Chief Development Officer

About City Harvest

City Harvest is New York Citys first and largest food rescue organization and we believe all New Yorkers deserve access to the food they need to thrive.

With over 40 years serving New Yorkers in need City Harvest is recognized as a leading equity-driven organization that works alongside our partners to rescue nutritious food and deliver it for free to our neighbors offer free nutrition and culinary education programming and advocate to strengthen the local food system. City Harvest is committed to being there to provide food to all New Yorkers experiencing food insecurity today and to those who may need us in years to come.

Stepping Up for Our Neighbors and Communities

New York City is one of the worlds most affluent cities yet 50% of working-aged households are struggling to make ends meet and 1 in 4 children is experiencing food insecurity with communities of color disproportionately impacted. City Harvest is a critical source of nourishment and hope within our city.

Amid an affordability crisis and the rollback of federal nutrition programs the number of New Yorkers in need of food assistance is at a record 2019 there were about 25 million visits to soup kitchens and food pantries. Last year there were more than 46 million visits reflecting the urgent and ongoing demand for food assistance.

To support City Harvests next phase of growth the organization created the new executive position of Chief Development Officer (CDO). Reporting directly to CEO Jilly Stephens the CDO will serve as a core member of the Executive Leadership Team and work closely with members of the Board of Directors to develop and lead an ambitious forward-looking fundraising strategy. The CDO will be a key thought partner to the CEO and the central figure in ensuring that City Harvests development program meets the considerable operational capacity of the organization and keeps pace with community needs going forward.

The CDO will oversee the revenue channels of major gifts principal gifts and institutional partnerships (foundations and government) as well as development communications and development operations. They will oversee a corresponding team of approximately 24 that includes the Vice President of Development. These revenue channels were responsible for securing more than $31.4 million during FY25 with a cumulative goal of $40 million for FY26.

The CDO will closely collaborate with the Chief External Relations Officer to form a powerful advancement function for the organization thus ensuring appropriate coordination and synergy among the CDOs areas of oversight with other teams responsible for direct response fundraising and business partnerships as well as enterprise-wide marketing and communications special events and volunteer programs.

City Harvest seeks a highly experienced and motivated fundraising executive with a track record of developing and executing strategies that generate significant sustainable revenue growth particularly from high-net-worth individuals and major philanthropic institutions.

While City Harvest will consider a broad range of backgrounds the ideal candidate will have the following qualifications:

Equal Employment Opportunity Employer

City Harvest is an equal employment opportunity employer and does not discriminate based on age citizenship color creed physical or mental disability ethnicity family responsibilities gender identity and expression sexual orientation marital status race religion veteran status or other unlawful factors with respect to employment. City Harvest is committed to the maintenance of a drug-free workplace and ensuring compliance with the Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988.

Gerard F. Cattie Jr.

Global Managing Partner and Practice Founder DSG Fundraising & Advancement

212.542.2587