Director Of Development

About Our Organization:

At Youth Guidance, we believe that no matter what challenges a young person faces, they are more likely to succeed when they have caring adults in their lives. Our highly-trained staff guides kids to overcome the life and academic challenges facing the  youth. We meet kids where they are — physically and emotionally — to help them focus on their education, make positive choices, and remain on the right path toward life success.

Founded in 1924  today Youth Guidance is a leading provider of outcomes-driven programs serving more than 8,500 youth while touching the lives of more than 14,000 youth, parents, teachers, and community members.

About You:

You have the passion and desire to work in a dynamic non-profit organization, you have the talent and skills to perform the job, and now you’re looking for just the right opportunity.  At Youth Guidance you’ll have the chance to use your passion and skills working alongside a team of talented individuals who share the same values. 

Position Summary: Achieves annual fundraising goals for Youth Guidance programming in Boston. Manages the identification, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship of individual, corporate and foundation donors, as well as public grants or contracts. Engages with the local Advisory Council, in partnership with the Executive Director, to follow up on introductions to prospective donors. Plans and executes small donor cultivation events and site visits to cultivate potential major donors. Responsible for the timely submission of grant proposals and reports, working in collaboration with program, evaluation & quality improvement and finance departments.

Essential Duties/Responsibilities:

• Develops and implements plans aimed at sustaining and growing current public, private, and individual donor relationships, and cultivating new donors across sectors.
• Proactive relationship-builder, working collaboratively with the Executive Director-Boston and local Advisory Council to cultivate additional local, regional, and national relationships.
• Highly responsive & proactive in engagement of key public & private sector stakeholders. 
• Stays current on the local operating context, including education and political landscapes, as well as current trends in the field of youth development.

• Serves as key point of contact with current & prospective donors through letters, personal visits, phone calls, and personalized acknowledgements to achieve continued donor engagement.
• Forecasts annual, quarterly and monthly revenue, as well as donor renewal and acquisition, utilizing Raisers’ Edge for constituent relationship management. 
• Completes ongoing prospect research (online, databases, clearinghouses, professional literature, and donor prospecting directories) of current and prospective corporate, foundation and individual donors to identify viable local funding opportunities.

• Completes all stages of funding proposal development including outreach to grant-makers, and development of compelling, timely and error-free letters of inquiry, presentation decks, online applications, formal proposals and grant reports.
• Works collaboratively with agency program, evaluation and finance staff in the development of proposals, reports and grant budgets.
• Provides supervision and coaching to a Development Manager that supports completion of key activities outlined in Youth Guidance Boston’s Annual External Affairs plan.
• Ensures site has high-quality, brand consistent digital and print collateral materials and positive public relations, with support from the Director of Marketing & Communications
• Ensures the fulfillment of funding partner recognition and benefits (e.g. article in newsletter, acknowledgement in annual report)
• Perform other duties as assigned

Minimum Qualifications

Education/Experience/Training

• Bachelor’s degree required, Master’s degree preferred
• Minimum three (3) years of experience and demonstrated track record in development, with experience in youth development, human services, and/or K-12 education sectors preferred
• Experience engaging and partnering with Boston-area funders and community-based organizations preferred
• Strong computer skills (Microsoft Office), Raisers’ Edge experience preferred

Skills/Abilities

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to present a positive image and communicate effectively via telephone and in person
• Highly organized, strategic thinker, with proven ability to handle multiple tasks, handle pressure and meet deadlines
• The ability to work well both independently, and within a team
• Commitment to cultural sensitivity and respect for differences

• Commitment to the continuous improvement of service quality and the organization’s mission

Leadership Core Competencies:

• Continuous improvement-minded:  Takes initiative to identify and execute strategies and processes to continuously improve one’s leadership to strengthen organization’s overall impact.​
• Develops and motivates others: Motivates others and supports their development through strong coaching and mentoring. Effectively stewards self and others through both small and large scale change. ​
• External representation and relationship building: Represents the organization among external stakeholders, and builds strong, trusting relationships with stakeholders​
• Leads with vision: Has an inspiring vision for the future of the organization, beyond the status quo, and communicates it effectively; leads with courage and willingness to take risks in service of impact​
• Manages with data: Understands data; analyzes data and identifies insights and implications​
• Strategic thinking and resource management:  Considers the future of the organization proactively and responsively; weighs diverse inputs to inform strategies; identifies innovative opportunities when relevant; makes and communicates decisions that effectively balance tradeoffs between financial sustainability and impact​
• Team building: Builds strong relationships with teams and colleagues; fosters effective teams and collaborative interactions​

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to stand; walk; use hands to finger, handle or feel; and reach with hands and arms.

What Youth Guidance offers:

We offer a robust package for eligible candidates including:

• Hiring Range of $97,000 - $140,000
• A competitive benefit package. Even though healthcare costs have gone up, we have not passed along those increases to our staff.
  

Work Environment

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• This job operates in a professional office environment, school setting and working with the public, COVID-19 vaccination is required
• Occasional local and national travel

DEI Statement

At Youth Guidance, we understand that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) are fundamental to realizing our vision of bright and successful futures for all young people. We celebrate the diversity of youth and recognize them as empowered leaders, problem-solvers, and experts of their own experiences. At the same time, we acknowledge that many systems and institutions meant to support youth are inequitable and unjust.

As such, we are committed to advancing DE&I through our words and our actions, both internally and externally, by:

• Strengthening cultural competence as well as policies, practices, and organizational structures that foster belonging and leverage the unique backgrounds and talents of staff;
• Offering youth-centered programs that are accessible and responsive to people from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds, abilities, sexual identity, gender identity and expression, language, and cultural and religious beliefs and practices;
• Influencing systems that youth, their families, and communities are impacted by, such as schools, organizational networks, governmental bodies, researchers, and the funding community, to apply approaches that embrace DEI in addressing the needs and supporting the aspirations of young people.

Youth Guidance is an equal opportunity employer and proudly values diversity. Youth Guidance does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law and is committed to creating a dynamic work environment that values diversity along all of these lines. People of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply.