Senior Director of Development

Senior Director of Development

Boston, MA Onsite

This organization is redefining how homelessness is addressed—by combining stable housing with the supportive services people need to build lasting independence. Through a thoughtful, trauma-informed approach, they help both individuals and families transition from crisis to self-sufficiency, offering life skills, job training, and financial coaching along the way. With a remarkable 90%+ housing retention rate over the past 18 years, their housing-plus-services model is a proven success. If you're passionate about transformative, people-centered work that truly changes lives, this is a place where your efforts will matter—every single day. As Senior Director of Development, you will lead major gift fundraising strategy, cultivating and strengthening relationships with individual philanthropists to drive transformational giving and long-term philanthropic growth. Working closely with executive leadership, the board, and the development team, you will identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward major donors, expand philanthropic partnerships, and develop fundraising strategies that advance the organization's mission and strategic priorities through meaningful donor engagement and measurable impact.

Responsibilities

• Lead major gifts strategy, raising at least $3M annually toward a $6M fundraising goal
• Manage a portfolio of 125–150 major donors and prospects with an active pipeline of approximately $4M
• Develop and execute individualized cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies, securing five-, six-, and seven-figure gifts
• Identify and cultivate new major gift prospects while strengthening relationships with individual, corporate, and foundation donors
• Partner with executive leadership, board members, volunteers, and community stakeholders to expand philanthropic support
• Create meaningful donor engagement opportunities, including site visits, executive briefings, volunteer experiences, and special events
• Oversee the planning and execution of signature fundraising events and drive volunteer and board engagement to achieve fundraising goals
• Lead, mentor, and develop the fundraising team while fostering collaboration, accountability, and a high-performance culture
• Oversee development operations, including donor stewardship, grants, volunteer initiatives, gift processing, and CRM management
• Track fundraising performance, maintain accurate donor records, monitor pipeline activity, and prepare revenue forecasts and reports for executive leadership

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required
• 7+ years of frontline major gift fundraising experience with a proven track record of securing five- and six-figure gifts
• Demonstrated success managing and growing a major gift portfolio and developing tailored donor cultivation and solicitation strategies
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills with strong relationship-building abilities
• Experience using Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT or a comparable donor CRM
• Highly organized with strong project management skills, attention to detail, and the ability to manage multiple priorities
• Self-motivated, collaborative, and able to handle confidential information with discretion
• Willingness to work occasional evenings and weekends to support donor engagement and fundraising events
• Passion for advancing mission-driven work and creating meaningful community impact

Compensation

• Salary: $145,000 - $160,000, commensurate with experience
• Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance
• Pet insurance
• Life and Disability Insurance
• Commuter benefit program
• 9 paid holidays, 20 days of PTO, 12 sick days
• Employer-sponsored retirement program

Career Blazers Nonprofit Search maintains a broad focus so that your search can be thorough, and inclusive of all relevant options. We carefully consider your desired outcome, skills, and experience. The professionals at Career Blazers Nonprofit Search maintain your confidentiality and will not send your resume to a client without your approval. Career Blazers is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status.