November 17, 2013 | Read Time: 1 minute
More than 40 veteran fundraisers are volunteering to give online advice to help new and aspiring chief development officers thrive in their jobs.
Set to debut this week, the CDO Career Network allows fundraisers to post questions and get guidance from experienced development officers.
“We want to reach out to the next generation,” says Trish Jackson, former vice president for advancement at Smith College and a co-chair of the new site’s leadership council, along with Curt Simic, president emeritus of the Indiana University Foundation.
Information from chief executives, board members, and other officials who work closely with chief development officers will be part of the site, says Ronald Schiller, a former chief development officer at the University of Chicago and NPR. He recruited the fundraiser advisers along with Jeff Hanavan, a former software engineer. The two men are co-founders of the Aspen Leadership Group, an executive recruiting group.
The site will also offer articles, books, and other content developed by fundraisers and organizations to help people at all types of nonprofit groups once they are promoted to the top development job.
Mr. Simic says the timing is right for the new online exchange.
“We are at an important transition in the fundraising profession,” he says. “My successor is talking with me about where the next generation is coming from.”
More details are available at cdocareer.net.
