Director of Advancement

 

Title: Director of Advancement

Reports to: Executive Director

Direct reports: Development Associate, Marketing & Recruitment Manager;  

Org Positioning: Key member of the executive leadership team, collaborating cross-departmentally. 

Benefits: Yes

Hours: Full-time, exempt.

Location: Hybrid. The position may require evening and weekend hours. Attendance at performances and community events is required. A minimum of 3 days a week in the office in addition to the event requirements. 

 

ABOUT BCC 

Boston Children’s Chorus (‘BCC’) harnesses the power of music to connect our city’s diverse communities, cultivate empathy and inspire social inquiry. Children, ages 7–18, come together across differences of race, religion, and socioeconomic status in a celebration of shared humanity and love of music. BCC bridges Greater Boston’s many diverse groups and fosters a sense of belonging and inclusion. Through intensive choral training and once-in-a-lifetime performing experiences locally, nationally, and around the world, BCC enhances the education and social development of youth as future leaders and global citizens in the 21st century. 

PURPOSE 

The Director of Advancement leads the strategy and execution of Boston Children’s Chorus’s fundraising efforts, with a clear mandate to harness the full strength of the Chorus’s artistic excellence, community impact, and deeply engaged donor base. This role is central to building a resilient, scalable philanthropic operation that can sustain and grow alongside the organization’s ambitions. 

The ideal candidate brings a proven track record in donor stewardship, acquisition, and retention, paired with the ability to translate organizational strengths into compelling philanthropic opportunities. In close partnership with the Executive Director, Board of Directors, Development Committee, and internal stakeholders, the Director of Advancement provides strategic leadership and hands-on execution to expand and diversify revenue streams, deepen donor engagement, and develop a robust, future-facing pipeline of support that ensures long-term sustainability and impact. 

CORE COMPETENCIES 

Strategic Leadership 

  • Comprehensive Campaign Leadership 
    • Design and execute a multi-year comprehensive fundraising campaign, currently at 40% progress to goal. 
    • Develop campaign case for support aligned with the new three-year strategic plan. 
    • Partner with Executive Director to create and manage comprehensive campaign volunteer leadership. 
    • Build a sustainable prospect pipeline for the comprehensive campaign. 

  • Contributed Revenue Oversight & Cash Flow Stabilization 

    • Partner with Executive Director and Finance to address month-to-month cash flow gaps and create predictable giving streams while building a rolling 12–18 month forecasts. 

  • ​Donor Retention, Growth & Prospect Pipeline Strategy 

    • Strengthen retention and lifetime value through KPIs, segmentation, recurring giving, and scaled stewardship frameworks.  

    • Drive acquisition and recapture with targeted prospecting, lapsed donor campaigns, and marketing-aligned outreach. 

    • Build and maintain a sustainable, organization-wide donor pipeline with clear qualification and upgrade pathways. 

  • Major Donor Strategy 

    • Lead strategy for a high-value major donor portfolio: manage prospect research, qualification, and moves management to cultivate and advance top prospects, including board engagement.  

    • Implement highly personalized cultivation and stewardship plans, including tailored outreach, recognition, and impact-driven engagement. 

 Team Leadership and Empowerment 

  • Lead and grow a high-performing and cohesive Advancement team, composed of fundraising and marketing professionals, by supervising staff, strengthening accountability through clear performance metrics, and strategically hiring new roles to support sustained contributed revenue growth.  
  • Build and optimize systems that drive effectiveness, including CRM utilization, moves management tracking, that streamlines processes for deeper donor relationships, and both earned and contributed revenue generation.  
  • Foster a strong internal culture of philanthropy by empowering staff, aligning cross-functional efforts, and embedding shared ownership of fundraising goals across the organization. 

Mission Fluency and Storytelling 

  • Articulate and champion BCC’s distinctive position in the Boston landscape, where choral excellence intersects with social inquiry and youth development, translating this identity into compelling narratives for diverse audiences.  
  • Communicate the impact of BCC’s work by centering program outcomes—confidence, belonging, civic voice, and leadership—into clear, persuasive storytelling that strengthens engagement and support.  
  • Embody an earnest, polished presence that effectively represents the organization’s mission while demonstrating a deep commitment to ongoing professional development in both artistic practice and social inquiry. 

Cultural Competency and Inclusivity  

  • Demonstrate a deep understanding of and respect for the diverse communities BCC serves. 
  • Foster an inclusive culture that reflects BCC’s values of equity, belonging, and transformative philanthropy. 
  • Incorporate community feedback into advancement strategies, ensuring alignment with organizational values.  

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE WILL 

  • Manage effectively across all levels—up, down, and laterally. 
  • Dream big while remaining grounded in what is attainable.  
  • Think critically, offering nuanced perspectives that drive progress toward goals.  
  • Be thoughtful, caring, and invested in relationships; actively seek and offer support within the team. 
  • Display a hunger for data and metrics, with the ability to test, measure, and continuously improve.  
  • Clearly distill complex data from multiple sources into a cohesive strategy.  
  • Translate high-level goals into discrete, actionable tasks that are simple to execute.  
  • Demonstrate meticulous attention to detail.  

 

SKILLS AND PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS 

  • Bachelor’s degree required; minimum of 7 years of fundraising experience. CFRE preferred.  
  • Demonstrated track record of success in fundraising, ideally within education and/or performing arts institutions.  
  • Proven success leading fundraising campaigns, particularly capital and anniversary-driven efforts.  
  • Supervisory experience required.  
  • Experience coaching non-fundraisers preferred; leverage Board of Directors, BCC staff, etc. 
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with strong organizational abilities and attention to detail.  
  • Ability to work both independently and collaboratively, exercising sound judgment, initiative, and discretion.  
  • Strong time management skills, with the ability to handle multiple priorities and meet deadlines under pressure.  
  • Familiarity with fundraising CRM databases (experience with Raiser’s Edge a plus).  
  • High level of initiative, enthusiasm, and willingness to contribute wherever needed. 

SPECIAL WORKING CONDITIONS: 

The position may require evening and weekend hours. Attendance at performances and community events is required. While this is a hybrid role, this person will be expected to be in the office a minimum of 3 days a week, in addition to the event requirements.  

COMPENSATION 

Salary for the role of Director of Advancement at Boston Children’s Chorus is $125,000, annually. BCC offers a competitive benefit package including health insurance, 401(k) employer contributions, generous PTO, short-term disability, and more. 

HOW TO APPLY 
For immediate consideration, please send your resume and cover letter addressed to the Search Committee via email: info@bostonchildrenschorus.org. Please apply by April 24, 2026.  

NO PHONE CALLS, PLEASE. 
Boston Children's Chorus seeks to engage and retain a diverse workforce who represent the diversity of our singers and community in the City of Boston. BCC affirms the plurality of lived experiences amongst staff and seeks to elevate and center the experiences of those who have been marginalized and disenfranchised by systems of oppression. BCC encourages all to apply and will not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender and gender expression, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, disability status, or any other applicable characteristics protected by law.