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Call for Mass Poetry Development Director

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.

Call for Mass Poetry Teen Spoken Word Coordinator

Mass Poetry harnesses the power of words to engage diverse communities across our commonwealth. Our innovative programs spark dialogue, connection, and self expression. We envision a vibrant, inclusive community that lifts all voices. Please visit the organization’s website to learn more about their programs:  Mass Poetry Home Page. Teen Festival Page. Teen Programming Page. 

POSITION OVERVIEW: 

Mass Poetry’s Teen Spoken Word Coordinator offers program and organizational support on the 2026 Write Here | Write Now | Speak Loud Teen Spoken Word Festival, a yearly festival held in Boston, Massachusetts. The Coordinator will work closely with the Programming Director to organize programming, coordination with the festival venues and partners, and the regional preliminary bouts leading up to the festival. The Coordinator will also be responsible for curriculum development and implementation of the SW@MP Program (Spoken Word at Mass Poetry) held weekly on Wednesdays during the school year. In addition, our Coordinator will support Mass Poetry’s community programming and events at GrubStreet’s Center for Creative Writing in Boston’s Seaport, where Mass Poetry serves as an arts-partner-in-residence. 

COORDINATOR RESPONSIBILITIES: 

• Commit to 20 hours per week for the full 11-month contract period.
• Plan and coordinate Teen Spoken Word programming (SW@MP), including:
  • Lead in-person SW@MP sessions once a week (currently held on Wednesdays)
  • Plan one SW@MP field trip per term (three total)
  • Assist with student recruitment for SW@MP sessions
  • Offer one-on-one meetings with each SW@MP student during Terms 2 and 3
• Assist in the planning and execution of Mass Poetry’s Write Here | Write Now | Speak Loud! Teen Spoken Word Festival.
• Attend and actively participate in meetings, including weekly staff meetings, weekly supervisory meetings with the Director of Programs, and community-building meetings with other poetry leaders.
• Coach the SW@MP Brave New Voices poetry slam team and attend the Brave New Voices Festival in July.
• Support other Mass Poetry programming as needed, such as U35 readings, the Boston Book Festival, and the Massachusetts Poetry Festival.
• Assist with any of the following areas as needed:
  • Community outreach to teens, schools, and youth-serving organizations
  • Marketing and promotion, including development of outreach materials
  • Content creation for websites and social media
  • Programming and curating live events such as youth poetry readings, workshops, or retreats
• Adhere to the rules and policies of Mass Poetry.

COORDINATOR QUALIFICATIONS: 

• Passion for poetry and familiarity with and/or knowledge of contemporary poets and spoken word poetry
• Interest in literary arts programming, administration, and management 
• Experience in Youth Work/working with youth ages 13-19
• Comfortable facilitating youth workshops
• Comfortable hosting slams, open mics, and events
• Comfortable with writing and responding to emails in a timely manner
• Excellent organizational skills
• Experience in performing spoken word and slam

STIPEND:

• This is a contract position and the 11-month stipend for this role is $22,000. 

TO APPLY: 

• Please submit a cover letter, resume, and 2-3 references via the Teen Spoken Word Coordinator Application Form. No calls please. 
• Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and we encourage all applicants to apply early and no later than June 2, 2025.
• Mass Poetry is an equal opportunity employer committed to being an inclusive, multicultural organization. We encourage those who belong to communities that are underrepresented in arts administration such as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of color), LGBTQIA+ people, people with disabilities, and more to apply.

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CURRENT POSTINGS (updated 8.14.24)

As we prepare to launch our 2024 – ’25 programming, we’re seeking volunteers to support our events and programs at GrubStreet’s Center for Creative Writing – to the Massachusetts Poetry Festival. We’re looking for people with a passion for poetry to step in and fill roles such as registration, ushering, ticketing, providing information and more. If you are interested in volunteering in any capacity, please fill out this volunteer inquiry form.

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Become A Poet Educator

Mass Poetry is seeking experienced Poet-Educators to share their love of poetry. From serving as a poet-in-residence to visiting a classroom through a student day of poetry, share your love of poetry firsthand with students across Massachusetts. Contact us if you would like to join us in this work.

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Partner with Us

If you your organization would like to partner with Mass Poetry please email us at marketing@masspoetry.org

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Sponsor Our Programs