Job Description

Reporting to the Executive Director (ED), the Director of Development is a full time position that serves as a key leader of Boston Food Forest Coalition (BFFC) and is an active participant in making strategic decisions affecting the organization, while building out the organization’s development function and team for the first time. In partnership with the ED, this position is directly responsible for all fundraising and development activities. The successful candidate will help forge new relationships to build BFFC’s visibility and financial resources. The Director of Development also will design and implement a comprehensive plan for developing key external partnerships by cultivating individual and philanthropic support.

The Director of Development will have primary responsibility for establishing and implementing the infrastructure and team needed to grow a $750k budget to $1.8m+ by 2025 through the solicitation of major gifts, federal, state and city grants, and corporate and foundation support.

BFFC is in an entrepreneurial stage of learning and growth in a cutting-edge field, with clear priorities centering diversity, equity, and inclusion. This requires all staff to think creatively, collaboratively, and with an action mindset.

Responsibilities

Fundraising Strategy

• Support and partner with the ED and board members on all major fundraising initiatives.
• Collaborate with the Associate Director to develop and implement BFFC’s financial strategy.
• Guide the development and execution of a comprehensive fundraising strategy in partnership with the ED, including individuals (primary), corporate, foundation, and government grants.
• Lead research of funding sources and trends to position BFFC ahead of major funding changes or trends.
• Monitor and proactively report on the progress of the development program; create and present analysis to board and senior members of the BFFC team.
• Proactively elicit and incorporate feedback from various stakeholders for learning, inclusion, and improvement.

On-the-Ground Fundraising

• Increase philanthropic revenues year-over-year to achieve BFFC’s revenue goals.
• Actively fundraise to secure financial support from individuals, foundations, and corporations by forging new relationships, and securing five, six and sometimes seven-figure gifts.
• Expand and diversify BFFC’s donor base/pipeline and work closely with other team members to secure funding for existing and new programs.
• Have primary responsibility for development and execution of all proposals and solicitations; write and archive all proposals with a long-term relationship-management approach.

Fundraising Operations & Stewardship

• Develop and implement a stewardship program aimed at cultivating deeper ties with donors.
• Monitor all donor information by designing and executing systems for tracking existing donors, growing BFFC’s funder pipeline, staying on top of cultivation, etc.
• Manage staff for responsible data entry and donation processing.

Fundraising Management

• Hire, develop, manage, and mentor the development team.
• Work closely with the board of directors and support some board members as they take on a more active fundraising role.

*This is a new role for Boston Food Forest Coalition, so the right candidate must be willing to take on other responsibilities as this role and the organization evolve.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• At least 5 years of related professional experience with demonstrated success increasing year-over-year funds raised across multiple donor segments (individuals, foundations, etc).
• Demonstrated track record of successfully raising five and six-figure gifts; and cultivating new and existing donor relationships over time.
• Skilled in creating powerful, compelling written and oral communications for fundraising. Ability to convey complex ideas through brief, simple materials. 
• Experience assessing, packaging, and presenting fundraising data and trends for organizational budgeting and decision-making.
• Demonstrated track record creating, articulating, and managing an annual fundraising plan using an inclusive, multi-stakeholder process.
• Knowledge of Boston’s philanthropic community.

• Track record of successfully managing staff toward goals, supporting individual professional development and team learning, implementing decision rights, and creating a culture where team members feel accepted and respected.
• Action-oriented with a flexible and adaptable style.
• Excellent organizational skills and capacity to prioritize and manage time well, with strong attention to detail.
• Ability to work as a self-starter without oversight, and as a team player who productively engages with others within and outside the organization.
• Ability and desire to learn and grow in new situations and from mistakes; actively integrates feedback to improve.
• Experience proactively communicating goals and updates, and eliciting input from various stakeholders.

• Familiar with using web browsers and Google suite tools (Gmail, Google Docs, Google Sheets), or similar with willingness to learn Google suite.

Benefits*

• Salary: $77,000 or $86,000, commensurate with experience
• Health Insurance
• 40 days Personal Time Off annually (includes: holidays, sick days, and vacation)
• Retirement match
• Professional development stipend
• Cell phone and laptop stipend
  *BFFC is committed to internal equity for salary and benefits and therefore does not negotiate compensation.

Location

• This is a Boston, Massachusetts-based position that will require travel within and outside of Boston to meet with donors.

• This position will include a mix of in-person and virtual/remote work.
• BFFC is committed to sustainability and supports staff in taking time off to balance evening and weekend hours.

• We ask all staff to abide by COVID-19 guidance set by the City of Boston.

About Boston Food Forest Coalition

At the intersection of racial equity and climate resilience, the Boston Food Forest Coalition is a community of neighbors transforming vacant lots into public edible parks placed into permanent community control and ownership. Together, we are building resilience in Boston through more equitable access to healthy green space and greater connection to each other and the natural world. More information about BFFC is available on our website: https://bostonfoodforest.org/. 

How to Apply

• Please submit a cover letter detailing your qualifications for this position, along with a resume to: hiring@bostonfoodforest.org. 
• The email subject line must read: Your First & Last Name - Director of Development.
• We will begin to review applications on April 11th, 2022 and will accept applications on a rolling basis until the position is filled.
• We will review all submissions, identify viable candidates, and contact only those individuals selected to continue in the search process.

Job Categories: Equal Opportunities. Job Types: Full-Time. Job Tags: climate change, climate justice, Community, donors, Education, environment, Food, food access, food justice, Fundraising, Justice, nonprofit, open space, Parks, and philanthropy. Salaries: 80,000 - 100,000.

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