Director of Development

Job Title: Director of Development 

Location: Young Man with a Plan, Hyde Park, MA

Job Type: Full-time, hybrid 

Annual Compensation (salary, bonus, annual wealth-building) $132,000 - $148,000

Benefits include PTO, medical, dental and vision coverage  (90% employer pay), mileage reimbursement, and professional development 

The Organization 

Founded in 2015, Young Man with a Plan (YMWAP) is a 501(c) (3) tax exempt non-profit Corporation with the mission to deliver holistic mentoring sustained over 6+ years that helps young Black and Latino men in Boston build brotherhood, make academic and social emotional gains, and access sustainable futures. We serve 350 young men aged 12-24 recruited from 8 Boston schools. 

YMWAP was launched in 2015 following a meeting of 8 Boston school leaders. Deeply troubled by achievement gaps, academic disengagement, and increasing neighborhood violence, they named their most urgent concern as “young men of color in the middle” who are often overlooked because they’re neither the highflyers nor the acutely at-risk. They lack a place to belong and benefit greatly from sustained guidance and mentorship. 

YMWAP has grown from one program manager, 8 school-based mentors, and 30 students in 2015 to a staff of 8, mentor team of 18, and 350 students and alums in 2026. We have added college and career, wellness, and digital arts curricula, built a near-peer youth mentoring program, and introduced Young Man Institute for convening and learning. YMWAP received 501c3 status in 2023 and launched the YMWAP Comes Home Capital Campaign in 2025 which enabled YMWAP’s January 2026 purchase of the Hyde Park building in which we had rented space for five years. 

Our Leadership and Culture 

Executive Director Jaykyri Simpson, Ed.D. Is a thought-leader with a track record of helping teams and individuals grow and achieve. His doctoral research on Black male college persistence underscored the need for a sense of belonging and the value of sustained mentoring from trusted adults. YMWAP is built on the research-informed strategies of: connecting youth to caring adults; strengthening  academic, social emotional, critical thinking and financial literacy skills; individualized  success planning; quality partnerships; and creating a protective community.

YMWAP’s authentic and collaborative culture reflects a commitment to centering growth mindset, outcomes-orientation, and holistic wellness. The Development and Program teams work closely together. 

We are passionate about closing Boston’s racial achievement and wealth gaps. We seek a fundraising professional of any race who is committed to values of equity and who believes in the potential for young men to achieve at higher levels, to access promising future opportunities, and to ascend socio-economically. 

Our Board of Directors of 8, led by Thabiti Brown, includes educational leaders from the 2015 launch of YMWAP as well as law, healthcare, and business professionals. 

YMWAP’s FY26 budget for the current fiscal year is  $1.6 million

The Opportunity

We look to hire a mission-aligned Director of Development to help a thriving organization build on past successes and achieve a new level of revenue growth and donor engagement. 

Having just exceeded our goals on Phase I of our Capital Campaign to purchase our building, we will pursue funding through Campaign Phase II to furnish our new space and expand college & career readiness and alumni programming. 

The Director will join YMWAP at a time of inflection and  evolution within the organization. YMWAP’s current Director of Development was a founding leader, and she is transitioning into a new role of Chief Strategy Officer. She will serve as a resource to the Director of Development and team.

The Director of Development will report to the YMWAP Executive Director, lead the Development team, and work closely with the Chief Strategy Officer and Board of Directors to harness current momentum, build for future growth, and solidify the systems and infrastructure that support growth. 

They will build funding in all sectors: 

Individuals: While we have made inroads in Individual and major giving, this is a key growth area for YMWAP.

Foundations: Our main source of revenue, YMWAP seeks to retain and grow multiyear funders, and seek national funders. 

Government: YMWAP maintains strong city relationships and currently receives several Boston and Massachusetts grants. 

Ideal Candidate

The Director of Development at YMWAP is 

• A successful fundraiser, skilled at building relationships, listening closely to understand motivations for giving
• Extremely comfortable with outreach and networking to establish and maintain donor partnerships
• Someone with experience and proficiency cultivating and securing gifts through prospecting, research, proposal writing, relationship development, and face-to-face solicitation. 
• An excellent writer experienced in foundation relationships, grantwriting, and grants management 
• An organized manager who can prioritize competing demands and meet deadlines 
• A compelling storyteller who can learn and convey YMWAP’s unique mission, history and culture and connect our needs to a funder's priorities 
• An outcomes-oriented leader who brings out the best in their team and fosters a supportive, motivating, collaborative dynamic within the organization and the Board in support of fundraising. 

Scope of Responsibilities

Using creative, strategic, and effective development strategies, the Director of Development is responsible for planning, organizing, and implementing all aspects of YMWAP’s fundraising, communications, and marketing program to achieve the organization’s annual and long-term financial and relationship goals. 

The Director of Development:  

• Reports to the Executive Director, supports Board administration, and is the organization’s lead member of the YMWAP Board Development Committee. 
• Develops the capacity, systems, and plans to secure individual and major gifts, foundation and government revenue, and funds raised through special events, campaigns, appeals, and media. 
• Supervises a team of talented development professionals and contractors to achieve our annual operating budget. 
• Works closely with the Executive Director, Chief Strategy Officer, and Program team, the Board of Directors, and the Development Committee to grow the funding base. 
• Leads initiatives to identify, cultivate, solicit, and maintain positive relationships with major donors and foundations, as well as sustaining the organization’s existing base of support. 
• Achieves Foundation revenue goals, with support from the Development team and Chief Strategy Officer.
• Works Development staff and Sr. Director of Finance on budgeting, grants management and reporting processes. 
• Leads design and delivery of annual fundraising events and other small events that engage donors.
• Works with staff across the organization to understand our work and develop compelling narratives to communicate and differentiate our mission and build a case for support, and to engage, educate and steward prospects and donors to maintain interest and excitement for our vision and mission. 
• Works with the Marketing and Communications Manager and Development consultant to ensure compelling fundraising and social media messaging. 

Required Qualifications

• Informed passion and sense of urgency for racial equity and closing racial achievement, health, and wealth gaps 
• 5+ years of increasing responsibility and impact in non-profit fund development, ideally serving as Director of Development and supervising a small staff 
• Demonstrated track record cultivating and stewarding major gifts from individuals and institutions
• Superior executive functioning skills and sound judgement with a growth mindset
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Experience with leading and inspiring teams to perform at their best
• Strategic mindset with the ability to develop and implement vision, strategy, and timelines to reach the end goal of multiple projects
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience 
• Computer proficiency in the use of the Microsoft and Google Suites and CRM (YMWAP uses Bloomerang)

Please respond with your resume and cover letter to Drjsimpson@ymwap.org