Chief Development Officer

October 2023 | Boston, MA
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Heading Home seeks a Chief Development Officer to lead and grow a diversified  fundraising program.

About Heading Home

Heading Home’s mission is to end homelessness in Greater Boston by providing a supported pathway to self-sufficiency that begins with a home, together with critical services such as life skills, financial literacy, and job training. 

Founded in 1974, Heading Home has successfully helped thousands of people end their homelessness for nearly 50 years. Today, a leading provider of housing and support services for over 1,600 clients in Greater Boston, Heading Home supports families and individuals alike, boldly leading the way to help children and adults leave homelessness behind. As an agency, Heading Home’s services are diverse; providing emergency, transitional, and permanent housing, and support services, to extremely low-income individuals and families currently or formerly experiencing homelessness.

Heading Home’s approach to ending homelessness is unique – in that, they support men, women, and children of all ages, from infants to the elderly. Many providers focus on one subset – families or adult individuals. Because Heading Home supports both, they can shepherd parents as they navigate children aging out of the family system, support single adults becoming parents, and allow older adults to age in place. Heading Home’s frontline staff practice evidence-based case management strategies that support clients from the moment they enter Heading Home programs.

Heading Home’s programs focus heavily on getting people permanently housed and sustaining that housing using an evidence-based, client-centered model paired with essential support services, providing the optimal foundation to support clients in achieving their goals. Such services include housing search and placement, life-skills development; career coaching; financial education; agency-matched savings opportunities; and assistance in obtaining essential benefits, childcare, and transportation.

For the last 17 years running, Heading Home’s permanent housing retention rates have been 90%+. Last year, 97% of Heading Home clients remained housed after one year.

About the Opportunity

Currently, Heading Home raises on average $4.5M per year from a mix of institutional fundraising, events, and individual giving. Reporting to the CEO, the Chief Development Officer (CDO) serves as a key leadership member of the Heading Home’s Senior Management team. In partnership with the CEO, COO, CFO and the Board of Directors, the CDO is responsible for all fundraising and development activities. In addition to supporting and fostering current relationships, the successful candidate will help forge new relationships to help build a more diversified funding base. The CDO will be responsible for developing a yearly fundraising plan that includes major gifts, institutional giving, annual fundraising events, comprehensive volunteer programs and the annual campaign.

This position will have the primary responsibility of implementing the infrastructure needed to grow private funding. The CDO will play a leadership role in expanding and diversifying Heading Home’s donor base/pipeline and work closely with other team members to secure funding for current and new initiatives.

It is expected that the amount raised by Heading Home will increase in future years as the CDO systematically and effectively strengthens the organization’s overall fundraising capacity.

Key Responsibilities

• Actively work with the CEO and senior staff to develop and implement a comprehensive development strategy to include corporate, foundation, and individual donors
• As leader of the Development team, oversee the department’s goals to:
  • expand private fundraising to include a more diversified group of funders, by industry, and build a major donor program
  • sustain successful events and associated revenue streams
  • remain current on funding sources and trends, with foresight, to help position Heading Home ahead of major funding changes or trends
  • monitor all donor information; provide and present statistical analysis to CEO and senior leadership
  • develop and implement a stewardship program aimed at cultivating deeper ties with donors
  • create efficient and effective processes for Development Operations to ensure accuracy in processing and attributing private donations
  • offer high-ROI volunteer programs
  • monitor and report regularly to the CEO on the progress of the development program
  • raise awareness and brand recognition through robust marketing efforts
• Inspire, develop, and mentor the Development team
• Manage meetings, agendas, and seek counsel of Development Committee on all fundraising initiatives
• Liaise with C-Suite on agency wide direction and initiatives

Key Qualifications

• 7-10-plus years of professional experience in a nonprofit organization; demonstrated success in a development function (managing and forging relationships with multiple donor sources)
• Tangible experience of having expanded and cultivated existing donor relationships over time
• Excellent communication skills, both written and oral; ability to influence and engage a wide range of donors and build long-term relationships
• Flexible and adaptable style; a leader who can positively impact both strategic and tactical fundraising initiatives
• Ability to work both independently without close oversight, but also a team player who will productively engage with others within and outside of Heading Home
• High energy and passion for Heading Home’s mission is essential
• Ability to construct, articulate, and implement annual strategic development plan
• Strong organizational and time management skills with exceptional attention to detail
• Bachelor’s degree required, Master’s preferred
• Willingness and ability to work some nights and weekends

Compensation

The salary range for this position is $180,000 to $182,000.

Heading Home, Inc. is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer and welcomes all qualified applicants. Applicants will receive fair and impartial consideration without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic data, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion or other legally protected status, or any other classification protected by federal, state, or local law.

If you are interested in being considered for this search, please use the form below to submit your cover letter and resume in confidence.

Kieran McTague

Senior Vice President, Principal

Development Guild DDI