Managing Director of Development

October 2023 | Hybrid / Boston, MA
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City Year Greater Boston seeks a Managing Director of Development to advance its philanthropy model, grow overall revenue, and maximize its philanthropic opportunity to ensure future impact.

About City Year Greater Boston

For more than thirty years, City Year Greater Boston (CYGB) has delivered a powerful double bottom line: improved outcomes for students in under-resourced schools and the cultivation of the next generation of leaders through their alumni.

City Year is an AmeriCorps program – a national network of programs that engages thousands of members in service to meet critical needs across the country. City Year AmeriCorps members serve in systemically under-resourced schools as student success coaches—full-time, near-peer tutors, mentors, and role models who are uniquely positioned and trained to support students’ social, emotional, and academic growth, while helping to create engaging learning environments. This work, to support student and school success, helps to advance educational equity and creates more opportunity for everyone. AmeriCorps members provide students with tutoring in English language arts and math, support with attendance, additional academic resources, and relationships that support their learning and life success. Additionally, CYGB works with partner schools and districts to create the conditions for all students to access what they need​ by providing whole classroom support​ and contributing to schoolwide climates that are welcoming and inclusive. Simultaneously, their professional and leadership skills are strengthened through the year of service. For some AmeriCorps members this includes access to career pathways in education or for-profit companies, or low-cost access to select undergraduate and graduate programs.

CYGB’s holistic approach, informed by research and designed to meet local needs, provides students and teachers with critical supports that are essential for learning and development.

CYGB prides themselves on creating a workplace culture where systems and structures are consistently transparent, people feel their voice is valued as they are included in decisions impacting CYGB’s future, and honest conversations are supported by accessible tools, encouraging individuals to own their learning. CYGB aims to provide a diverse workplace where everyone feels they belong while ensuring equitable experiences for all.

About Philanthropy at City Year Greater Boston

CYGB has relied on its corporate, foundation and individual partners to create sustainable social impact, leveraging both private and public investors. With a wide range of support from some of Boston’s philanthropic leaders and some of the most well-known philanthropists in America, CYGB has a strong fundraising track record and an ambitious fundraising plan for growth over the next five years. This position will focus on attracting new major donors, maintaining a current base of outstanding supporters, establishing multi-year contributions, and identifying new funding sources.

Development Guild recently completed a comprehensive fundraising assessment for CYGB that identified a cache of opportunity with individual major gift prospects, as well as corporate prospects. The Executive Director and board are enthusiastic and committed to pursuing a growth plan to realize this opportunity.

About the Position

This is an exciting opportunity for a dynamic and entrepreneurial professional to lead City Year Greater Boston’s revenue generation and growth. Reporting to the Senior Vice President and Executive Director (ED), the Managing Director of Development will be an integral member of City Year Greater Boston’s Executive Leadership Team, and will work closely with other senior leaders, such as City Year’s Vice President for Site Advancement and City Year Greater Boston Board members.  

Since its founding, City Year has relied on corporate, foundation, and individual partners to create meaningful social change. As the leader of the Greater Boston Development Team, this position is responsible for designing and executing the Development strategy that will allow City Year Greater Boston to leverage the resources, talents, and skills of the philanthropic sector to support our programs and maximize our impact.  City Year Greater Boston has a strong fundraising track record and an ambitious fundraising plan for growth over the next five years.

The Managing Director of Development will be responsible for planning and leading City Year Greater Boston’s development strategies and ensuring the site meets its annual fundraising budget goals, with a focus on growing philanthropic revenue from ~$6M to $10M-$13M over the next five years. They will hire, lead, and develop a team of nine high–performing professionals for individual giving, corporate and foundation donors, and communications and operations to develop and implement the fundraising strategy. Specific emphasis will be placed on managing and building relationships with high-net-worth individuals and current institutional supporters and prospects, as well as attracting new major donors, establishing multi-year contributions, and identifying new funding sources. They will leverage the talents of the ED to deploy their time and attention towards the greatest revenue generating opportunities.

Key Responsibilities

The Managing Director of Development will lead a team of development professionals, creating strategies and timelines for annual giving programs to support all of City Year Greater Boston’s revenue streams: major gifts (individual, corporate sponsorships, and foundation giving); mid-level: moving small gifts to larger gifts; and broad-based support: direct mail, online giving, and fundraising campaigns through social media.  The Managing Director of Development will also manage a portfolio of 70 – 90 major and principal gift prospects and donors ($100,000+), building meaningful relationships that result in securing both monetary and in-kind multi-year support for City Year Greater Boston, and will have a proven track record of cultivating transformational relationships with donors.

External Relations: Represent, respect, and role model City Year organizational culture and values as a member of the site Executive Leadership Team. Serve as a representative of the organization and as a passionate ambassador of City Year in the external community, attending events, and building authentic and strategic relationships that result in securing both long-term and short-term, monetary and in-kind multi-year support for City Year Greater Boston.   

Team Management: Manage a team of nine, and work closely with the Executive Director, Human Resources, and City Year National Headquarters leadership to recruit, interview, hire, and onboard team members.  Develop and regularly monitor goals to ensure team success and effectiveness. Coach, mentor, and develop staff to retain and help empower the team.

Data-driven Performance Management: Develop a deep understanding City Year advancement performance metrics, monitor team performance towards goal(s), and support the ED, development staff, and site board in evaluating the effectiveness of City Year Greater Boston development efforts. Provide regular reporting on progress towards goals. 

Organizational Management: Help shape organizational strategy and play a leadership role in implementing the site’s local strategic plan as a member of the Executive Leadership Team. Work collaboratively with other site departments on a frequent basis and with City Year’s national headquarters in Boston. Work with the Development team to ensure accurate maintenance of records and donor information in the Salesforce database and in local network and paper files. 

Individual Giving Program Development: Develop innovative fundraising plan to promote individual giving to City Year Greater Boston, and to include Identification cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies to increase individual and family revenues in support of City Year Greater Boston. Refine City Year Giving Circles initiatives to increase participation with individual donor gifts of $10,000+. 

Corporate and Foundation Grants Management: Establish corporate and foundation strategy and support the management of relationships and communication with City Year’s corporate and foundation funders. Work to increase corporate and foundation multi-year gifts. 

Corporate and Volunteer Engagement: Assess, re-envision, and expand City Year Greater Boston’s corporate and volunteer engagement programs. 

Fundraising Events: Develop an events strategy to inspire interest in City Year Greater Boston, fundraise, and engage individuals, foundations, and corporations as champions and donors.

Board Management and Engagement: Work with the Executive Director to manage the City Year Greater Boston Board Development Committee throughout the year and during quarterly meetings. Maintain engagement both financially and otherwise to ensure retention and satisfaction. Work with the board to maximize their personal and professional fundraising contributions, with the goal of achieving 100% participation.

Key Qualifications

• Alignment with City Year’s mission is essential, including a strong connection to the values of servant leadership, belief in the power of young people, social justice, empathy, inclusivity, teamwork, and excellence.  
• 5-8 years of progressive fundraising/development experience with proven fundraising track record that includes multi-year giving. Comparable experience will be considered.
• 5+ years of staff and senior management experience and a seasoned approach that engenders trust and results in a highly productive and engaged team.
• Experience serving on diverse teams and managing people through a lens of diversity, belonging, inclusion, and equity. 
• Demonstrated track record of personally identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and closing individual, corporate and foundation commitments, including six to eight-figure gifts. 
• Experience managing volunteer programming and engagement strategies.  
• A track record as an effective communicator including highly developed skills in writing and speaking and competence at crafting proposals with the ability to communicate the program’s mission and interests to a broad audience. 
• Strong interpersonal and relationship building skills required.
• Knowledge of the Greater Boston donor community preferred.
• Strong organizational and time management skills with exceptional attention to detail. 
• Experience with Salesforce or comparable relationship management software. 
• Bachelor’s degree required. 
• Schedule will occasionally require nights and weekends

CYGB is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to hiring staff who reflect the diversity of the communities we serve. Candidates of color, bilingual, and bicultural candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.  If you are interested in working at a well-established, fast-paced, and supportive organization, committed to serving our region’s young people, please apply.

COVID-19 Notice 

Our number one priority is the health and safety of our employees and AmeriCorps members and their families; our students and school partners; and the community at large from COVID-19. Proof of COVID-19 vaccination is required for employment and service – all staff members, including remote staff, and AmeriCorps members are required to be fully vaccinated* no later than their start date. If you are unable to be vaccinated for medical reasons or sincerely-held religious beliefs, we will consider requests for reasonable accommodation consistent with our policy, and where we are able to provide such accommodations without undue hardship to the organization pursuant to applicable law. Notwithstanding any language herein, City Year will comply with any state, local, or federal orders, statutes, or regulations that may conflict with the COVID-19 vaccination policy. 
 
*Individuals are considered fully vaccinated 14 days after the completion of their primary vaccination series.

This position is located in Boston, Massachusetts and is a hybrid role with 2 days a week in the office.  The compensation range for this position is $160,000-$175,000 commensurate with experience.

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

Kat Landa

Senior Vice President, Executive Search

Development Guild DDI