Chief Development Officer

Since its founding, the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate has been a powerful voice for participatory democracy and civil discourse in this country. For visitors, the Institute is a place that enriches an understanding of community and citizenship, and sparks deeper commitment to the ideals Senator Kennedy championed throughout his career.

The Institute inspires the next generation of leaders to participate in democracy through interactive, innovative and nationally-recognized civic education programs. And it promotes the importance of bipartisanship and finding common ground, both of which are essential to affecting change and increasing civil discourse and engagement.

In its third year of operations, the Institute seeks a Chief Development Officer capable of building a fully mature development team to support the organization’s urgent and relevant mission.

With a growing base of ticket and event revenue and a full and part-time staff of 50, the Institute is that rare institution with both a significant local civic presence and a national platform, and the Chief Development Officer should be able to move easily between high profile politicians and donors and local constituencies in Boston and Washington, D.C.

The Chief Development Officer will work in true partnership with new President, Mary K. Grant, Ph.D. who took office in January 2018.

What We’re Looking For:

We seek a hands-on, roll up your sleeves, energetic Chief Development Officer who has experience building successful teams in a maturing development environment.

We seek a person who fully understands the short, medium and long term relationship building necessary to secure high level gifts and — in partnership with the board of Directors and President — is capable of increasing the amount of funds raised at every level.

The Chief Development Officer will be in charge of professional positions in annual fund giving, corporate and foundation giving, Kennedy staff alumni fundraising, major and principal gifts, and membership. Administrative and database support positions will be available as well.

The Chief Development Officer should be an experienced team builder used to working in a sophisticated nonprofit environment and should have a track record of meeting and exceeding goals, both individually and as leader of a team.

Experience working with and energizing Board of Director level volunteers is necessary; as is experience in building volunteer fundraising and advisory boards and societies.

A successful annual dinner fundraiser model is already in place and a comprehensive fundraising plan has been drafted as a resource for the CDO to refine. Current institutional support is drawn from a mix of individual public and private donors, as well as educational, corporate and academic access funders.

The Chief Development Officer will be able to draw upon a robust series of public forums and innovative programming to create gift and underwriting opportunities at every level. The forums bring thousands of people to the Institute and have been broadcast on numerous media platforms. They exist alongside innovative educational programs that have already served over 50,000 students and thousands of visitors from virtually every state.

The Chief Development Officer will be a key member of a high performing executive team, working in collaboration with the department heads of finance and operations, education and visitor experience, external relations, and information technology. The Chief Development Officer will report directly to the President and will work closely with her to architect fundraising strategy and engage high-level donors.

In keeping with the values of Senator Edward M. Kennedy, the Institute offers a competitive salary and an extremely generous benefits package. All inquiries will be handled with the utmost discretion and respect for confidentiality.

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