City Life/Vida Urbana (CLVU) seeks a full-time Development Director to raise funds and build economic solidarity between donors and people most directly impacted. The Director will work closely with the Executive Director, the Finance Manager, Communications team and Organizing team. This individual must have a strong commitment to serving the interests of low and moderate-income people and fighting racial, class, and gender oppression.

Position Title: Development Director
Reports To: Executive Director
Location: Hybrid – Boston (minimum 2 in-office days/week on average)
Salary Range: $75,000- $85,000

Full details below.

About City Life/Vida Urbana
City Life/Vida Urbana is a 50-year-old multilingual, grassroots housing justice organization committed to building collective power to fight displacement and win housing as a human right. We use a radical organizing model that connects personal housing struggles to broader systems change. Our team is grounded in shared values of racial, economic, and gender justice, and we seek team members who thrive in collaborative environments.

Position Summary
City Life/Vida Urbana (CLVU) seeks a full-time Development Director to raise funds and build economic solidarity between donors and people most directly impacted. The Director will work closely with the Executive Director, the Finance Manager, Communications team and Organizing team. This individual must have a strong commitment to serving the interests of low and moderate-income people and fighting racial, class, and gender oppression. The Development Director is the main staff person focusing on the individual giving program, which in recent years has accounted for about 20% of our annual revenue. We cultivate a team approach in our organizing, administrative and fundraising work and shared responsibility in achieving campaign goals. Our FY26 Organizational Budget is $2.8 million.

Fundraising Strategy
● Develop and implement a strategy that incorporates individual and major donors, annual campaigns, grant writing, solidarity events, and other fund raising activities.

Major Gifts Program
● Oversee major donor fundraising efforts, including research and analysis
● Be a primary point of contact with major donors and coordinate donor meetings with Executive Director
● Manage portfolio of 15-20 major donors, including knowledge of their communications preferences, interests, levels of involvement, stewardship plans, and asks

Individual Donor Cultivation
● Manage Annual Campaign - write appeal letters & email blasts for winter and spring direct mail campaigns
● Coordinate direct mail, online giving and other donation programs internally and with external vendors
● Manage and accurately maintain donor database
● Process mail donations, prepare deposits for the finance department
● Print and mail thank you letters and annual tax receipts
● Cultivate relationships to expand the number of individual donors and increase donation levels as appropriate

Grant Writing & Reporting Supervision and Management
● Regular supervision and goal-setting with grant writer
● Provide regular feedback and edits for proposals in process
● Maintain overview of grants schedule and upcoming deadlines
● Work in collaboration with the Director of Evaluation & Impact on writing grant reports and engaging with formal evaluation systems for major funders
● Work with finance manager to review cash flow based on grant disbursements

Solidarity Community Events and Other Event Planning
● Coordinate “solidarity community updates” and other events for donors and funders to better understand our work, its impacts and challenges
● Work with event planning consultants, vendors, staff, board and volunteers

Key Responsibilities
Fundraising Strategy
● Develop and implement a strategy that incorporates individual and major donors, annual campaigns, grant writing, solidarity events, and other fund raising activities
Major Gifts Program
● Oversee major donor fundraising efforts, including research and analysis
● Be a primary point of contact with major donors and coordinate donor meetings with Executive Director
● Manage portfolio of 15-20 major donors, including knowledge of their communications preferences, interests, levels of involvement, stewardship plans, and asks
Individual Donor Cultivation
● Manage Annual Campaign - write appeal letters & email blasts for winter and spring direct mail campaigns
● Coordinate direct mail, online giving and other donation programs internally and with external vendors
● Manage and accurately maintain donor database
● Process mail donations, prepare deposits for the finance department
● Print and mail thank you letters and annual tax receipts
● Cultivate relationships to expand the number of individual donors and increase donation levels as appropriate
Grant Writing & Reporting Supervision and Management
● Regular supervision and goal-setting with grant writer
● Provide regular feedback and edits for proposals in process
● Maintain overview of grants schedule and upcoming deadlines
● Work in collaboration with the Director of Evaluation & Impact on writing grant reports and engaging with formal evaluation systems for major funders
● Work with finance manager to review cash flow based on grant disbursements
Solidarity Community Events and Other Event Planning
● Coordinate “solidarity community updates” and other events for donors and funders to better understand our work, its impacts and challenges
● Work with event planning consultants, vendors, staff, board and volunteers

Core Competencies
● Equity & Inclusion: Deep commitment to fighting for racial, social, and economic justice
● Communication: Clear, compelling, and persuasive communicator, both written and verbal
● Community Building: Strong interpersonal skills and ability to communicate and connect with a broad range of people including CLVU members
● Systems Building: Proactive about creating and improving fund raising systems, documentation, and tools to support organizational growth
● Strategic Vision and Partnership: Ability to plan and implement multi-year fundraising strategies and advise leadership using a combination of fund raising expertise, organizational insight, and alignment with CLVU’s values

Qualifications
Required:
● 3 to 5 years of experience in fundraising and grant writing
● Familiar with body of legal and regulatory requirements for fundraising
● Experience training interns, volunteers, staff and/or organizational partners on fundraising support
● Experience with fundraising databases such as Kindful and communication tools such as Nationbuilder
● Ability to track, prioritize and meet multiple deadlines, both internal and external
● Strong project management skills
● Excellent communication skills
Preferred:
● Experience in grassroots, nonprofit, or movement-based organizations
● Spanish, Haitian Creole, or Portuguese language skills

Salary & Benefits
● Salary for this position is $75,000 to 85,000 annually
● 100% employer-paid medical and dental insurance for individual and dependents
● Healthcare expense reimbursement
● Retirement plan with employer contribution after 9 months
● 3 weeks paid vacation per year and 12 paid holidays

CLVU strongly encourages applications from Black and Brown people, working-class individuals, LGBTQIA+ folks, and others underrepresented in leadership.

To Apply:
Email cover letter and resume to: [email protected]
Subject line: Search/Development Director

Priority consideration for applications received by April 24, 2026. Position will remain open until filled.