Director of Development

Development Director

Organizational Profile:

Boston Outdoor Preschool Network (BOPN) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to nature-based early education. We bring families together in community and offer children a joyfully muddy childhood under the loving guidance of skilled and dedicated educators. Our programs blend early childhood education with environmental learning, fostering deep connections between children, nature, and one another.

BOPN’s mission is to support children’s physical and mental health, nurture environmental stewardship, and cultivate lifelong habits of mind—including curiosity, initiative, persistence, creativity, problem-solving, and responsibility. Through daily outdoor experiences, children learn resilience, collaboration, and confidence while developing a meaningful relationship with the natural world.

BOPN operates toddler and preschool programs across Greater Boston, with sites in Boston, Milton, Malden, and Sudbury. As the organization continues to grow and strengthen its impact, we are committed to building sustainable systems, equitable access to outdoor education, and strong partnerships that support families, educators, and communities.

Position Summary:

Boston Outdoor Preschool Network (BOPN) seeks an entrepreneurial Director of Development that can lead the build out of a high‑performing, multi‑channel fundraising program across institutional funders and partnerships, annual giving, and fundraising events. This leader will design development infrastructure, establish development operations and systems, partner closely with organizational leadership, and build the systems and team to sustain rapid growth. The role requires strong data and operational discipline, excellent donor communication skills, and comfort navigating 501(c)(3) compliance.

This is a primarily remote position, with occasional in-person events.

Key Responsibilities:

This is a newly created role at Boston Outdoor Preschool Network. The responsibilities and percentage allocations outlined above are intended to reflect current organizational priorities and may evolve over time as fundraising systems are established, partnerships mature, and organizational needs change.

Fundraising Strategy, Policies, and Practices - 40%

• Develop and execute a 12–24 month development infrastructure, plan, and revenue model spanning major gifts, institutional giving, corporate partnerships, and annual/digital programs.
• Develop value-aligned resource mobilization strategies and establish associated policies and practices (sponsorships, philanthropic gifts, cause marketing, employee giving) in alignment with BOPN program strategies.
• Develop and manage a donor relations database and process (CRM and development operations: data hygiene, gift processing and acknowledgments, pledge tracking, reporting, and dashboards.)
• Lead development of the fiscal year organizational Annual Report in collaboration with communications, program, and finance teams.
• Lead routine organizational revenue and pipeline reporting in collaboration with finance.
• Partner with the President and Board to strengthen a culture of philanthropy

Institutional Partnerships, Proposal Development, and Grant Management - 40%

• Pursue diverse, multi-year institutional funding partnerships to support organizational sustainability.
• Conduct research on potential institutional funding partners.
• Cultivate relationships with institutional funders.
• Lead proposal development in response to open solicitations and invitations.
• Establish and maintain a multi-year funding pipeline, updating regularly
• Negotiate agreements, manage benefits, and steward multi‑year partnerships.
• Own the grants calendar
• Maintain compliance and timely reporting; track restricted revenue and deliverables with Finance/Operations.
• Ensure program budgets, outcomes, and evaluation plans are funder‑ready; collaborate with policy/legal/communications to package fundable work.

Annual Giving and Donor Relations- 20%

• Develop an individual giving revenue stream, including the launch of an Annual Fund.
• Build scalable annual/digital giving programs (email, SMS, web, social, peer‑to‑peer) with communications.

This role may perform other duties as needed to support the department and organization.

Qualifications:

• 5–7+ years of progressive experience in nonprofit development, fundraising, or institutional advancement, with responsibility for building or managing multiple revenue streams (institutional, individual, corporate).
• Demonstrated experience developing and executing multi-year fundraising strategies, revenue models, and development infrastructure.
• Proven success securing and stewarding institutional funding, including foundation and government grants.
• Experience leading proposal development from concept through submission, including budgets, outcomes, and reporting requirements.
• Strong grant management skills, including compliance, reporting, and tracking restricted revenue.
• Ability to analyze fundraising data and produce clear revenue, pipeline, and dashboard reports for leadership and board audiences.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate program impact into compelling funder-ready narratives.
• Strong project management skills and the ability to manage multiple deadlines, stakeholders, and priorities simultaneously.
• Commitment to equity-centered fundraising practices and alignment with BOPN’s mission and values.

Compensation:

This role is grant-funded through June 2027, and the employment contract is dependent on the continuation of grant funding. The position follows a Monday–Friday schedule. The expected schedule is 20–40 hours per week, accommodating both part-time and full-time candidates. Compensation is commensurate with scheduled hours, with a maximum annual salary of $70,000.

• Comprehensive health and dental insurance
• Paid vacation, personal days, and holidays
• Flexible scheduling options