Director of Development

Overview

Boston Impact Initiative (BII) is a nonprofit impact investing fund working to build financial, social and political power for entrepreneurs of color to close the racial wealth divide. We do this by investing in the people, places and social enterprises that share our vision of an equitable economy and access to catalytic capital. BII is also transforming the impact investing field through field-building and education for entrepreneurs and fellow investors, fund managers and philanthropists so that economic and racial justice becomes integral to any place-based investment strategy.

Over the last 10 years, BII has pioneered how to deploy integrated capital — defined as financial (equity, debt and grants), knowledge and social capital — to regenerative local enterprises owned and controlled by communities of color. BII manages two integrated capital funds that invest in entrepreneurs of color and community-owned or controlled real estate in New England. BII has invested $13 million into 75+ companies since inception, and provides impact-focused business support, connections and coaching to over 100 small businesses each year. Our investments catalyze impactful enterprises and community owned and governed real estate that prevents displacement. In doing so, BII is democratizing access to finance and transforming how capital moves towards the entrepreneurs and communities of color that have been systematically under-invested. Through our investing activity, education programming and local advocacy efforts, BII is supporting the solidarity finance movement and transforming the way capital is allocated to build community wealth, ownership and power.

As we raise and deploy our newest $20M investment fund – BII Fund II, we are looking for a Director of Development who will play a leadership role in shaping and implementing BII’s fundraising strategy for philanthropic and investment capital. The ideal candidate will bring a fresh and creative approach to capital raising across multiple stakeholders — from community members to high net-worth individuals, family offices, foundations, corporate philanthropy, impact investors, donor advised funds (DAFs) and funder collaboratives — to source, cultivate, solicit, close and steward BII donors and investors to meet our annual fundraising goals. The successful candidate will lead the strategy to achieve BII’s annual operating goal of $3M and support our investment capital raise of $12M for Fund II.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Fundraising Strategy and Donor Relations:

• Collaborate with the CEO to develop and implement a comprehensive fundraising strategy to effectively solicit major gifts, corporate and foundation support, contributions from DAFs, and federal and state grants.
• Identify, develop, solicit, cultivate and maintain key relationships with a diverse base of donors and prospects.
• Conduct research to identify new funding opportunities, including donors, foundations, and philanthropic organizations.
• Coordinate and conduct meetings (in person and virtual) with donors, investors, prospects, volunteers, and key constituencies.
• Contribute to the planning and execution of fundraising events, donor engagement activities, and other initiatives to enhance donor relationships.
• Apply best practices in fundraising trends and identify emerging technologies to continually improve the organization’s fundraising strategies and process.

Proposal and Grant Writing:

• Write compelling grant proposals, case for support, letters of interest, and other fundraising materials to communicate BII’s work.
• Collaborate with the BII investment team to gather relevant information and data for proposal submissions, including impact stories to convey BII’s mission to donors.
• Develop effective collateral, including presentations and donor solicitation materials, in collaboration with BII’s Marketing and Communications Manager.

Investor Relations

• Support capital raising from investors to achieve BII Fund II’s $20M goal.
• Identify, cultivate, and grow relationships with a diverse investor base, including existing and prospective donors.
• Develop, nurture and maintain relationships with all existing investors, onboard new investors, and support investor engagement and reporting to ensure investor expectations are met and exceeded.
• Lead and/or collaborate on strategic efforts to build the BII investor community (educational events, pitches, webinars, investor roadshows, conferences, etc).
• Support CEO with managing investor engagement, including meetings, events, calls, email correspondence and events or conferences (virtual and in-person).
• With the finance and accounting team, support investor relations across all transactions, including coordination of subscription documents, lead tracking and reporting, onboarding new investors, and coordination with advisors and intermediaries.

Reporting and Analysis:

• Provide regular reports on fundraising progress, donor engagement, and financial performance to the management team and board of directors.
• Monitor fundraising budgets, ensuring effective allocation of resources and alignment with fundraising goals and objectives.
• Provide investor and donor data and create recurring (quarterly/monthly) investor and donor reports.
• Support the creation of fundraising documents such as pitch presentations, fund updates and investor highlights.
• Maintain donor and investor data in Zoho customer relationship management (CRM) system, which will track investor and donor activity.

DESIRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

• At least seven (7) years experience in fundraising strategy, direct donor engagement, investor relations and/or grant-writing and reporting.
• Proven success in securing individual major gifts (of at least $10,000) and donations/sponsorships through diverse funding streams.
• Bachelor’s degree or comparable work experience in development, fundraising for nonprofit management.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to craft compelling fundraising materials.
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain strong relationships with donors, partners, and stakeholders.
• Proficiency in using fundraising software and CRM tools.
• Demonstrated interest in and understanding of economic justice, racial justice, gender equity, sustainability, and/or related topics.
• High energy, creative thinker, and team player.
• Resourceful, proactive, able to prioritize and navigate in a fast-paced team-oriented environment; entrepreneurial experience a plus.
• Strong project management skills, excellent organization, attention to detail and follow-through.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to collaborate with multiple stakeholders.