About YouthConnect
YouthConnect is an innovative violence prevention, intervention and advocacy program that addresses the needs of the city’s most at-promise youth, those most often marginalized and disconnected. Started in 1996 as a program of Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston, our social workers are placed in six police stations and three citywide units across Boston to provide wraparound services, including therapy, case management, resource coordination, and advocacy, to young people and their families. In the last program year, we provided services to 500 young people and their 1,200+ family members; since our founding, we have assisted over 17,000 youth and families throughout Boston.
Officers may refer to YouthConnect any young person they are worried about, which might be a young person who has been arrested, has survived violence or have caused harm, or exhibits other concerning behaviors like school truancy, substance use, weapons carrying, and gang affiliations. Between 80 – 85% of the contacted families choose to engage with YouthConnect. Our approach is focused on decreasing risk factors and behaviors that could lead to a young person’s arrest by increasing their protective factors. We work with the entire family, not just the youth, as we know that young people experience their best outcomes when we engage their entire support system.
Our ability to provide mental health and other supportive services in non-traditional and with less formal approaches creates opportunities to establish and maintain quality relationships. Our social workers meet with clients wherever they are most comfortable: in the home, at school, in detention, or elsewhere in the community. Our services are voluntary, free, and not time-limited. Services are driven by the individual or family’s needs, rather than by mandates or insurance, and our flexibility allows us to build strong relationships.
As we approach our 30-year anniversary in 2026, YouthConnect is preparing to become an independent nonprofit organization by July 1, 2026, making this a uniquely exciting time to be part of our team. Our current budget of $2M includes support from city and state government, foundations, and individuals, and we expect that strong financial support will continue and grow as we become an independent organization. We are confident that YouthConnect has the resources needed for this transition, including strong backing from Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston, a highly effective current advisory board that is evolving to become YouthConnect’s governing board, and partners and donors who have expressed excitement about this transition and are committed to continuing their relationships with YouthConnect as an independent nonprofit.
To learn more about YouthConnect, please visit https://bgcb.org/learn-more/what-we-do/our-programs/youthconnect/.
The Director of Development Opportunity
YouthConnect seeks an experienced Director of Development with strong leadership skills and fundraising expertise. The Director of Development will join our team as we prepare to transition from operating as a program within Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston to becoming a standalone nonprofit; as such, they will build important relationships with our supporters as well as the infrastructure that will ensure our continued success in fundraising. This is a tremendous opportunity for a skilled development professional to have significant impact.
The Director of Development will guide all aspects of our development strategy, creating a comprehensive development plan in collaboration with the Executive Director and Board. They will oversee donor and funder identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship, both directly managing a portfolio of relationships and supporting other team members who are involved in donor engagement. The Director will manage a small team of staff and contractors, and they will identify and implement the resources needed to stand up the development function as we move into independent operations.
Key Responsibilities
- Develop and manage the implementation of the YouthConnect development plan, collaborating with YouthConnect’s Executive Director, team, and Board
- Identify and cultivate new funding sources and opportunities to expand existing funder relationships
- Manage a portfolio of donor and prospect relationships and provide strategic support to colleagues in their responsibilities for building donor relationships
- Lead or oversee the preparation of proposals, solicitation letters and other donor collateral, ensuring customized and thoughtful messaging
- Manage YouthConnect’s development staff and contractors, setting clear goals and providing effective support and guidance
- Assess needs and recommend appropriate resources for building YouthConnect’s development operations and infrastructure (e.g. database)
- Partner with the Executive Director to support the Board’s fundraising activities and build and staff the Development Committee
- In the short term, collaborate with development staff from Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston on grantwriting, development operations, and marketing activities
Candidate Profile
As the incoming Director of Development, you will possess many, though perhaps not all, of the following experiences, characteristics, and qualifications:
- You come to this opportunity with prior success in nonprofit development roles, including leadership-level experience with guiding development strategy, securing funding from a diversified range of sources, and collaborating with executive-level leaders.
- You possess a strong track record in securing philanthropic and governmental funds from Boston-area funders and donors.
- You align with YouthConnect’s strengths-based approach to working with at-promise youth and believe in the work that we are doing to provide more chances to youth and families that have been marginalized or failed by systems.
- You are experienced in and effective in working across government (city and state), foundation, corporate, and individual donor relationships and demonstrate the ability to build personalized relationships with a variety of donors or funders.
- You have successfully managed development staff and demonstrate the ability to build out and lead a small team toward successful results.
- You are an entrepreneurial thinker who is excited by the chance to build the development function for YouthConnect as it becomes an independent organization. Prior success in establishing or growing a development function is highly beneficial, though not required.
Compensation, Location, and Benefits
The salary range for this position is $120,000 - $130,000.
This position is an on-site role.
Upon hire, the Director of Development will be eligible for comprehensive benefits, outlined here, as a member of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston team. When YouthConnect transitions to operate as an independent organization, benefits will be re-established; the Board Transition Committee is actively planning around this.
Contact
Koya Partners has been exclusively retained for this engagement. Please submit a compelling cover letter and resume, addressed to Kevan Barton, Executive Director, via https://talent-profile.dsgco.com/search/v2/21771.
Koya Partners is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals living with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual living with a disability and need assistance expressing interest online, please email [email protected]. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.