Mass Poetry, an arts nonprofit headquartered in Boston’s Seaport, seeks an experienced fundraiser with a passion for poetry to serve as its full-time Development Director. This full-time, salaried position will begin in Fall 2025.
Mass Poetry envisions a world where poetry catalyzes understanding and connection. We harness the power of words to engage diverse communities across our commonwealth. We envision a vibrant, inclusive community that lifts all voice
Now celebrating its 15th anniversary, Mass Poetry serves as an arts-partner-in-residence at GrubStreet’s new Center for Creative Writing in Boston’s Seaport District. This pioneering initiative features a bookstore, literary stage, workshop space, podcasting studio, cafe, and is now set to become a literary hub for all voices. Our signature programs include the biennial Massachusetts Poetry Festival and our teen spoken word program and festival. Mass Poetry is also a founding member organization of the Poetry Coalition-–a national network of more than three dozen poetry organizations, spearheaded by the American Academy of Poets.
About the Development Director Position:
Mass Poetry’s first full-time Development Director will spearhead the final, public phase of our fundraising campaign as we seek to meet or surpass our $1.25M goal. To date, we have raised nearly $850,000 in gifts and pledges to support the next phase of our growth. The Development Director’s primary responsibilities will include:
- Partnering with the Executive Director (ED) to establish appropriate goals, timetables, benchmarks, plans and budgets for all fundraising activities;
- Along with the ED, engage and support the Mass Poetry Board of Directors in fundraising endeavors;
- Develop an annual fundraising plan and progress monitoring tool to drive decisions and actions by staff and the Board;
- Host fundraising events such as Evening of Inspired Leaders and donor house parties;
- Manage a development intern, a marketing and communications co-op, and a contract grant writer;
- Support marketing and publicity via social media, local and national media outlets, co-sponsored events, and Mass Poetry’s website;
- Cultivate new individual, corporate and foundation prospects and seek new funding opportunities;
- Coordinate and participate in meetings with high level prospects and donors in conjunction with the Executive Director;
- Plan and implement grant applications and reports as well as sponsorship requests;
- Lead fundraising content creation including writing proposals, supporting documents, and other correspondence;
- Oversee solicitation and acknowledgement processes, including managing our Little Green Light donor database
- Serve as a liaison to Mass Poetry’s board advancement committee, planning all related meeting agendas and generating materials as needed;
- Lead the creation of future-oriented multi-year fundraising planning including outlining key milestones such as funds raised, donor diversification, etc.
- Provides other services as reasonably requested by the ED.
Qualified candidates should be able to demonstrate experience with:
- 5+ years of experience raising funds for arts or education-related non-profits;
- Increasing responsibilities over a minimum of five years of full time work;
- Directing large-scale projects while managing the work of others;
- Collaborating and communicating well with others;
- Solving problems quickly and creatively;
- Engaging and motivating key stakeholders;
- Multitasking with ease and precision;
- Working independently and efficiently to meet deadlines;
- Developing easy-to-use methods for tracking key financial data; and
- Presenting user-friendly financial information to both internal and external stakeholders.
SALARY & BENEFITS:
The salary range for this position is $80,000 – $90,000. Benefits include 15 days vacation, 5 days of paid sick leave, health insurance, and the option of contributing to a matching retirement plan.
TO APPLY: The deadline for applications is October 1, 2025. Please submit a cover letter, resume, professional writing sample, and 2-3 references to the Development Director Application Form. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, so please plan to apply early.