DevFractionalRFP@catholicsforchoice.org no later than 5:00pm Eastern Standard Time on August 24, 2026. Proposals will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
Any questions or requests for clarification should be directed via email to
DevFractionalRFP@catholicsforchoice.org.