About West End House
West End House (WEH) is a premier youth organization with an inspiring mission that permeates every facet of its work. They provide high-impact programs that support youth as they achieve academic success, explore the arts, develop career readiness & leadership skills, and adopt healthy lifestyles. WEH is committed to advancing racial equity through their work and throughout all aspects of the organization – their youth programs, community and family engagement, and board and leadership.
Since its historic beginnings in 1906, when a group of immigrant boys from the West End neighborhood of Boston banded together to form a club dedicated to the advancement of its members, West End House has made a profound impact in serving its communities through a robust and responsive set of programs and engagement efforts with one of the most ethnically diverse youth development programs in the city of Boston. In 1976, the Club proudly became one of the first in the nation to include girls as full members and changed its name to become West End House Boys & Girls Club.
As West End House moved into the 21st century, the organization has continued to update its facilities and programs to better meet community needs through several successful campaigns. In 2002, West End House completed the renovation and expansion of its 30-year building and programs and strengthened their endowment. The Expect More Campaign, completed in 2020 focused on transformational program growth, facility expansion, and capitalization. The successful campaign established the new College and Career Pathways program and extended services to young people through college graduation; strengthened the balance sheet with solid reserve funds; and greatly enhanced and integrated arts spaces, including construction of the New Balance Foundation Pavilion; expanded space for teen and college and career programming; a new Fitness Center; and expanded café, teaching kitchen facilities, and equipment.
In response to the changing landscape of the pandemic in 2020, West End House redesigned daily operations to meet pressing community needs. Their 115-year history as a nimble, responsive organization prepared the community to meet the challenges presented by the twin pandemics, including launching the Food for Families program in partnership with the Greater Boston Food Bank, citywide PCR testing and vaccination, and a 10-month, in-person Learning Hub program to support the academic success and well-being of Boston Public School students.
Recently in 2022, in recognition of the trauma and mental health challenges that WEH youth are experiencing, West End House added a full-time licensed social worker to develop and strengthen a trauma-informed framework within the social-emotional programming, including expanded programs that include therapeutic arts, which is garnering regional attention.
Learn more about West End House at https://westendhouse.org/.
The Opportunity
As the organization prepares for a comprehensive campaign, West End House seeks a dynamic strategic fundraising leader who is passionate about youth development and ready to apply their seasoned skills and experience to grow and expand WEH’s donor base and portfolio. Reporting to the CEO, the core responsibility as Chief Development Officer (“CDO”) will be to build and support the maintenance of this robust pipeline of donors and funding and cultivate an internal culture of philanthropy within West End House. The CDO will manage the end-to-end fundraising lifecycle, from setting organization-wide funding targets to identifying, cultivating, and maintaining donor and grant relationships to achieve the same. Collaborating closely with the WEH team and leadership, the CDO will inspire and empower the Development team and staff broadly to support robust growth in fundraising, particularly in expanding WEH’s portfolio of major donors, and building the organization’s external presence and network to sustain West End House’s programming as it enters its next successful chapter. To better facilitate this process, the CDO will lead the implementation of an effective donor data management system while simultaneously supporting the execution of an annual fundraising event.
Serving as a strong development professional and leader within the organization broadly, the CDO will supervise the five-member Development team as WEH evolves into its next historic chapter as an organization. Collectively the CDO and their team will execute, implement, and strengthen robust donor and grant management processes at the West End House. The CDO will also collaborate closely with the CEO to cultivate and maintain relationships with key donors and funders and serve as a partner in representing WEH with external audiences.
The CDO will report to the Chief Executive Officer and, together with the rest of senior leadership, drive organizational policy and direction, specifically as it pertains to fundraising and associated budgeting. The ideal candidate will have expertise in donor and financial management and will bring this vital lens to the organizational decision-making process, enriching the quality and achievability of firm-wide goals and decisions.
Key responsibilities for the Chief Development Officer include:
Fundraising and Development
- Work directly with the CEO to set appropriate fundraising goals and tactics that align with the broader strategic vision of the West End House
- Research, identify and cultivate donor relationships in pursuit of achieving annual fundraising objectives
- Implement a detailed database of past, present, and potential contributors and use the same to continuously improve the process for building a reliable and sustainable funding pipeline
- Continue developing an early stage comprehensive campaign and expanding WEH’s base of individual support and major donors within and beyond the campaign
- Monitor and manage overall West End House marketing and communication efforts, aimed at providing external parties, such as potential donors, with an accurate picture of the positive impact and effectiveness of West End House programs and garnering support for the organization
- Supervise grant writing and collaborate with the Chief Impact Officer to track and report program information based on grant requirements
- Plan and create clear pathways for conversion of volunteer relationships to/from a donor relationship
- Oversee the management of an annual fundraising event held by WEH to solicit donor attention, generate revenue, and build relationships
Staff Management and Development
- Mentor and directly supervise all members of the development team at West End House
- Track and report performance metrics for the entire development team and help communicate the same to the broader program team
- Manage departmental budget in alignment with organization-wide fundraising goals
- Continued openness to professional development and learning to develop their own key leadership skills and cultivate skill and experience within the fundraising team toward growing an organizational culture of philanthropy
Board and Senior Leadership
- Educate and equip Board Members to better execute their individual fundraising responsibilities
- Manage and lead all Board/Staff committees related to philanthropy including capital campaigns, annual campaigns, major gifts, and event committees
- Maintain an updated awareness of trends in the development space through participation in national meetings with peers
Candidate Profile
We recognize that there is a portfolio of lived and professional experience that will set candidates up for success in this role. While no one candidate will have every experience outlined in the position description, ideal candidates will display the following professional and personal qualities, skills, and characteristics:
Strategic Leadership & Management Acumen Through Change
The CDO will be an outwardly facing strategic and results-oriented leader guided by deep emotional intelligence. The successful CDO will be one who sets and articulates a vision for the organization’s next fundraising chapter, builds and executes a development plan and evaluates outcomes with a metrics-based approach. This leader will be an innovative, energetic, and relational individual who functions well in a fast-paced, team environment, which includes cross-department coordination. This leader will build bridges and engage colleagues interdepartmentally to cultivate change across the organization. An approachable and transparent professional, the CDO will enhance the development department’s culture of collaboration. The successful CDO will be a self-aware leader who is not only realistic and results oriented but also is a culture carrier bringing much dedication to mission, an exceptional work ethic, grace, and kindness to all constituents.
Expertise in Development & Fundraising
The CDO will be a results-driven and experienced leader in the field of development with a proven track record of success, including contributing to successful comprehensive campaigns. This seasoned CDO will have broad and deep knowledge of philanthropy with a history of successfully securing major gifts and evidence of exceptional cultivation and stewardship. With an external-facing orientation toward audiences beyond the West End House, the CDO will grow and enhance the organization’s pipeline to support donor prospecting, cultivation, solicitation, stewardship and relationship management. Through strong written, oral and presentation skills, this leader will be a natural partner to WEH’s internal and external communities and constituencies. Additionally, this leader will bring experience cultivating an internal culture of philanthropy within an organization and success growing a team-wide orientation around fundraising goals. Simultaneously, the successful CDO will also be a tactical leader, with a strong data and analysis orientation as well as a proven ability to use metrics to drive development decisions and achieve strategic objectives. This leader will set high standards for integrity, accuracy, productivity, professionalism and cooperation in the workplace.
Relationship Builder & Ambassador
The Chief Development Officer will be an ambassador for West End House. This leader will be a voice for the organization and work in partnership with Andrea Howard, CEO. Utilizing an intuitive, relational approach, this leader will build and maintain internal and external relationships to allow for effective partnerships that help advance strategic and fundraising goals. This leader will build and maintain key relationships with constituent groups and monitor the delivery of donor benefits, striving for long-term donor relationships and ensuring that effective donor cultivation, stewardship, and upgrade processes are in place. The CDO will attend the Board of Directors Meetings and Committee meetings periodically and other WEH events, dinners, and meetings to enhance external relations with constituents and to serve donors in a facilitator role as needed. This leader will serve as representative and ambassador for WEH at external functions, boards, and committees as needed.
Passion for the Mission
The CDO will embody the values and mission of West End House and, as a result, will inspire and motivate others. The CDO will thrive in an innovative, collaborative environment, with people who are passionate about their work and mission. Driven by a deep passion for the organization and appreciation of its historic success, this leader will have a strong work ethic, emotional intelligence, a sense of humor and evidence of a commitment to lifelong learning and professional growth. Additionally, this leader will be an individual of unquestioned integrity, ethics, and values – someone who can be trusted without reservation.
In addition, strong candidates will offer:
- 10+ years’ experience (5+ in a senior leadership role) managing, running, and participating in development programs and/or fundraising campaigns
- B.A. or B.S. a minimum, ideally with an advanced degree in nonprofit management, youth services or other related fields
- Demonstrated success in planning, organizing and leading multiple successful fundraising campaigns, preferably in the non-profit space
- Exceptional communication skills with an ability to build relationships with a diverse set of constituents, including high net worth individuals and major corporations
- Substantial knowledge of industry standards and best practices in the domains of development strategy, social media campaigning, and public relations
- Strong working knowledge of tracking metrics, moves management, and industry best practices
- Volunteer management and Board management experience is a strong plus
- Willingness to travel.
Compensation & Benefits
The salary range for this role is $175,000 - $195,000. Rates of pay within this range will be commensurate with experience and based on factors such as years of experience, educational qualifications, and proficiency in a second language.
West End House provides eligible employees with access to a comprehensive benefits package, including paid time off; health insurance; dental insurance; retirement; short and long-term disability insurance; and life insurance.
Contact
Koya Partners has been exclusively retained for this engagement, which is being led by Maureen Alphonse-Charles and Marisa Chock. Express interest in this role by filling out our Talent Profile or emailing the search team directly at [email protected] All inquiries and discussions are strictly confidential.
Koya Partners l Diversified Search Group 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.