Chief Development Officer

About Flying Kites

Founded in 2007, Flying Kites was established to address vast inequities in access to quality education for children in rural Kenya. Their work started as a single school, the Flying Kites Academy, which aimed to provide a holistic education and access to basic services. Given the Academy’s limited capacity and Flying Kites' commitment to be responsive to local needs, they later established the School Network to support existing public primary schools, which often lacked support for capacity-building and infrastructure investments.

Recognizing the unique vulnerabilities faced by adolescent girls in rural Kenya, particularly between the ages of 10 and 14, Flying Kites expanded its focus to address critical challenges such as gender-based violence, gender inequity, and limited access to sexual and reproductive health education. Flying Kites' role is to engage with public systems, teachers, and community leaders to transform primary schools in rural Kenya into nurturing and safe environments where girls can thrive.

Today, after 18 years of establishing its School Network as a framework for trusted, collaborative partnerships, Flying Kites stands at a pivotal moment. By 2028, the organization aims to reach all 46 public primary schools in South Kinangop Sub-County, creating a model school district that can inform national education initiatives across Kenya.

Sustainability is at the core of Flying Kites' approach. Unlike organizations that implement one-time interventions and move on, Flying Kites fosters enduring, locally-led partnerships. By working alongside educators, families, and community leaders, the organization ensures that its impact is not only transformative but also sustainable for generations to come.

For more information on Flying Kites, please visit https://flyingkites.org/.

The Opportunity 

Flying Kites is entering an exciting new chapter of growth, and the Chief Development Officer (CDO) will play a pivotal role in shaping its future. As the organization scales its impact in rural Kenya, the CDO will lead the charge in developing and executing a bold, data-driven fundraising strategy to support the organization's ambitious goals for expansion. This is a unique opportunity for a dynamic and visionary leader to drive transformational growth, positioning Flying Kites as a model for sustainable, community-driven interventions.

Reporting to the Managing Director, the CDO will oversee a team of three fundraising professionals and collaborate closely with the Board to raise $15–$20 million over the next four years while working towards the organization's long-term goal of scaling from $2.5M to over $4M. This is the senior-most development role and will be instrumental in strengthening and diversifying revenue stream, ranging from foundation grants, major gifts, and corporate partnerships, while identifying innovative funding opportunities to accelerate the organization’s scale and impact. The CDO will be an authentic relationship-builder and external spokesperson, able to articulate the organization's mission in a compelling way that resonates with diverse stakeholders, including donors, partners, and institutional funders.

Beyond fundraising, the CDO will be a key architect of organizational sustainability, implementing streamlined systems and processes to enhance efficiency and effectiveness in development operations. By fostering a culture of philanthropy within the organization, the CDO will also play a leadership role in internal cross-team collaboration, ensuring that resource mobilization efforts align with Flying Kites' programmatic priorities and that fundraising operations foster a cohesive, high-performing team. 

This is an opportunity to shape the trajectory of an organization poised for scale and impact. The ideal candidate is a bold thinker and a collaborative leader with a deep understanding of philanthropy, resource mobilization, and donor engagement, particularly in international development or gender equity sectors. The CDO will have a lasting imprint on an organization that is transforming education for the most vulnerable children in Kenya.

Candidate Profile

We recognize that there is a spectrum of lived and professional experience that will set candidates up for success in this role. While no one candidate will have every experience outlined in the position description, ideal candidates will display the following professional and personal qualities, skills, and characteristics:

Connection to Mission

• Articulate the importance of systems change for adolescent girls to make informed decisions about their education, their bodies and their futures.
• Inspire and motivate others to connect with and contribute to the mission of Flying Kites.
• Embrace an environment where team members feel valued and empowered to contribute ideas.
• Lead with cultural humility and competency, fostering an inclusive and globally informed approach to philanthropy.
• Comfortable and confident in a culture of risk-taking to explore new and innovative ways to diversify revenue streams.  
• Champion a culture of philanthropy across the organization, equipping staff and leadership with the tools and strategies to support fundraising efforts.

Strategic Fundraising Leader

• Develop and execute a clear and actionable multi-year fundraising strategy aligned with organizational growth objectives, outlining resource requirements and measurable KPIs.
• Collaborate with leadership to develop and implement external communications strategies, ensuring consistency in donor-facing messaging across institutional networking events, media opportunities, website, and social media.
• Monitor trends in philanthropy and institutional funding, proactively adjusting fundraising strategies to capitalize on emerging opportunities.
• Lead and refine donor identification and pipeline development strategies to expand beyond existing networks.
• Create fundraising and development operations, ensuring efficient systems, processes, and reporting mechanisms are in place to track progress and inform decision-making.
• Partner with the Board of Directors, providing strategic guidance and support to maximize their fundraising engagement and effectiveness.

Donor Engagement & Stewardship

• Expand and nurture a pipeline of mission-aligned institutional funders, individual donors, foundations, and corporate partners to drive sustainable revenue growth.
• Lead efforts to secure financial support through grants, major gifts, and strategic partnerships, ensuring a diversified and resilient funding base.
• Develop and implement tools, systems, and messaging to enhance grant-writing, impact reporting, and other donor-facing communications.
• Oversee donor database management and leverage data analysis to maintain accuracy, track donor engagement, and refine fundraising tactics.
• Partner with the co-founder to cultivate, steward, and deepen relationships with High-Net-Worth and Ultra-High-Net-Worth individuals, aligning their philanthropic goals with the organization's mission.

Collaborative and Authentic Leader

• Serve as a strategic partner on the Global Leadership Team, working closely with leadership, consultants, and the Board of Directors to align fundraising efforts with the organization's vision and growth strategy.
• Integrate development strategies with programmatic priorities, ensuring that fundraising efforts directly support and enhance organizational impact.
• Foster a values-driven culture by contributing to a collaborative, mission-aligned work environment that prioritizes equity, innovation, and long-term sustainability.
• Lead and mentor a high-performing Development Team, setting clear KPIs, professional development goals, and performance benchmarks to drive success.
• Ensure financial stewardship by overseeing the department’s budget, resources, and fundraising operations to maximize efficiency, transparency, and impact.     

In addition, strong candidates will offer:

• Success in leading fundraising teams.
• Proven track record for raising 6-and 7-figure gifts.
• Strong reputation in the philanthropic community with access to potential donors and partners aligned with the Flying Kites mission.
• Demonstrated ability to cultivate and steward donor relationships, increasing contributions year-over-year.
• Exceptional written, oral and presentation skills.
• Ability to lead through change, managing evolving organizational structures and fundraising approaches.
• Be a team player, able to work well with a diverse work force.
• High emotional intelligence, authentic leadership behaviors, and history of success developing and leading highly effective teams through organizational growth.
• Track record of creatively solving problems, making sound decisions, and exercising principle-based judgement.
• Exceptional analytical skills to effectively assess, monitor, and communicate data.
• Proficiency in data analysis and communication tools (Google Suite, CRMs, MailChimp, etc.)
• Minimum 10 years of development experience at a charitable or non-governmental organization, 5+ years at director-level, preferably in the gender equity or education sector and/or operating in Kenya or sub-Saharan African
• Bachelor’s Degree in Nonprofit Management, Social Sciences, Finance, or related field; a Master’s Degree or higher will be an added advantage.

Travel

• Willingness to work occasional weekends and evenings to align with Kenya-based team and organizational priorities.
• Ability to travel domestically and internationally, including annual travel to Kenya.
• Valid U.S. passport.

Compensation & Benefits

Flying Kites offers a competitive salary and benefits package, commensurate with experience. Expected salary range for this position is $150,000 - $160,000. Benefits include 12 paid holidays, 21 PTO days, 7 sick days, HRA provision, and Simple IRA.

Contact

Koya Partners l Diversified Search Group has been exclusively retained for this engagement, which is being led by Alicia Salerno. Submit a compelling cover letter and resume by filling out our Talent Profile. All inquiries are strictly confidential.

Koya Partners l Diversified Search Group is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals living with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual living with a disability and need assistance expressing interest online, please email [email protected]. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.

Flying Kites is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages applications from people of color, persons with disabilities, women, and LGBTQ+ applicants.

About Koya Partners

Koya Partners, a Diversified Search Group company, is the nation’s premier search firm dedicated to mission-driven leadership. Since its founding in 2004, Koya has had an exclusive focus on mission-driven clients and was founded on the belief that the right leader can transform an organization and have a deep and measurable impact on our world. Koya works with nonprofits & NGOs, responsible businesses, and social enterprises in local communities and around the world.

Diversified Search Group is consistently recognized by Forbes on its top 10 list of “America’s Best Executive Recruiting Firms” and is an industry leader in recruiting transformational leaders for a changing world. The firm is deliberately different in its approach, with best-in-class teams who have decades of experience in cultivating inclusive leaders, understanding the dimensions of diversity, and building equitable teams.

Learn more about Koya Partners l Diversified Search Group via the firm's website.