Development Director, Haiti Development Institute

The Boston Foundation; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

The Boston Foundation seeks a Development Director for the Haiti Development Institute to lead fundraising, communications, and donor stewardship. You will shape and execute a multi-year strategy, manage a growing philanthropic portfolio, and collaborate with the Executive Director to advance HDI’s mission in Haiti and beyond.

Responsibilities include building donor relationships, creating compelling cases for support, coordinating campaigns, reporting to funders, and ensuring data integrity in

Qualifications

• Master’s degree or equivalent experience in international development, policy, or related field.
• 3–5 years of fundraising experience in Haiti or similar contexts.
• Experience with donor stewardship and grant proposals.

Responsibilities

• Design and lead a fundraising strategy to meet or exceed budgets and multi-year goals.
• Build and manage donor relationships; cultivate new funders and manage communications.
• Prepare, submit, and manage grant proposals to foundations, corporations, and other donors.
• Develop reporting dashboards and communicate impact to funders and partners.
• Collaborate with staff to align program, fundraising, and outreach activities.

Skills

Fundraising strategy

Donor stewardship

Relationship building

Grant writing

Communication

Project management

Salesforce

Excel

PowerPoint

French/Creole language

Education

Master’s degree in international development or policy

Tools

Salesforce

Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

Position Summary
The Development Director, Haiti Development Institute will provide the leadership and direction for all Haiti Development Institute (HDI) fundraising, communications, and philanthropic programs and related activities. They are responsible for developing and implementing, along with the Executive Director, the organization’s fundraising strategy. This position supports development for all five pillars of HDI’s work while building the systems, impact narrative, and partnerships that will sustain our work. The Development Director, HDI will develop and manage a growing philanthropic portfolio for HDI, capture and communicate impact, and support the HDI Board. They are responsible for developing, reinforcing, and growing HDI’s brand awareness and reputation through consistent communications and donor stewardship. In addition, they will aim to increase the number of funders, overall funding, and ultimately the impact of philanthropic capital to Haiti, which includes organizing our biannual Haiti Funders Conferences. They will also oversee HDI’s bourgeoning philanthropic consulting and intermediary services for philanthropists and philanthropic institutions.

Essential Functions

• Expanding Fundraising Capacity to Support the Executive Director in Fundraising/Development:
• Design and execute a fundraising strategy to meet or exceed the annual budget and a multi-million-dollar campaign goal (e.g., a Campaign for Haiti), inclusive of Kolektif Arcadins, a large-scale collective impact initiative for which HDI serves as backbone organization;
• Manage the annual process to define development goals and strategies;
• Working closely with relevant staff and consultants, develop and manage regular fundraising appeals and campaigns;
• Provide transparent and timely reporting on performance to funders and partners;
• Create and manage processes for alignment of program, fundraising, and outreach activities to help ensure consistency in purpose, priorities, audience engagement, and messaging. Translate organizational priorities into compelling cases for support across donor types;
• Advise on organizational strategy, positioning, and partnerships as a member of the senior leadership team;
• Maintain ongoing relations with the HDI Board and Kolektif Arcadins\' Advisory Council; and
• Support the Board’s Fundraising and Marketing Committee.

• Building Donor Relationships
• Serve as chief relationship manager for the HDI portfolio of funders and prospects. Play a leading role in donor stewardship and cultivation and maintain ongoing relationships with major donors;
• Identify, cultivate, and solicit new donors;
• Work closely with The Boston Foundation staff to ensure acknowledgment letters for contributions are accurate and sent out in a timely manner; draft personalized messages for donors as needed;
• Leverage the organization’s donor network to spark new connections;
• Define a new strategy to engage individual donors. Tailor engagement strategies for high-net-worth individuals, institutional funders, and local philanthropists;
• Responsible for conducting the full range of activities required to prepare, submit, and manage grant proposals to foundations, multilateral agencies, and corporate donors;
• Seek relevant input from finance and program staff for proposals; and
• Perform prospect research on foundations and corporations to evaluate prospects for potential grants.

• Strengthening Fundraising Systems and Infrastructure:
• Create an institutional structure for a year-over-year fundraising plan with realistic targets and benchmarks;
• Develop a concise dashboard and maintain an updated donor database;
• Initiate cultivation process for letters of inquiry;
• Use Salesforce to track data and enhance systems for donor tracking, stewardship, reporting, and analytics;
• Collaborate with operations and program team to develop performance dashboards and workflows; and
• Ensure data integrity and timely follow-up.

Other Duties And Responsibilities

• Individuals assigned to this position may perform other duties as assigned; and
• Support the HDI Board of Directors.

Qualifications

Preparation, Knowledge, Previous Experience:

• Master’s degree, or equivalent experience, in international development or policy (or other relevant graduate degree);
• Highly skilled professional with a minimum of 3-5 years’ experience in fundraising in Haiti or similar contexts; and
• Program experience is a plus.

Skills, Abilities, Competencies

• Successful track record of non-profit fundraising, including researching and identifying prospects and writing grant applications to foundation, corporate, and public donors, and experience in cultivating individual donors;
• A strategic thinker and relationship builder with the ability to develop strong pipelines of prospective funders;
• Exceptional writing, communication, analytical, and problem-solving skills. Clear and concise communicator;
• Flexibility in managing institutional change and adapting to a dynamic external environment;
• Experience with Salesforce and other CRM programs preferred;
• Proficiency in French and/or Haitian Creole preferred;
• Budget management skills and ability to meet HDI’s budget goals;
• Strong team player who can manage multiple assignments and meet deadlines;
• Resourceful, entrepreneurial, and able to work independently;
• Mature interpersonal style, ability to interact well with a diverse range of people;
• Familiarity with Haitian culture and the Boston Haitian community is a plus, or willingness to learn;
• Demonstrated Proficiency in Excel and PowerPoint;
• Meticulous attention to detail with the ability to synthesize information;
• Ability to travel to remote locations in Haiti up to 20-30% of the time; and
• Ability to demonstrate Strong project management and administrative skills.

Working Conditions & Physical Demands

• Ability to work for long periods of time at a workstation;
• Ability to travel to remote locations in Haiti up to 30% of the time;
• Ability to use a computer monitor and keyboard for long periods of time; and
• Ability to work onsite and remotely, as required.

The content is intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by persons assigned to this job. It is not intended to constitute an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and duties required.

External and internal applicants, as well as position incumbents, who are or become disabled as defined under the Americans with Disabilities Act or applicable state law, must be able to perform the essential functions of the job (including those listed above) either with or without reasonable accommodation. Reasonable accommodation, if any, will be determined by management in consultation with the employee on a case-by-case basis.

This job description is intended to be general and may be revised from time to time. At management’s discretion, the employee may be assigned different or additional duties from time to time.