New Search! Chief Development Officer with UTEC

Pillar Search is honored to partner with UTEC on the search for their new Chief Development Officer (CDO). This is an outstanding opportunity for an experienced development professional with expertise in growing support for an organization and leading a high-performing team.

ABOUT UTEC

UTEC is a nationally recognized program for justice-involved young adults. The program starts behind the walls of correctional facilities and intensive street outreach/gang peacemaking and transitions into an intensive program in the community post-release. The nature of their educational services, wraparound supports and counseling, social enterprises/workforce development, organizing/policy work, training institute, and innovative partnerships creates a variety of impacts in the lives of the individuals and communities they serve.

In 1999, UTEC was founded as the result of an organizing movement driven by young people to develop their own teen center in response to gang violence. In 2010, after ten years in operation as a drop-in center and safe space for young people of all ages, UTEC staff engaged in a Theory of Change process that led to a programmatic restructuring to provide intensive, integrated services for the most disconnected youth ages 17-25. UTEC decided to continue the organization’s gang prevention work and education programming, as well as expand its employment and transitional coaching services.

In 2011, UTEC began construction to expand and renovate its youth center in downtown Lowell to accommodate increased enrollment and grow their social enterprises. By 2016, UTEC had expanded its social enterprises into three industry areas: mattress recycling, woodworking, and food services. In 2017, the 2Gen Center @ UTEC opened its doors to provide onsite early education for young children of UTEC’s enrolled young adults.

Since 2019, UTEC has celebrated the grand opening of new program sites in Haverhill and Lawrence. In the same year, UTEC was selected as the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ provider for a Gun Violence Prevention Training Center for Excellence, which is now the premier training facility in the state for addressing gun violence through both a public health and racial equity lens.

In FY22, UTEC served over 600 young adults including a range of outreach activities, and approximately 150 young adults intensively through their comprehensive program. During this fiscal year, 75% of young adults at UTEC avoided arrest. With over 20 years of experience, UTEC is a catalyst, innovating in the way they serve young adults (ages 17-25) who are criminally and/or gang involved in Massachusetts’ Merrimack Valley.

UTEC values a strong, positive culture. Their organizational values are:

  • Assuming goodness behind everyone’s actions.
  • Show madd love, unconditionally accepting each person.
  • Offer everyone a clean slate, never giving up.
  • Carry out respectful curiosity, always seeking out moments to connect.
  • Be a sponge, actively seeking feedback.
  • Embody contagious passion in all they do.

ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY

UTEC is seeking a talented Chief Development Officer who is deeply committed to advancing racial equity and can act as an ambassador for UTEC and the important work they do, demonstrating a personal commitment to the organization’s values and imparting them to others, both within and outside the organization.

Reporting to the CEO, this position will lead an eight-person development team, carry a portfolio of high net-worth prospects, and create a vision and strategy for doubling UTEC’s philanthropic revenue over the next several years.

The CDO will be a member of UTEC’s senior leadership team and work closely with the Board and the Advisory Committee.

UTEC has had success closing 6 and 7-figure gifts from individuals and has a strong individual pipeline that needs to be cultivated. This will be an area of focus and opportunity for the CDO.

Leadership and Management

  • Lead an overall team of six professionals, which includes three direct reports (Director of Principal Gifts, Director of Major Gifts (to be hired), and Director of Advancement and Donor Services).
  • Create and oversee the implementation of a comprehensive development strategy and measurable plan to grow philanthropic revenue, with an emphasis on individual giving.
  • Develop short-term and long-term fundraising goals and benchmarks and analyze the effectiveness of all development initiatives regularly.
  • Working closely with the Director of Advancement and Donor Services, develop and execute best practice development systems and operations to support a successful and rapidly growing development program.
  • Mentor, inspire and grow the development staff.

Prospect and Portfolio Management

  • Collaborating with other members of the UTEC organization, develop strategies for prospect identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of individual, corporate, and foundation prospects.
  • Personally build and manage a portfolio of individual and institutional prospects.
  • Engage leadership in key donor cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship activities.
  • Build on current stewardship activities to deepen relationships with current donors.
  • Develop and implement new engagement strategies.

Key Qualifications

  • Strong commitment to social justice and serving UTEC’s young people.
  • Successful track record of closing major gifts and building productive relationships with boards, donors, and colleagues at all levels
  • Solid understanding of development best practices and insight into how technology supports philanthropy.
  • Experience leading and managing a team of development professionals.
  • Passion for supporting the professional development of direct reports through coaching, mentoring and a strengths-based approach.
  • Strategic, persuasive, and action-oriented – entrepreneurial and comfortable taking calculated risks
  • Able to represent UTEC’s diverse culture
  • Flexible and resourceful self-starter who can work well in a fast-paced environment with evolving priorities.
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
  • A great sense of humor and an ability to collaborate with colleagues at all levels.
  • Ability to work a flexible schedule, including some night and weekend events as needed.
  • Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience.
  • Experience with Salesforce a plus.

Salary/Benefits: The salary range for the Chief Development Officer role is $130,000 – $150,000. UTEC offers a competitive benefits package that starts with 4 weeks of vacation (3 standard for all new employees and a week of agency-wide closure between the Christmas and New Year holidays), 12 holidays, 10 sick days, 2 personal days, health, dental and vision insurance, life insurance, an annual cost of living increase, a 457B retirement plan and up to $4,000 per employee of professional development support.  With time, benefits grow to include up to 6 weeks of vacation, 80% coverage of employee health and dental insurance costs and availability for a 3-week sabbatical.

UTEC also stresses the importance of work-life balance and offers several wellness opportunities including additional time off (i.e., for the past two years we have closed at 3pm on Fridays during the summer months), an employee assistance program, down payment assistance for first time home buyers, parental leave, bereavement supports and unlimited free coffee!

TO APPLY

This search is being led by Pillar Search & HR Consulting. Please submit your materials to Cindy Joyce via the UTEC career page at https://utecinc.applytojob.com/apply/G9cCnM9JMX/Chief-Development-Officer.

COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY

UTEC is an equal opportunity employer and an organization that values diversity. People from all diverse backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply. You can read more about their commitments here. 

Major Gifts Officer Pro Bono Posting for Celebrity Series of Boston

The Celebrity Series of Boston is the region’s leading presenter of the world’s finest music, dance, and family entertainment. Over its 78 year history, the Series has introduced Boston audiences to some of the greatest performing artists of our time, including Sergei Rachmaninoff, Martha Graham and Company, Marian Anderson, the Bolshoi Ballet, Dizzy Gillespie, Luciano Pavarotti, Yo-Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman. Today, the Series pursues the following mission: to present world-class performing artists who inspire and enrich our community. We believe in the power of excellence and innovation in the performing arts to enrich life experience, transform lives, and build better communities. We envision a community of Greater Boston where the performing arts are a valued, lifelong, shared experience – on stages, in schools, in homes – everywhere.

The Major Gift Officer reports to the Director of Development and is responsible for, but not limited to the following functions:

  • Identifying, cultivating and soliciting major gifts
  • Develop and manage a major gift prospect portfolio with a goal of carrying 75 major gifts prospects in an active solicitation cycle
  • Oversee all aspects of the major gift prospects relationship and timely movement through the solicitation cycle in coordination with other team members as appropriate
  • Monitor all prospect contacts to ensure positive and purposeful communications
  • Lead and/or attend donor cultivation and solicitation meetings
  • Plan and execute campaign cultivation events
  • Work collaboratively and strategically with Celebrity Series staff and Board members
  • Participate in and contribute substantively to organizational strategy and planning sessions
  • Maintain donor records and timely reporting in the database
Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 5 years of related development experience
  • Proven record of success in fundraising, particularly in major gift solicitation
  • Highly organized, self-motivated with strong written and verbal skills
  • Ability to work on multiple fronts and meet frequent deadlines
  • Creative and strategic thinker with an ability to manage and present relevant financial information
  • Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Powerpoint)
  • Proficiency with Tessitura software is a plus
  • Some night and weekend work is required

To apply:
Please send a resume and a cover letter outlining your interest in this position to Celebrity Series of Boston, Inc., 20 Park Plaza, Suite 1032, Boston, MA 02116 or by email to csobdevelopment@gmail.com.

Another Successful Search for Year Up from Pillar Executive Search!

Pillar's Search Success

Pillar Search is proud to have successfully partnered with Year Up on the search for their new Associate Director of Partner Relations and to announce the placement of Deborah Matteson.

Year Up is an award-winning national 501(c)3 organization striving to close the Opportunity Divide by providing urban young adults ages 18-24 with the skills, experience, and support that will empower them to reach their potential through professional careers and higher education. Through a one-year intensive training program, these young adults complete a unique combination of rigorous, hands-on technical and professional skills training, college credit, and corporate internships.

Based in Year Up’s Boston office, Deborah will manage existing partner relationships, facilitating interactions between Year Up, interns and corporate partners to create mutually beneficial business relationships. As part of the Corporate Engagement team, Deborah will help to connect top corporations in need of talent with high-potential urban young adults, ensuring high levels of partner satisfaction.

Deborah has extensive experience in sales and account management, and has worked with companies such as Brafton, Aberdeen Group, Nth Degree Events, and Monster. Deborah earned her Bachelor’s Degree from Boston University.

With personalized service and proven results, Pillar is your partner in executive search and human resources consulting. With over 20 years of experience, Pillar provides retained search services for exceptional non-profits and foundations and early-stage or rapid growth for-profit firms. A woman-owned business, Pillar is based in Boston, MA, and works on both a local and national level. To learn more about how Pillar can assist with your search needs, please contact Cindy Joyce at cindy@pillarsearch.com.