Director of Development

South End Village Academy; Boston (MA); Vor Ort; USD 130.000 - 180.000; Vollzeit

Zusammenfassung

South End Village Academy seeks a mission-driven Director of Development to lead a fundraising program fueling growth as a nonprofit rooted in community action. The role owns annual targets and a multi-year capital campaign, serving as the strategic engine behind SEVA's physical footprint.

Reporting to the Head of School and partnering with the Board and campaign counsel, you will build donor relationships, manage a CRM, and design stewardship for campaign donors, ensuring sustainable operations

Qualifikationen

• 5+ years of progressive fundraising experience, with a demonstrated track record of meeting or exceeding revenue targets.
• Direct experience soliciting and closing major gifts ($50K+), with exposure to multi-year pledge structures.
• Experience contributing to or managing phases of a comprehensive or capital campaign (feasibility, quiet phase, public phase, or pledge collection).
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate with and leverage a governing Board and executive leadership in high-stakes solicitations.
• Fluency with donor CRM systems, moves management, and pipeline tracking tools.
• Exceptional written, verbal, and presentation skills suited for high-net-worth audiences.

Aufgaben

• Own and be held accountable to an annual fundraising target, set jointly with the Head of School and Board, spanning the annual fund, major gifts, capital gifts, and grants.
• Build and manage a high-touch donor pipeline from prospecting through cultivation, solicitation, closing, and stewardship.
• Track progress against targets on a monthly cadence; report results, forecasts, and course corrections to the Head of School and Board.
• Run a lean, metrics-driven development operation that maximizes dollars raised per hour invested.
• Direct a multi-year, multi-million-dollar capital campaign to finance SEVA's building project, establishing gift pyramids, naming opportunities, and milestone timelines.
• Partner with the Head of School, Board Chair, and Campaign Task Force to define campaign priorities, stress-test targets, and coordinate solicitations.
• Personally build, cultivate, and solicit a portfolio of transformative 6- and 7-figure gift prospects, including philanthropists, foundations, and corporate partners invested in urban education and real estate development.
• Coordinate with the Head of Finance & Operations to align philanthropic pacing with capital expenditure requirements.
• Develop a formal Stewardship Program to recognize (via thank you notes and other touch points) all campaign donors and prospects
• Design and execute annual campaigns that sustain operational needs while running parallel to capital campaign efforts.
• Identify, cultivate, and personally solicit major gift prospects, including current families, alumni parents, and community leaders.
• Build and maintain a donor CRM to track relationships, pledges, gift agreements, and multi-year pledges across the full pipeline.

Kenntnisse

Fundraising strategy

Major gifts solicitations

Campaign management

Relationship management

Donor CRM

Tools

Donor CRM software

Pledge management

Jobbeschreibung

At South End Village Academy, we believe children flourish when they are deeply known, valued, challenged, and surrounded by a community that sees and supports their potential.

We open doors to a rigorous and joyful education that nurtures a love of learning and helps children develop the knowledge, skills, and confidence to think deeply, wonder, create, lead, and collaborate. Through meaningful relationships and a diverse, inclusive community, children learn to know themselves, appreciate others, and approach their lives with curiosity, generosity, and thoughtfulness.

We are a village where every child belongs, where every person has something meaningful to contribute, and where children grow to understand that they are both cared for by their community and responsible for caring for it.

Role:

South End Village Academy (SEVA) seeks a mission-driven, results-oriented Director of Development to build and lead a fundraising program that fuels the school's growth as a young nonprofit rooted in community action.

The Director of Development is a revenue-generating leadership role: this person owns an annual fundraising target and is accountable for meeting it, converting the community's passion for SEVA into the philanthropic support that sustains the school's mission of affordability and diversity. Crucially, this leader will architect and execute a transformative, multi-year capital campaign for a permanent facility project, serving as the strategic engine behind SEVA's physical footprint. This is a career-making role, offering the opportunity to own the development lifecycle from end to end and leave a lasting mark on the Boston community.

The Director of Development reports to the Head of School and partners closely with the Head of Finance & Operations, the Board, and campaign counsel.

Responsibilities:

Revenue Generation & Target Ownership

• Own and be held accountable to an annual fundraising target, set jointly with the Head of School and Board, spanning the annual fund, major gifts, capital gifts, and grants.
• Build and manage a high-touch donor pipeline from prospecting through cultivation, solicitation, closing, and stewardship.
• Track progress against targets on a monthly cadence; report results, forecasts, and course corrections to the Head of School and Board.
• Run a lean, metrics-driven development operation that maximizes dollars raised per hour invested.
• Direct a multi-year, multi-million-dollar capital campaign to finance SEVA's building project, establishing gift pyramids, naming opportunities, and milestone timelines.
• Partner with the Head of School, Board Chair, and Campaign Task Force to define campaign priorities, stress-test targets, and coordinate solicitations.
• Personally build, cultivate, and solicit a portfolio of transformative 6- and 7-figure gift prospects, including philanthropists, foundations, and corporate partners invested in urban education and real estate development.
• Coordinate with the Head of Finance & Operations to align philanthropic pacing with capital expenditure requirements.
• Develop a formal Stewardship Program to recognize (via thank you notes and other touch points) all campaign donors and prospects
• Design and execute annual campaigns that sustain operational needs while running parallel to capital campaign efforts.
• Identify, cultivate, and personally solicit major gift prospects, including current families, alumni parents, and community leaders.
• Build and maintain a donor CRM to track relationships, pledges, gift agreements, and multi-year pledges across the full pipeline.

Grants & Institutional Giving

• Research, write, and submit grant proposals to regional and national foundations and corporate funders aligned with SEVA's educational and capital priorities.
• Manage the full grant lifecycle - application, compliance, reporting, and renewal in close partnership with the Head of Finance & Operations.

Events, Campaigns & Communications

• Plan and execute high-impact cultivation gatherings, town halls, and campaign launch events that convert community energy into commitments.
• Develop donor-facing collateral and a visionary case for support for the building project that honors SEVA's founding story, collaborating closely with the External Relations Committee.

Board & Community Partnership

• Partner closely with Board and leadership to open doors, host events, and close major asks.
• Mobilize SEVA's founding parent community as capital ambassadors and volunteer solicitors.
• Support board development and governance practices related to fiduciary oversight of restricted capital assets and pledge administration.

Qualifications:

Required

• 5+ years of progressive fundraising experience, with a demonstrated track record of meeting or exceeding revenue targets.
• Direct experience soliciting and closing major gifts ($50K+), with exposure to multi-year pledge structures.
• Experience contributing to or managing phases of a comprehensive or capital campaign (feasibility, quiet phase, public phase, or pledge collection).
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate with and leverage a governing Board and executive leadership in high-stakes solicitations.
• Fluency with donor CRM systems, moves management, and pipeline tracking tools.
• Exceptional written, verbal, and presentation skills suited for high-net-worth audiences.

Preferred

• Proven success leading or playing a senior role in a completed $5M+ facility or capital campaign.
• Experience in independent schools, charter networks, or urban educational institutions.
• Familiarity with the Greater Boston philanthropic, civic, and real estate landscape.

Leadership Profile

• Mission-First: Deeply motivated by preserving and growing an accessible neighborhood school that families fought to save.
• Campaign-Tested: Calm, structured, and tenacious through long, multi-year solicitation cycles.
• Entrepreneurial Builder: Thrives taking a program from foundational stages to an institutional scale.
• Community-Centered: Builds authentic, trusting relationships with socioeconomically and culturally diverse families, teachers, civic leaders, and major donors.
• Metrics-Driven: Manages pipeline, pledges, and target metrics with operational discipline and total transparency.