Chief Development Officer

June 2023 | Crazy Horse, SD
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Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation seeks a transformational Chief Development Officer committed to and understanding of this important mission and vision, to help shape its philanthropic future.

About Crazy Horse Memorial

The Mission of Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation is to protect and preserve the culture, tradition, and living heritage of the North American Indians. The Foundation demonstrates its commitment to this endeavor by following these objectives:

• Continuing the progress on the world’s largest sculptural undertaking by carving a Memorial of Lakota leader Crazy Horse;
• Providing educational and cultural programming to encourage harmony and reconciliation among all peoples and nations;
• Acting as a repository for Native American artifacts, arts, and crafts through The Indian Museum of North America ®, and The Native American Educational and Culture Center ®;
• Establishing and operating The Indian University of North America ®, and when practical, a medical training center for American Indians.

The Memorial is situated atop the majestic Black Hills of South Dakota near idyllic small towns such as Custer and Hill city, and major city the “Gateway to the Black Hills” or “City of Presidents”, Rapid City. Made of pegmatite granite, the location was chosen by sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski and Lakota Chief Henry Standing Bear.

Standing Bear is reported to have spoken on behalf of the elders when he invited Korczak Ziolkowski to carve a Memorial to honor his people. Chief Henry Standing Bear shared a message of hope and reconciliation. Korczak accepted the invitation, and the project began. On June 3rd, 1948, motioning toward Thunderhead Mountain, Standing Bear conveyed to those in attendance at the dedication ceremony that the newly-initiated Memorial would serve to create cross-cultural understanding and to mend relations between Natives and non-Natives – an especially powerful sentiment coming from a man who spent his entire life working to understand others and, in turn, educate others about his people and their culture.

Looking to the future of the Memorial, Monique Ziolkowski, family of co-founders Korczak and Ruth Ziolkowski, shares:

“Among so many things, Crazy Horse Memorial® is a Monument honoring North American Indians.  Chief Henry Standing Bear envisioned a Memorial to pay tribute to our indigenous people.  Standing Bear and Native elders chose and invited our father, Korczak Ziolkowski, to carve a Monument in South Dakota’s sacred Black Hills. With a handshake, a promise was made, and a dream was born.

Although the sculpture will be the largest in the world, Dad always said it was the smallest part of the mission. With a strong belief in the importance of education, our parents ensured the project’s humanitarian goals included a Museum that would educate visitors about Native Nations and a University where Native students acquired knowledge and skill to make a difference for future generations. We continue to look to the future of the Mountain Carving, The Indian Museum of North America, and The Indian University of North America, to continue to build the dream intended by its founders.”

About Philanthropy at Crazy Horse Memorial

Crazy Horse Memorial remains entirely funded by private donations and social enterprises and does not receive any state or US Government funding. Approximately one quarter of the annual budget is funded through direct service income and three quarters remains funded by individual contributions.

The organization’s philosophy “make a friend first” has resulted in extremely dedicated donors and supporters who want to see the mission carried on for future generations. Crazy Horse Memorial is poised for growth and continues to advance its fundraising operations, diversify its talent, and build the resources necessary to carry out the vision set by its founders and continue to inspire over one million people each year.

About the Position                   

Reporting to the CEO, the Chief Development Officer (“CDO”) is a critical member of the executive team. The CDO sets a strategic vision to ensure Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation exceeds its revenue goals and is financially sustainable. The CDO will lead a staff of eight and have responsibility for the identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of individuals, corporations, and foundations.

The CDO’s responsibility will center on Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation’s strategic planning and the strengthening of the organization’s capacity to fulfill our mission: To protect and preserve the culture, tradition, and living heritage of North American Indians.

In addition, the CDO will deliver strong outcomes within a culture that embraces learning and continuous improvement. Beyond team performance, the CDO will also individually be accountable for a personal portfolio of donors to steward.

The CDO will be a leader in the truest sense: a visionary, a builder, an innovator, and focused on results in order to enhance and optimize Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation operations. The CDO will excel at balancing patience with urgency given the demands of this multi-faceted role.

The ideal candidate will be interested in and committed to living in the Black Hills to meet frequently with donors from across the country and the world.

Key Responsibilities

The CDO will be responsible for managing the following critical areas:

Executive Leadership

• Serve as a critical member of Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation executive management team. Collaborate across the executive team to facilitate and achieve the vision, mission, and strategic goals of the organization. Provide cultural leadership by modeling the values and priorities of the organization.
• Establish credibility throughout the organization and with the Board of Directors as an effective developer and implementer of solutions to business challenges. Work with the Board of Directors to ensure the realization of revenue goals.
• Lead major gifts and endowment efforts at the direction of the CEO and in collaboration with key stakeholders.

Leadership & Strategy:

• Lead Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation fundraising strategy to support the growth of the organization and financial sustainability. Leverage data sources to inform key decisions, plans, and fundraising efficiency.
• Responsible for raising $10M annually through individuals, corporation, and foundations. Specific initiatives include:
  • Individuals: Enhance Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation donor portfolio management strategy and ensure excellent performance of all portfolios.
  • Corporations: Enhance the moves management system for corporate partners and build a multi-pronged model of support including: financial, engagement, and marketing benefits.
  • Foundations: Advance relationships with funding partners to strengthen retention rates, identify new funders, and bridge communication between programs to ensure grant requirements are fulfilled.
  • Oversee the daily management, support, review, and analysis of acquisition vs. conversion of donors.
• Lead proposal writing and impact reporting to donors to illustrate the impact of funding and partnership within the functional areas of Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation mission.

Team Management

• Develop a first-rate team through employee selection, mentoring, training, and development. Provide support, coaching and feedback, supervision, and guidance to direct and indirect reports.
• Manage team performance with clear performance objectives and enforcement of excellent internal controls.
• Establish and continuously evaluate the department’s performance metrics, team structure, and annual plans for continuous improvement. Oversee the portfolio moves management process and ensure proper integration with all frontline fundraisers.

• Provide team members with professional and personal growth through ongoing talent management practices, including leadership development, skill development, and position-specific articles/books/training.

Key Qualifications

• Outstanding written and oral communication skills as well as proposal and presentation skills.
• Demonstrated ability to establish strong working relationships and influence with multiple stakeholders.
• Strategic vision and intuition that will help Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation executive leadership team and the Board of Directors develop innovative relationships and strengthen existing partnerships.
• Superb analytical thinking and decision-making abilities; the CDO will lead and contribute to the organization’s analytical approach to decision-making and the ongoing development and refinement of tools for assessing the organization’s financial performance and selecting the appropriate benchmark and formative assessments for collecting and analyzing data.
• Excellent project management skills, which, in partnership with the Board of Directors and executive team, will drive the development and implementation of multi-year strategic and financial plans for the organization’s efficient management.
• A bachelor’s degree in business, marketing, communications, or a related field.
• Hands-on experience/understanding of production/operational timelines.
• A minimum of 10-15 years of fundraising experience, with a preferred five years of experience in a senior leadership role in a large nonprofit organization.
• Advanced experience with CRM platforms, preferred experience with Raiser’s Edge.
• Excellent time management and planning skills in order to manage both the day-to-day resource development function and strategic planning and implementation.

Compensation: The salary range for this position starts at $150,000 and will be evaluated commensurate with experience.

All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

If you are interested in being considered for this upcoming search, please use the form below or email your cover letter and resume in confidence to: chmf@developmentguild.com

Kat Landa

Senior Vice President, Executive Search

Development Guild DDI