Vice President of Development

The Vice President of Development is a member of the South Shore YMCA’s leadership team and serves as the Association’s strategic leader for all philanthropic, mission advancement, and external engagement efforts. This role leads a comprehensive advancement program—including annual giving, major and planned gifts, capital campaigns, endowment, grants, and signature fundraising events—to drive sustainable revenue growth and deepen community impact.

Working closely with the President & CEO, Board of Directors, Association leadership, and Development staff, the VP of Development creates and executes short- and long-term strategies that align fundraising priorities with the Association’s strategic plan and evolving community needs. The VP of Development strengthens donor relationships, expands philanthropic partnerships, fosters a culture of philanthropy across the Association, and ensures high-quality stewardship, systems, and communications that reflect the YMCA’s mission and values.

The South Shore YMCA is one of the strongest fundraising YMCA’s in the country raising nearly $5M in annual donations for 2025. The South Shore YMCA also just completed a successful $12.5M Capital Campaign with intentions to launch another soon. Our next Vice President of Development will build on these successes.

OUR CULTURE

Our mission and core values are brought to life by our culture. At the South Shore Y, we strive to live our cause of strengthening communities with purpose and intentionality every day. We are welcoming: we are open to all. We are a place where you can belong and make a difference. We are genuine: we value you and embrace your individuality. We are hopeful: we believe in you and your potential to become a catalyst in the world. We are nurturing: we support you in your journey to develop your full potential. We are determined: above all else, we are on a relentless quest to make our community stronger beginning with you.

MEMBER / CUSTOMER SERVICE STATEMENT

Members / customers are the heart of our organization. They are the reason we exist. Members are the most important visitors we have, whether they visit by mail, phone, online, or in person. They are not statistics and always deserve our respect. Behind safety, no matter what we are hired to do, satisfying members’ needs and wants is everyone’s first and most important responsibility.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Development Leadership
• Develop and implement an Association-wide Development and Mission Advancement plan aligned with the YMCA strategic plan.
• Establish annual fundraising goals, multi-year targets, timelines, and metrics for annual, capital, endowment, planned giving, and grants.
• Partner with senior leaders to align fundraising priorities with program and community needs and develop compelling cases for support.
• Major Gifts, Planned Giving & Endowment
• Lead a major gifts strategy, including identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of high-capacity donors.
• Manage a portfolio of major and transformational donors and support donor engagement by the President & CEO and Board.
• Grow planned giving and endowment strategies, including donor education and long-term legacy stewardship.
• Annual Campaign Leadership
• Oversee the Association’s Annual Campaign, ensuring branch and Association-wide participation, donor retention, and year-over-year growth.
• Strengthen donor pipelines and expand engagement through targeted outreach, stewardship, and giving programs.
• Ensure donors receive timely acknowledgments and clear reporting on impact.
• Capital Campaign Leadership
• Provide leadership for all capital campaign strategy, planning, execution, and stewardship.
• Ensure campaign structure, prospect strategy, communications, and volunteer engagement are positioned for success.
• Support leadership and accountability across campaign committees and implementation teams.
• Grants & Institutional Giving
• Direct and oversee all grant activities, including research, writing, submission, tracking, compliance, and reporting.
• Coordinate foundation, corporate, and government grant opportunities aligned with mission advancement priorities.
• Ensure accurate reporting systems and timely completion of all grant requirements.
• Special Events & Community Fundraising Initiatives
• Provide strategic leadership for signature fundraising events and other community campaigns.
• Partner with volunteer committees to grow sponsorship, attendance, and revenue performance.
• Ensure events align with mission and strengthen donor relationships, visibility, and engagement.
• Board, Volunteer & Community Engagement
• Partner with the President/CEO to strengthen board engagement, volunteer recruitment, and fundraising participation.
• Staff board committees related to fundraising, mission advancement, and social impact, ensuring consistent progress and accountability.
• Represent the YMCA as a visible community ambassador through presentations, community partnerships, and relationship cultivation.
• Team Leadership, Systems & Operations
• Build, lead, and evaluate a high-performing Development/Mission Advancement team (major gifts, annual giving, events, and grants).
• Develop and manage the department budget and ensure ethical and compliant fundraising operations.
• Oversee advancement systems including CRM integrity, reporting, gift processing, donor segmentation, analytics, and data quality.
• Establish and maintain systems for donor recognition, stewardship, and communications in partnership with the marketing team.

YMCA CAUSE-DRIVEN LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES

This Position Is Expected To Demonstrate YMCA Leadership In

• Mission Advancement / Resource Development: Tells the YMCA story in a compelling way that inspires others to give time and resources.
• Collaboration / Community Engagement: Builds strategic relationships and strengthens community impact through partnerships.
• Operational Effectiveness: Creates systems, accountability, and alignment to achieve organization-wide fundraising goals.
• People Leadership: Coaches, develops, and leads a high-performing team and volunteer culture.
• Personal Growth & Innovation: Leads change, embraces best practices, and drives continuous improvement.

Please submit all applications by Friday, February 6, 2026.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Minimum 10 years of progressive fundraising leadership experience, including major gifts, campaign strategy and capital campaign experience.
• Minimum 5 years of multiple staff supervision
• Proven success leading annual campaigns, grant development, events, donor stewardship, and volunteer fundraising.
• Demonstrated experience building and leading high-performing teams.
• Excellent writing, communication, and presentation skills, including the ability to translate impact into donor-facing materials.
• Strong project management and analytical skills; ability to manage budgets and fundraising performance metrics.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and donor database/CRM systems.
• High integrity, strong work ethic, and demonstrated professionalism and discretion.

WORK SCHEDULE & EXPECTATIONS

• Ability to work occasional evenings/weekends for events and meetings.
• Ability to travel between Association branches and community locations as needed

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

This position requires the ability to perform physical activities such as climbing stairs, bending, stooping, kneeling, twisting, and reaching. The individual may be required to sit or stand for extended periods, walk, lift and/or move up to 30 pounds, and engage in fine motor tasks such as grasping, performing repetitive motions, and using finger dexterity. Verbal communication, active listening, and visual acuity are also essential.

Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position.