Blog
January 8, 2026
2026 Market Insights from Top Nonprofit Chief Development Officers
Download The Scaffolding Isn’t Optional: What Nonprofits Need Now to Sustain Society’s Future »
In Fall 2020, amid the uncertainty of a global pandemic, Sterrin Bird began convening something unprecedented: a group of thirteen Chief Development Officers (CDOs) from some of the world’s most influential nonprofit organizations. What started as a virtual gathering has grown organically into an extraordinary community of women leaders who collectively raise $19 billion annually across humanitarian crises, hunger relief, health, culture, and media integrity.
When founding this powerful and collaborative group, Sterrin had a clear vision:
“The purpose was simple but profound: to create a safe space for candid discussion about the challenges facing not just our individual organizations, but the nonprofit sector itself. From the beginning, this has been about building trust among peers navigating uncharted territory together.”
For five years, the group met virtually, wrestling with the questions keeping nonprofit leaders up at night:
- How do nonprofits sustain missions as government funding retreats?
- What happens when fewer, wealthier donors wield more influence?
- How do we navigate board dysfunction, workforce burnout, and public trust erosion while maintaining our organizations’ essential role as society’s scaffolding?
In her role as Nonprofit Executive in Residence at Attain Partners, Sterrin convened this group in person for the first time on October 22, 2025, at CHIEF headquarters in New York City. The theme guiding the discussion was Strengthening the Scaffolding: What Nonprofits Need Now to Sustain Society’s Future.
“The energy in that room was electric,” said Sterrin. “Not because of what we accomplished, but because of what we represent together.”
What made that day extraordinary wasn’t only the caliber of women present—executives from United Way Worldwide, American Red Cross, Save the Children, New York Public Radio, Feed the Children, American Heart Association, and others spanning humanitarian, health, culture, and media sectors—it was the depth of vulnerability, the quality of thinking, and the shared courage to confront uncomfortable truths together.
Led in conversation and community by Sterrin, and joined by Reshma Patel-Jackson, Partner and Digital Practice Lead, and Kristi Phillips, Managing Director, the group tackled some of the industry’s most pressing questions, including:
- How can nonprofits partner with the private sector without compromising mission integrity?
- What radical changes must governance models undergo?
- How do leaders rebuild trust with donors, boards, staff, and communities while upholding equity?
- How can AI and emerging technologies be harnessed without losing the human connection that fundraising requires?
The discussion that day revealed why thinking, learning, and growing together is so critical. Alone, nonprofit leaders face these challenges as isolated problems within our organizations. Together, we recognize them as systemic issues requiring collective courage and collaborative solutions. These leaders in fundraising stopped competing and started collaborating. They moved from defending their positions to exploring possibilities. They challenged each other’s assumptions while supporting each other’s humanity.
As one participant noted, quoting Jane Fonda, nonprofit leaders are “guardians of what’s possible.”
“But,” Sterrin added, “we can only guard that possibility together—by creating spaces where senior leaders can be honest about what’s not working, bold about what needs to change, and hopeful about what we can build.”
The CDO Council has become a model for how senior nonprofit leaders can move beyond transactional relationships to transformational solidarity. It is proof that when you create genuine space for connection—no media, no recording, no performance—extraordinary leaders will show up with extraordinary courage.
And in a sector facing unprecedented pressure, that courage is exactly what is needed to sustain society’s future.
Published Insights from the CDO Council
The Scaffolding Isn’t Optional: What Nonprofits Need Now to Sustain Society’s Future
By the CDO Council: Thirteen Chief Development Officers Leading Organizations That Raise $19 Billion Annually
Nonprofit leaders are being asked to do the impossible: sustain society’s most essential services amid declining trust, shrinking government support, and seismic shifts in how people give. The Scaffolding Isn’t Optional is a candid, strategic briefing from thirteen Chief Development Officers (CDOs) whose organizations collectively raise nearly $19 billion a year. Written by leaders at institutions including the American Red Cross, United Way Worldwide, and Save the Children, this whitepaper articulates what many executives feel but rarely see clearly named: the real risks facing the sector, and the structural changes required to remain credible, resilient, and relevant.
For CDOs, CEOs, and board-facing leaders, this paper delivers uncommon value, offering peer-level insight into rebuilding trust when institutions are under scrutiny, using AI responsibly to expand capacity without losing humanity, addressing board dynamics that quietly hinder impact, and reframing nonprofits not as charities—but as essential infrastructure.
If you are responsible for revenue, reputation, or long-term sustainability, this is a perspective you need in your corner as you make decisions that will define the next decade of your organization’s impact.
Fill out the form below to download the full whitepaper.
2026-01 DIG: CDO Council Whitepaper Downloads
Continuing the Conversation
This inspiring group will continue meeting in 2026 under the leadership and guidance of Sterrin Bird, Nonprofit Executive in Residence at Attain Partners. Stay tuned for a video series highlighting the expertise and experiences of four key members of the group launching early 2026.
Coker Powell
Blood Cancer United
Natalie Carlisle
K-LOVE
Colleen Ridenhour
Feed the Children
Crashonda Andrew
United Way Worldwide
Attain Partners – Driving Innovation for Mission-driven Organizations
With decades of firsthand industry experience, Attain Partners brings fundraising experts to empower our clients to drive sustained organizational growth and innovation. We help bridge the gap between philanthropy leadership, business strategy, and modern donor engagement technology. Learn more.
About Sterrin Bird
Sterrin Bird is a global fundraising leader and transformative figure in the nonprofit community, universally recognized for her nearly three decades of exceptional dedication to philanthropy. Her expertise spans the future of fundraising, building robust teams, and mastering the art of relational fundraising. With a keen focus on breaking down silos and fostering human-centered change, Sterrin excels in leveraging technology in support of mission outcomes and is an advocate for utilizing AI for fundraising innovation.
Prior to her tenure as a development officer, Sterrin catalyzed growth as a development consultant for three notable international consulting firms, where she blossomed into a cross-functional leader. In 2010, she founded her own consulting practice, orienting her approach around uncommon coaching and leadership mentoring. Throughout her multifaceted career, Sterrin has orchestrated over three dozen capital campaigns across the globe, cumulatively raising more than $5.5 billion, securing her reputation as a global fundraising leader.
In her professional journey, she has held pivotal leadership roles at prestigious nonprofit giants such as Duke Medicine, the University of California, the American Red Cross, the March of Dimes, and United Way. Sterrin also spent four years as the in-house nonprofit expert with the global team at Salesforce.
Sterrin holds an Executive Certificate in Nonprofit Management and Leadership from the Harvard Kennedy School. She is also a True North Leadership Fellow and was named to the Advisory Council of Rogare, a fundraising think tank in the UK at the University of Plymouth.
Her extensive experience with C-suite executives, nonprofit directors, and leadership across complex organizations speaks to her ability to exceed funding objectives while leading teams and managing the ever-changing nonprofit industry. A distinguished cross-functional leader, Sterrin navigates the intersection of fundraising, marketing, brand positioning, and program advancement with ease.
Originally from Short Hills, New Jersey, Sterrin now calls the Bay Area home, living with her two children, Thomas and Mary. She is a prolific public speaker and is also deeply invested in her community. Sterrin sits on the board of Maimoni Valley Preserve, One Life Counseling, and the Young Men’s Service League, embodying the spirit of engaged and impactful citizenship.
