Positions Available

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, Massachusetts

Director of Development

Leadership Giving Officers (4)

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) School of Engineering (SOE) seeks collaborative and strategic development professionals to serve as leadership giving officers (LGO) within its esteemed Departments of Biological Engineering (BE), Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE), Materials Science and Engineering (DMSE) and Institute of Medical and Engineering Science (IMES), as well as a seasoned and enterprising individual to assume the role of director of development (DOD) for its Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.  Funds generated by development efforts will provide faculty with the resources they need to conduct groundbreaking research and drive innovation and offer students the education and training they require to tackle difficult challenges and find solutions to complex problems. 

The LGOs and DOD will formulate and execute comprehensive strategic plans that provide clearly defined paths forward for key initiatives and priorities within their departments.  They also will efficiently and effectively guide and engage their department heads and faculty members in the fundraising process; provide opportunities for alumni to share their expertise and meaningfully engage with students, faculty, and one another; and cultivate prospects in ways that nurture their interests in SOE and strengthen their ties to the Institute. 

Ideal candidates will have a track record of success securing six- and seven-figure philanthropic gifts; the ability to raise awareness of a program to a broader audience and define, in clear and compelling terms, what differentiates their departments from its peers; and experience collaborating with colleagues across a development operation and within an institution to effectively existing and potential donors.

Please click on the buttons below to review position descriptions for the opportunities available at MIT. 

Nathan & Henry B. Cleaves Law Library

Portland, Maine

Head Librarian

The Nathan & Henry B. Cleaves Law Library, with roots in service to the Maine legal community going back to 1811, seeks a self-directed, public-service-minded professional to serve as its next Head Librarian. As the state’s oldest law library, Cleaves provides access to statutes, case law, secondary sources, legislative history, and other specialized sources of legal information to the legal community and to the public at large. The Library provides essential support services to Maine’s judicial branch, including judges and generations of law clerks, as well as to other new graduates and established members of the bar seeking to understand, argue, and advance the law in Maine.

The Head Librarian operates all aspects of the Library in a direct service capacity. They will be experienced in, and have a love of, legal research and the preservation and promotion of local legal resources. They will be responsible for developing and maintaining the Library’s budget in consultation with the Library’s Board of Directors, and for managing the use and maintenance of the Library’s systems and technologies. The Head Librarian will be a community-oriented individual who appreciates the Library’s special role in the Maine legal community. They will enthusiastically engage with stakeholders, including the public, Library members, state and county officials, and the Maine State Judicial Branch, to enhance the Library’s offerings and perpetuate its mission. The ideal candidate will have a Juris Doctor or a Master of Library Science or both, along with at least three years of full-time experience in a professional capacity in a law library.

This is a full-time position based in Portland, Maine. Portland is a beautiful city on the ocean that offers a variety of arts and cultural, recreational, and educational opportunities in a diverse and growing community. The salary range for this position is $62,000 to $100,000, and is commensurate with the candidate’s experience and capabilities. The Head Librarian will have flexibility in working between 32-40 hours per week; this will also factor into salary determination. A negotiable allocation for health benefits will be provided. The Library offers two weeks of accrued paid time off together with all Maine State Court paid holidays.

Martha’s Vineyard Community Services

Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts

Chief Advancement Officer

Martha’s Vineyard Community Services (MVCS), a non-profit social services agency that provides a comprehensive array of support for citizens of all ages and backgrounds on the island, seeks a chief advancement officer to lead development and communications efforts at this highly regarded and critically important institution.  The position becomes available at a pivotal time in MVCS’s history, following its official designation as a Community Behavioral Health Center by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and as it heads toward completion of its multi-year Space to THRIVE Capital Campaign, which was launched to rebuild its campus for the future.  Having opened its Early Childhood Center in fall 2021, MVCS turns its attention to achieving its current $17.5 million goal—with 75% already raised—and launching, in fall 2026, a new, state-of-the-art community service center that enhances care for every individual who turns to MVCS for support. 

The chief advancement officer (CAO) reports to the chief executive officer, serves on the organization’s leadership team, and supervises two staff members engaged in development and communications efforts.  The CAO will provide innovative leadership and strategic vision to MVCS’s development and communications efforts; serve as an effective spokesperson for the organization’s programs and services; and undertake efforts to create an ambitious and sustainable development program. 

The ideal candidate will have a demonstrated ability to articulate a case of support to a wide array of audiences to further an organization’s mission and goals; a track record of success developing productive relationships with potential and existing financial supporters; and the ability to inspire leaders and staff members and engage them in efforts to dramatically increase private philanthropic support and transform engagement efforts. 

NAACP Legal Defense Fund

New York, New York

Chief Development Officer

The Legal Defense Fund (LDF) seeks a seasoned and entrepreneurial advancement professional to serve as chief development officer (CDO) and oversee efforts to secure private philanthropic support for the organization.  Funds secured by the development operation will enable LDF to address some of the greatest challenges facing society.  The position becomes available at a pivotal time in the organization’s—and the nation’s—history as Janai Nelson, President and Director-Counsel, leads LDF efforts to secure voting rights, address economic inequity, reduce incarceration rates, and ensure high-quality education for Black Americans.

This is a critical role within the organization; reflecting this, the CDO will report to the President and Director-Counsel and serve as a key member of the senior management team.  The CDO will work closely with senior staff and the Board of Directors to gain an in-depth understanding of LDF’s current and future substantive work and needs.  Based on this information, the CDO will conceptualize, organize and implement a comprehensive and strategic fundraising program, aimed at increasing and diversifying income sources.

The ideal candidate for this opportunity will be passionate about LDF’s mission and work.  The CDO will be a dedicated and creative fundraising leader with an established track record of increasing philanthropic revenue (with an emphasis on major giving), ideally for an advocacy or human rights organization.  The CDO will have the demonstrated ability to engage constituents in a manner that generates excitement, shared purpose, meaningful action, and long-term relationships.  As a key advocate of LDF, the CDO will possess the stature, interpersonal skills, and communication acumen to compellingly share LDF’s goals and programs to diverse audiences. 

NAACP Legal Defense Fund

California

Director of Major Gifts-West Coast

The Legal Defense Fund seeks an entrepreneurial and driven advancement professional to serve as director of major gifts, west coast, on the individual giving team and manage the donor giving journey through the gift cycle from identification through gift closure.  Funds secured by the director will enable LDF to address some of the greatest challenges facing society.  The position becomes available at a pivotal time in the organization’s—and the nation’s—history as Janai Nelson, president and director-counsel, leads LDF efforts to secure voting rights, address economic equity, reduce incarceration rates, and ensure high-quality education for Black Americans.

The director will manage a portfolio of 100-150 prospects capable of making gifts of $100K+ and inspire them to new levels of philanthropic support; collaborate with and leverage the skills of colleagues across development to engage potential donors; and utilize data and research to identify prospects, develop cultivation plans, and formulate effective solicitation strategies.

The ideal candidate will have a track record of success securing six- and seven-figure philanthropic gifts; the ability to raise the visibility of an organization and convey to a wide audience the impact it has on the lives of the people it represents; and exemplary interpersonal and community-building skills as well as a high degree of comfort and cultural sensitivity engaging and inspiring prospects and donors. 

NAACP Legal Defense Fund

New York, New York/Washington, DC

Associate Director, Major Gifts

The Legal Defense Fund seeks an entrepreneurial and driven advancement professional to serve as an associate director, major gifts, on the individual giving team and manage the donor giving journey through the gift cycle from identification through gift closure.  Funds secured by the associate director will enable LDF to address some of the greatest challenges facing society.  The position becomes available at a pivotal time in the organization’s—and the nation’s—history as Janai Nelson, president and director-counsel, leads LDF efforts to secure voting rights, address economic equity, reduce incarceration rates, and ensure high-quality education for Black Americans.

The associate director will manage a portfolio of 100-150 prospects capable of making gifts of $100K+ and inspire them to new levels of philanthropic support; collaborate with and leverage the skills of colleagues across development to engage potential donors; and utilize data and research to identify prospects, develop cultivation plans, and formulate effective solicitation strategies.

The ideal candidate will have a track record of success securing five- and six-figure philanthropic gifts; the ability to raise the visibility of an organization and convey to a wide audience the impact it has on the lives of the people it represents; and exemplary interpersonal and community-building skills as well as a high degree of comfort and cultural sensitivity engaging and inspiring prospects and donors. 

The Lawrenceville School

Lawrenceville, New Jersey

Director of Principal and Major Gifts

The Lawrenceville School seeks an experienced leader and highly productive individual giving officer to oversee the school’s principal and major gift fundraising efforts.  The position becomes available following the recent appointment of Greta Morgan as Lawrenceville’s chief advancement officer (CAO) and the successful completion of an historic comprehensive campaign that raised more private philanthropic support than any other independent school.  It also coincides with the launch of a strategic plan focused on creating a stronger, more inclusive community, and enhancing the well-being of all members of the school. 

The director, in partnership with the CAO and the director of development, will meaningfully engage principal gift prospects, educate them on the highest priority fundraising initiatives, and secure financial commitments that are impactful and transformational.  The director also will assume oversight of major and planned giving development officers.  Together they will inspire new levels of philanthropic support from existing donors and undertake efforts to identify and engage new prospects to support the school.  This individual also will establish clearly defined and measurable performance metrics for team members while providing them with the guidance, direction, and support they need to be successful in their jobs.

The ideal candidate will have the experience and a demonstrated ability to lead a large individual giving team to higher performance levels through coaching, training, data analysis, and metrics; the ability to effectively engage major and principal gift prospects and secure philanthropic support for an organization; and have a track record of success implementing change and building programs that have transformed development efforts at an institution.