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united way of massachusetts bay and merrimack valley

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Chief Development Officer

Contact: Maureen Alphonse-Charles
Gilbert Tweed Associates Inc.
65 William Street, 3rd Floor
Wellesley, Massachusetts 02481
781-431-0400, fax 781-431-0403
mcharles@gilberttweed.com

ORGANIZATION

United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley (UWMB/MV) is a nonprofit charitable organization that brings together people from business, government, education, healthcare, faith groups, and the community. The ability to unite and invest resources where they are needed most is what makes UWMB/MV uniquely valuable to the community. UWMB/MV’s initiatives and investments are tackling the most pressing community issues to create lasting changes in the lives of individuals. The organization also mobilizes thousands of volunteers annually to address specific community needs.

UWMB/MV works under a multi-year strategy that is focused on making the region the best place for children and their families. The community goals include ensuring children enter school healthy and ready to learn, ensuring youth graduate with options for successful future, and ensuring families have safe permanent homes and the financial know-how to build better futures. UWMB/MV engages a variety of sources to support these goals and the needs of the community (including employee workplace campaigns, corporate and individual contributions, and government and foundation grants). UWMB/MV’s partners include over 200 community-based organizations that help serve the needs of more than 2 million people in 87 cities and towns.

UWMB/MV is a locally governed and independently operated United Way – one of 1,300 across the country that together form a national movement to create long-term systemic change with visible and measurable results.

THE POSITION

UWMB/MV seeks an energetic, committed, dynamic, creative Chief Development Officer who will lead the organization into its next phase of development and growth. The Chief Development Officer will work closely with the President, Development Staff, Development Committee, and the Board of Directors. The successful executive will have a core passion and keen understanding of UWMB/MV’s mission and commitment to the communities it serves. Hence, community impact and the understanding of the role of volunteers will be a pivotal foundation for the incoming Chief Development Officer’s philosophical approach to ramping up the development efforts to the next level. Simultaneously, s/he will grow the current annual fundraising levels, and ramp up the organization’s funding through strong relationships with foundations, corporations, government agencies, and individuals consistent with the organization’s strategic plan. The Chief Development Officer will capitalize on UWMB/MV’s previous service and funding successes and leverage those to increase funding levels to support the strategic plans of the organization as well as providing an authentic comprehension and connection to the mission. The key elements in his or her role include:

  • Integrating, creating, planning and implementing the overall long term multi-year fundraising strategy; both in terms of the campaign and framework for the future. This would include leadership giving, workplace giving as well as foundation relations, corporate giving, special events, and planned giving. The integration, alignment and balance of all facets of development with the mission of the organization formulate the foundation for the future success of all development efforts.

  • Promoting UWMB/MV’s critical leadership role and mission within the philanthropic community as a strategic partner.

  • Managing, mentoring and coaching the staff to establish annual fundraising goals for individual programs and for general operating support as well as continued membership cultivation.

  • Promoting and building our volunteer and donor engagement opportunities as an integral and pivotal part of the development strategy.

  • Leading, tracking and managing all development programs and activities with other UWMB/MV programs and projects for mutual advantage. Working closely with marketing to further enhance synergy and integration of the message to the community.

PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS

UWMB/MV seeks a highly confident and energetic executive. From a professional standpoint, the candidate must bring a proven, acclaimed track record of strategic leadership and breadth of vision. The ideal candidate will have a minimum of 10 years of successful experience in a comparable role with similar fundraising goals. It is imperative that the successful executive bring experience, warmth, and depth in building all facets of the development program: individual donors; foundation and corporate partnerships; as well as support from governmental sources. A demonstrated executive leadership style is required. This should be accompanied by enthusiasm, high energy, integrity, team-building, and the ability to focus on the needs of the staff but also a keen understanding of the mission of the organization. The successful candidate will be strategic in orientation with significant management depth.

In addition, the successful candidate must have:

  • The ability to lead the strategic development efforts for UWMB/MV as it enters a bold, new phase of its growth as an organization.
  • Superb oral, written and marketing communication skills with exceptional strategic and administrative abilities, as well as strong planning and organizational development skills.
  • Highly-developed consensus management skills while having the ability to make decisions, with excellent initiative, creativity, and a “self-starter” attitude.
  • A team player disposition and a hands-on executive management style, with a track record of operating with the highest integrity. Candidates must display significant success in developing and maintaining relationships with a range of external partners.
  • A comprehension and appreciation of metrics and performance indicators used to measure progress, as well as a critical acuity for the application of these tools.

Additionally, the ideal candidate will display computer proficiency with the knowledge of database, word-processing and spreadsheet use. It would also be helpful for the successful executive to have proficiency or an appreciation for the uses of cutting edge fundraising software.

At a personal level, we are seeking an individual who is psychologically mature, analytically disciplined, and highly nuanced in f his/her interpersonal style. From an interpersonal standpoint, rich creativity, a high degree of practical intelligence, behavioral flexibility, and a substantial work ethic should be qualities present in preferred candidates. The ideal executive will have a strong personal commitment to the mission of UWMB/MV. The ideal executive will have outstanding communication and leadership skills, mature business judgment, and a pleasing and fluid interpersonal style as well as a sense of humor.

From an educational standpoint, a minimum of an undergraduate degree or equivalent is desired. Nevertheless, while education is judged valuable as an index of general intelligence and motivation, it will not take the place of common sense, management/administrative experience, creativity, risk-taking ability and passion for growing an organization and its staff.

In short, UWMB/MV seeks an outstanding Chief Development Officer who brings much expertise, creativity, passion, management depth, leadership, and gravitas. The successful candidate will focus on creating a strategy and platform that positions UWMB/MV as the “top tier” organization for philanthropy well poised for continued growth and impact.

Contact: Maureen Alphonse-Charles
Gilbert Tweed Associates Inc.
65 William Street, 3rd Floor
Wellesley, Massachusetts 02481
781-431-0400, fax 781-431-0403
mcharles@gilberttweed.com