Chief Advancement Officer

December 2021 | Boston, MA
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Rosie’s Place seeks a Chief Advancement Officer to oversee a fast-growing, high performing development program and lead external relations efforts.

About Rosie’s Place

Rosie’s Place, a sanctuary for poor and homeless women, offers emergency and long-term assistance to women who have nowhere else to turn. Founded in 1974 by Kip Tiernan, Rosie’s Place welcomes each guest with respect and unconditional love, carrying forward Kip’s spirit of social justice.

Every year, Rosie’s Place meets thousands of poor and homeless women with thousands of unique needs and challenges. Leadership, staff and Board at Rosie’s Place have formed a supportive community and understand that there’s no single cause of poverty and homelessness and consequently, there’s no single cure-all. For this reason, they offer a spectrum of services to guests. The organization’s constellation of programs and services include the following:

Emergency Services

Rosie’s Place offers free meals 365 days a year; a food pantry with non-perishable items and fresh produce; showers, laundry and lockers; overnight beds for up to 21 days; and providers who offer health and wellness care.

Opportunity

Women can take English as a Second or Other Language, Literacy and computer classes in the Women’s Education Center and find assistance with job and housing searches.

Advocacy and Empowerment

Multi-lingual Advocates assist women with short- and long-term issues; attorneys provide holistic legal services; and guests are encouraged to participate in Rosie’s Place’s diverse Arts and Public Policy activities, which can empower them to be their own best advocates.

Outreach and Stability

Rosie’s Place stays connected to guests by providing ongoing follow-up to newly housed guests, oversight of women who have complex physical and mental health issues and home visits to isolated women.  The organization reaches women beyond their walls through a satellite office at Franklin Field and collaborations with Boston Public Schools and Massachusetts Trial Courts.

Impact

With committed and collaborative leadership and staff and a dedicated Board, Rosie’s Place is one of the most respected, well-branded organizations in Boston.  With an expansive network of staff, constituents, and people who believe change is possible and share a vision of justice, Rosie’s Place accomplished the following in FY19:

• Rosie’s Place served over 104,000 nutritionally balanced breakfasts, lunches and dinners in the warm and cheery Dining Room.
• The food pantry enabled 2,000 women per month to take home 20 to 40 pounds of foods that their families prefer and enjoy.
• Rosie’s Place’s Advocacy staff scheduled more than 15,000 appointments with guests. Advocates assist with housing, educational and employment opportunities, clothing, wellness care, transportation and emergency funds for eviction prevention and medications.
• Approximately 300 women found sanctuary in Rosie’s Place emergency housing, while advocates worked with them to find permanent homes and services they needed.
• The Housing Stabilization program worked to break the cycle of chronic homelessness. Ninety-eight percent of guests receiving monthly in-home support are able to stay housed and break the cycle of homelessness.

Throughout the pandemic, Rosie’s Place’s doors have remained open and their help, constant. The organization has adapted both programs and services to meet the most urgent needs of homeless women with medical screenings, meals, showers and both daytime and overnight shelter. Responding to the growing hunger crisis, the Food Pantry has doubled its capacity. Further, the remote Advocacy, Legal and Outreach programs are lifelines to women who are facing the enormous challenges of looming evictions and crushing debt as a result of the pandemic. The staff team gives these women the expert help they need to remain stable. Between March and June of 2020, Rosie’s Place raised an additional $241,600 in funds to address COVID response efforts.

 

“The team at Rosie’s Place is among the most committed, mission driven and hard-working staff with whom I’ve ever worked, and their dedication to our guests is evident in all they do. The longevity of so many speaks to the inclusive nature of the organization and it’s the people who work here who have allowed us to become the organization we are today.”  

 

-Leemarie Mosca, President/Executive Director

 

About Philanthropy at Rosie’s Place

The fundraising program at Rosie’s Place is well established, sophisticated and poised for additional growth.  In the last five years, annual funds raised have grown from $7.4M to $11.2M, with funds coming from individuals, foundations and corporations.  Rosie’s Place does not accept government funding, allowing for greater flexibility and sustainability. Instead, they rely on committed volunteers and private supporters to accomplish its effective and innovative work.

The opportunity exists now to take the Rosie’s Place fundraising program to even greater heights.  There is opportunity to further grow the major gift pipeline and program, to broaden the diversity of donors, particularly with the ongoing commitment to DEI at Rosie’s Place, and to focus on donor retention among the many new donors to the organization as a result of its COVID relief efforts.  In addition, there is opportunity to strengthen its planned giving program and efforts.

Rosie’s Place embraces utilization of metrics for all aspects of its work, including its fundraising program, which is data driven and evidence based.

About the Position

Reporting to the President/CEO, the Chief Advancement Officer is responsible for leading fundraising and external relations for Rosie’s Place. As part of the senior management team, the CAO works collaboratively to execute the plan and achieve the goals of the organization.

The CAO’s responsibilities will be broad in scope and will include creation and oversight of an organizational fundraising strategy and serving as Rosie’s Place primary fundraiser. With impeccable attention to detail, they will ensure that all communications on behalf of the organization are executed flawlessly. They will provide direction for the engagement of key external constituencies to advance the goals of Rosie’s Place.

The CAO will oversee and manage all areas and personnel within Rosie’s Place’s Development, Communications, Volunteer Services and Public Policy departments. They will ensure that all activities are consistent with Rosie’s Place’s mission, philosophy, and policies.

In the first three months, the CAO will be responsible for conducting a comprehensive assessment of the organization and presenting recommendations for new goal setting and achievement.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership and Staff Management

• Provide strategic vision to the fundraising program, identifying growth potential and maximizing opportunity for fund development.
• Provide strategic direction to the public policy program, identifying organizational priorities, marshalling community resources, and engaging stakeholders in effecting social justice.
• Develop and implement an integrated strategic communications plan to advance Rosie’s Place’s brand identity; broaden awareness of its programs and priorities; and increase the visibility of its programs across key stakeholder audiences, including guests and potential guests.
• Oversee the identification and implementation of key external strategic partnerships, with an emphasis on building mission relationships on core new programs, including new collaborations and branches of Rosie’s Place.
• Participate in and act as the staff liaison to various Committees of the Board of Directors, as assigned by the President/CEO.

Fundraising

• Support and partner with the President/CEO and board members on all major fundraising initiatives
• Serve as Rosie’s Place’s chief fundraiser, managing and soliciting a portfolio of important individual and institutional donor and partner relationships.
• Provides executive leadership to Rosie’s Place’s relationships with its various external stakeholders, knitting together the work of its communications and marketing efforts, approach to philanthropy, key strategic partnerships, and outreach to guests.
• Oversee and provide leadership to department directors in the Development division, which includes Fundraising, Communications, Volunteer Services, and Public Policy.
• Play a lead role in Board stewardship and development. Present at meetings and serve on several Board committees.
• Serve as a member of the senior leadership team and as a key resource to the President/CEO. In the absence of the President, or when strategically beneficial, serve as Rosie’s Place’s spokesperson.

Key Qualifications

• Strong commitment to social justice and the mission of Rosie’s Place.
• Minimum 7 to 10 years of development experience at a non-profit organization.
• Demonstrated record of securing 6 figure gifts from individuals; success building relationships with a diverse donor constituency.
• Strong leadership and managerial skills with a demonstrated ability to communicate in a positive way and effectively motivate staff and stakeholders.
• A proven track record of project management, with an emphasis on fundraising, marketing/sales, communications/branding, strategic partnerships, and volunteer engagement.
• Proven ability to think strategically and forecast trends by analyzing data and creation of long-term plans.
• Strong analytical and communication skills. Ability to communicate clearly and concisely to colleagues and board.
• Excellent verbal, written and problem-solving skills, strong knowledge of media and external partnerships demonstrated ability to expand brand awareness.
• Highly self-motivated, possessing strong organization skills.
• Strong, professional ethics, integrity, and accountability in all actions.
• Team player with positive attitude.

It is the policy of this organization to afford equal opportunity in all aspects of employment to all persons without discrimination on the basis of race, religion, sex, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, age, handicap (disability), genetics, color, or marital status. This policy shall apply to all employees, applicants for employment, board and committee members, and volunteers and extends to all phases of employment, including recruitment, screening, referral, hiring, training, promotion, discharge or layoff, rehiring, compensation, and benefits.

Rosie’s Place strives to maintain formal and consistent procedures that provide equal employment opportunities in recruitment, selection, compensation, benefits, staff development and training, promotion, and any other conditions of employment.

If you are interested in being considered for this search, please email your cover letter and resume in confidence to:

RosiesPlace@developmentguild.com

Suzanne Battit

Senior Vice President, Principal

Development Guild DDI