Senior Director of Corporate & Foundation Engagement

Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston (BGCB), one of the region’s leading youth services organizations, seeks a Senior Director of Corporate and Foundation Engagement who is entrepreneurial in their approach to fundraising and who will lead and build BGCB’s private philanthropic support, while maintaining existing revenue sources. The Senior Director will develop, implement and sustain a strong annual fund program from institutional donors in order to significantly grow BGCB’s base of corporate and foundation support. The ideal candidate will have a strong, working knowledge of the current fundraising trends in social services and non-profit sector and a demonstrated history of successful fundraising campaigns.

Now in its 127th year of service, BGCB serves 14,000 young people ages 6 to 18 each year at its 11 Clubs in Boston and Chelsea and through YouthConnect. BGCB relies on private individual, corporate and foundation contributions for 80 percent of its $26 million operating budget. The FY20 fundraising goal is $21 million, with $6 million projected to come through corporate and foundation funders. With approval of its Strategic Plan 2025, BGCB is looking for an experienced fundraising professional to join the Development & Marketing team and contribute to the planning, strategy and goals for increasing contributed institutional revenue.

Reporting to the Executive Vice President of Development & Marketing, the Senior Director of Corporate and Foundation Engagement provides the overall vision for an integrated and comprehensive institutional giving program. The Senior Director will directly drive all corporate and foundation engagement activities, carrying a robust portfolio of institutional funders while overseeing the corporate and foundation engagement program. In these efforts, the Senior Director will work collaboratively with the EVP, President and CEO, Board, senior leadership, staff, volunteers, and donors.

The Senior Director of Corporate and Foundation Engagement will manage many existing relationships, enrich and implement a proactive funder engagement strategy, and move the entire institutional giving team toward achieving ambitious goals that align with BGCB’s tradition of innovation and impact. The Senior Director will manage four staff members and serve as a member of the Development & Marketing Leadership team, working closely with colleagues to create programmatic integration of corporate and foundation activities within the larger strategic plan of Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston’s Development & Marketing Department.

The successful candidate will be a creative, team-oriented leader with the ability to guide and motivate a strong team, and with deep knowledge of effective corporate and foundation engagement strategies, including significant personal experience developing pipelines and a track record of management and program building.

• Increase the levels of engagement for corporations and foundations that have connections to the BGCB community, as well as those not yet affiliated, preparing for the next phase of the organization’s fundraising expansion.

• Be responsible for working closely with BGCB’s executive leadership in developing priority projects, concepts, and ultimately proposals for submission. Work closely with the EVP, President, CFO, Club Executive Directors, and other key stakeholders in the idea creation, program/budget buildout, and execution of letters of interest and grant proposals.

• Work closely with the EVP to set annual revenue goals for the institutional giving team and coordinate annual revenue goals with the individual giving team, measuring progress and adjusting work plans as needed to successfully meet these goals.

• Develop and track annual goals, objectives and specific metrics for the Corporate and Foundation team. Create annual work plans and analyze results against goals, adjusting business unit plans as analysis suggests. Establish benchmarks and regular reporting processes to measure results of all giving activities including retention, upgrades and acquisition.

• Strategically manage a portfolio of corporate and foundation donors and prospects, acting as an externally facing fundraiser, working to develop relationships with program officers and executives. Working collaboratively across the entire organization, the Senior Director will manage and enhance a program that will expand its network of funders and strategically develop new prospects through proactive outreach and CSR initiatives.

• Secure meetings at priority institutions for key leadership and Board members as appropriate, staffing some of these meetings as necessary.

• Manage Board and Volunteer engagement committees including the Corporate Leadership Council and the Corporate Giving Committee, with a goal to build relationships at the top levels of Corporate, Foundation and public funding groups.

• Take a leadership role in BGCB’s Annual Dinner (a key corporate fundraising event), create and implement new strategies to increase revenue, further engage event attendees and deliver clear, compelling event messaging.

• Employ technology and analysis to further the institutional giving team efforts. Excellent communication and collaboration skills at all levels of the organization are required.

• Effectively manage internal writing needs through staff while also serving as the forward-facing lead for all institutional support. Set an example for the team as a hands-on expert in engaging and inspiring foundations and corporations to invest in BGCB’s mission.

• Coordinate and provide strategic support, training, and guidance for Clubs to obtain community-based grants to support local fundraising initiatives, and to ensure these efforts are tracked in BGCB’s fundraising database.

• Appropriately manage internal and external relationships around grant outcomes and results to meet or exceed donor expectations, and diplomatically handle situations that create competing priorities.

• Inspire staff through effective motivation, mentoring, and team building. Embrace diversity and possess the management skills to leverage existing capacity while strengthening performance to achieve goals.

Position Requirements

The successful candidate will be a strategic, creative leader who is visionary about BGCB’s fundraising potential and who can support entrepreneurial initiatives to maximize results. The Senior Director will be a team player and have a proven track record in building, managing, and mentoring a highly effective, diverse team, as well as demonstrated success with fundraising. They will possess outstanding interpersonal competencies, the ability to effectively engage volunteer leadership, and a deep commitment to instilling practices and a culture within the Development & Marketing team that reflects the ethos of BGCB. 

General BGCB Expectations:

• Healthy Behavior Modeling – Teaching youth/teens the importance of living an active, healthy lifestyle is a BGCB priority.  As a result, all staff is expected to model healthy behavior while working with our members.
• Inclusive Environment – BGCB values creating child-friendly environments, where youth/teens of all abilities can be successful and participate.  BGCB expects employees to embrace its focus on inclusion of all members, regardless of disability or developmental challenge.
• Continuous Learning – Building the capacity of staff is central to BGCB.  The organization encourages and requires that all staff participates in annual professional development opportunities that continue to cultivate their skills in the youth development field.
• Safe Spaces – Every staff member shares the responsibility for ensuring BGCB is, and remains, an environment free of sexual, physical, or emotional abuse.

Leadership Competencies and Personal Traits

• Bachelor's degree required.
• 10+ years of experience in a fundraising setting and proven success in planning for ambitious fundraising campaigns, and 5+ years supervisory/management experience required.
• Orientation as a team player and leader with strong management skills.
• A metrics-driven, entrepreneurial mindset that informs strategy and work.
• The ability to succeed in a distinct and dynamic culture and successfully manage multiple details and priorities.
• Very strong verbal and written communication skills, organizational and analytical skills, and project management skills.
• Experience with Board volunteer management and the ability to maintain a high level of diplomacy and confidentiality.
• Ability to work independently as well as part of a team.
• An advocate for diversity.
• Flexibility and a sense of humor.
• Proficiency in Raiser’s Edge and Microsoft Office