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Director of Leadership Gifts

Employer
West End House
Location
Allston, Massachusetts
Salary
$70,000-$80,000, commensurate with lived and professional experience
Closing date
Nov 28, 2021

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West End House is the largest youth development agency in the Allston-Brighton community providing high-impact programs that ensure that our young people are succeeding academically, exploring and mastering the arts, developing career readiness skills and adopting healthy lifestyles. Operating since 1906, today’s West End House welcomes approximately 1000 young people each year who represent more than 40 different countries and 10 languages.  Our commitment is to ensure Boston’s children and teens have access to opportunities to help them thrive.  West End House serves young people throughout Allston-Brighton and across Boston’s neighborhoods, including Roxbury, Dorchester, Mattapan, Hyde Park, Fenway, Roslindale,  South Boston and East Boston.  We are bold in our commitment and efforts to become an anti-racist, equitable organization and welcome candidates with a passion for this work.  

Our mission is to inspire and enable youth from all backgrounds to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens.  We are proud of our impact in the community, some of which is highlighted below:

  • Our COVID-19 response included launching an in-person Learning Hubs initiative for students to attend remote school and we were 1 of only 3 sites citywide to serve teens in our Hubs; we also launched a Family Food Program that has distributed over 400,000 lbs. of groceries to our families and community members.
  • Unparalleled service to teens: Prior to the pandemic, West End House served more teens than 98% of Boys & Girls Clubs across the country.  And the teens who come to West End House are graduating high school and enrolling in college at a greater rate than their peers across the state.
  • We are the only Boys & Girls Club on the East Coast to dedicate full-time staff and resources to supporting our students in college.
  • Our arts programs attract and engage as many young people as our recreational offerings and are designed to advance young people from exposure to engagement to pathways in visual arts, music, digital arts, dance, and more.

Today, West End House has a staff of almost 30 highly collaborative team members, a dedicated Board of Directors, and an annual budget of more than $3.9 million. As a mark of our commitment to the success of both our staff and youth participants, our club’s program staff are full time employees.   

As Director of Leadership Gifts, you’ll be responsible for managing and growing a portfolio of donors giving between $1,000-$10,000 annually.  The Director of Leadership Gifts reports to West End House’s Chief Development Officer and works closely with the Chief Executive Officer, team members, our Board of Directors and Advisors, and external partners.   We seek motivated candidates who value authenticity, effective execution and a commitment to youth development. 

 WHAT YOU’LL GET TO DO  

Key responsibilities include:

Portfolio Management 

  • Manage and grow a portfolio of 75-100 donors giving at least $1,000 annually in collaboration with the Chief Development Officer (CDO), based on the individual’s history of giving and knowledge of their potential and interests.
  • Create and execute plans with individual goals for each donor/prospective donor in the portfolio, ensuring that donors are qualified, retained, and engaged so that they contribute at the highest possible levels annually.
  • Secure visits with and directly solicit gifts from donors/prospective donors in the portfolio. Partner with staff and board/advisors to develop donor engagement/volunteer opportunities.
  • Work with our team to secure program information and develop materials directed at individual donors/prospects, including personalized proposals in line with donor interests and programmatic priorities and stewardship reports that detail progress.
  • Participate in the development of special cultivation and stewardship opportunities, such as small events for select donors/prospects in the portfolio as well as larger donor cultivation and networking events.
  • Assist in the identification, tracking, and engagement of potential leadership volunteers (Board of Directors, Board of Advisors) and other partners helping with leadership gifts outreach.
  • Track portfolio activity and progress on a weekly basis.

Liaison to West End Houses’ Boards of Directors and Advisors

  • Work closely with Advisors and Directors to leverage their networks and secure meaningful gifts so that each Advisor meets their $2,500 minimum give/get requirement annually.
  • Ensure that all Advisors and Directors are connected to and meaningfully contributing to West End House’s mission and programs.

Events Strategy and Execution

  • Work closely with the CDO to create event goals and strategies, including but not limited to committee recruitment/retention/engagement, sponsorships, and guest follow up.
  • Lead event committee meetings in collaboration with the Development Team and CEO.
  • Serve as key support to Development Operations Coordinator in managing the Annual Celebration and other smaller focused events.

Relationship Building

  • Connect with and build strong relationships with West End House youth, staff, alumni, volunteers, and supporters of all backgrounds.

WHO WE’RE LOOKING FOR

West End House seeks a professional with an equity-first, strengths-based mindset who has demonstrated alignment with our mission, either through lived, work, or volunteer experience in historically marginalized communities.  The ideal candidate will be a hands-on development leader seeking an opportunity to help grow the development function in an established, caring nonprofit that values equity, innovation, and impact.  

We seek candidates with previous experience in and a passion for development and fundraising. We’ll be most excited about your candidacy if you can demonstrate prior success delivering results in a collaborative, mission-driven environment. We do not expect candidates to meet all of the criteria listed below. Reviewing the qualifications can help you to better understand the expectations of this role. 

If you believe you have “what it takes,” please submit an application. We will be excited to hear from you and each application will be carefully reviewed and acknowledged by a member of our team. Below you will find key experiences and mindsets we seek:

  • Commitment to West End House’s mission and values and a passion for impacting the lives of others; a champion of an asset-based approach to working with young people and families
  • Development experience in nonprofit fundraising field; comfortable soliciting and closing major gifts is a priority; event management (including virtual events) experience preferred
  • Ability to collaborate effectively and authentically with colleagues, senior leaders, and external partners 
  • Strong administrative, information management, and organizational skills, with an emphasis on time management and the ability to plan, organize, and implement numerous projects simultaneously
  • Systems- and process-oriented: ability to create, follow and improve upon department systems and processes that enable the team to operate at the highest level
  • Experience using data to monitor progress toward team goals, identify problems and make decisions; previous database experience desired
  • With a focus on equity, desire to use and innovate beyond industry standards to reach development goals
  • Self-motivated and demonstrates initiative, patience, and resourcefulness when responding and adapting to opportunities that come with change
  • Experience handling confidential and sensitive information 

WHAT WE OFFER

This is a full-time position with the West End House with a salary range of $70,000 to $80,000, commensurate with lived and professional experience. 

Our comprehensive benefits are designed to enhance all aspects of our employees’ lives: physical health, financial security, general well-being and professional development. Our package for full-time staff members includes paid vacation, holiday, and sick days; health and dental coverage; life, short-term and long-term disability insurance; and a defined contribution retirement program.  To learn more about West End House benefits and time off, please click here.   

West End House provides training and access to job related certifications for all employees and staff are encouraged to participate in their own professional development by identifying opportunities and sharing with their supervisor. West End House encourages and supports healthy lifestyles for all staff and provides access to our fitness center, gym, and pool as well as daily, homemade dinners (and lunch during the summer) for all interested staff.

WORK EXPECTATIONS AT WEST END HOUSE

We are a hands-on team and seek employees who are passionate about our work and service to our community.  West End House employees are fully onsite five days/week and are required to be fully vaccinated or can request an exemption.  All West End House youth and staff will have weekly PCR tests onsite.  

West End House is easily accessible via the T (Green Line to Allston Street), MBTA bus (66) and has limited parking available.  

Our team works onsite 40 hours/week.  

OUR CORE VALUES

  • Strength-Based Relationship Building: West End House uses a strength-based approach to build relationships that endure and contribute to positive outcomes for our young people. Staff focus on the assets of our young people, rather than the deficits, to support continuous growth.
  • Innovation: West End House prides itself on creating and offering innovative and responsive programs. Staff members are expected to think outside the box, proactively problem solve, and be courageous in their daily work.
  • Curiosity: West End House staff are enthusiastic to learn. They participate in personal and professional opportunities designed to challenge and expand to their knowledge base. They are encouraged to seek out learning experiences and actively participate in their own development.
  • Data Informed: Assessing our impact is critical to ensuring the best outcomes for our program participants. Our staff is expected to use data to inform current program content and future program development, ensuring our offerings meet the needs AND interest of our young people.
  • Healthy Environment: Teaching our members the importance of living an active, healthy lifestyle is a priority. As such, our staff is expected to model healthy behavior while working with our young people.
  • Safety: West End House values our youth focused, friendly environment. Every staff member shares the responsibility for ensuring West End House is, and remains, a safe and nurturing environment for every young person who comes through our doors.

HOW TO APPLY

Interested candidates are encouraged to promptly submit their application through the online portal operated by our recruitment partner Positively Partners. All applicants will receive a response to their application within two weeks of submission.  Our application process includes an initial phone screen with Positively Partners, a virtual interview with the Chief Development Officer, and for finalists, an onsite interview in mid-December with West End House staff.   Anticipated start date for this role is January 2022.  

It is the policy of West End House to assure equal employment opportunity to all qualified employees and applicants by prohibiting discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy (or a condition related to pregnancy), national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran or military status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

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