Who We Are: 

Are you ready to work at a dynamic institution that believes in higher education with lower obstacles? Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology (now known as Franklin Cummings Tech) is a nationally accredited non-profit, technical college serving Eastern Massachusetts and beyond. The college was seeded in 1791 with funds from the estate of Benjamin Franklin given to the City of Boston to proliferate access to education and level the playing field for aspiring talent with meager financial means. 

Today, Franklin Cummings Tech continues to build on that legacy by offering post-secondary education in high-demand technical and skilled trade fields that lead to excellent careers. Our majors intentionally focus on select industries connected to sustainability and the clean energy transition including electric vehicle technology, smart manufacturing, practical electricity, power engineering, heat pumps/HVAC, biotechnology, automation, construction management, and more. 

With a mission to deliver transformative technical and trade education that leads to economic advancement, we offer a unique mix of certificate and degree-granting programs that appeal to enterprising students and respond to employer’s demand for a well-prepared workforce. Intentional partnerships with the industries we serve coupled with high graduation and job placement rates, recently attracted the largest philanthropic gift in the history of the college from the Cummings Foundation. 

Last year, Franklin Cummings Tech educated more than 1,000 learners across three student types: 1) certificate and degree seekers, 2) continuing education clients, and 3) high schoolers pursuing early college. As further evidence that our mission holds resonance, this year the college tracked a 25% year-over-year jump in fall new student enrollment and applications soared.

We seek team members who are optimistic, entrepreneurial, data-informed, and excited about the prospect of continuing to strategically increase student success outcomes and total enrollment from 1,000 learners today to at least 1,500 learners by 2030. Join us in this mission-driven work!

Job Description:

The incoming Chief Development Officer will serve as a consummate ambassador for Franklin Cummings Tech. They will possess a full understanding of the trends impacting the fundraising industry, particularly those at play in the current environment. The CDO will partner with the President and CEO, the senior leadership team, and faculty and staff across the college to leverage their knowledge and expertise of relationship development and external affairs. They should be a seasoned gift closer ready to build on the momentum accrued over the past several years of fundraising success at Franklin Cummings Tech. 

The most important traits the new senior team member will carry are transparency, collaboration, persistence, and optimism. The college welcomes an entrepreneurial thinker with a demonstrated history of growing an individual major gifts program while leading a fully staffed fundraising team to generate current use and endowed resources to fulfill the work of the college. 

Major Duties and Responsibilities: 

• The college’s $60M Future Forward Campaign closes on June 30, 2025, and stands at 98% of goal. The incoming CDO will be responsible for building on this success to establish an enduring major gifts program while also renewing campaign gifts.
• Steward the Board of Trustees and Development Committee with engaging philanthropic content for the quarterly meetings of these groups—all in service of building the culture of philanthropy at the college;
• Expand the general operating and scholarship support raised from $5 Million a year currently to $7 Million a year by 2025; 
• Lead a mature development team by example to carry out clear and effective donor stewardship, major gifts, and planned giving strategies;
• Embrace an entrepreneurial approach to building one’s own donor/prospect pool of ~50 individuals from the Greater Boston and New England philanthropic community;
• Inspire and lead the team in leveraging their fundraising skills and portfolios, while hitting individual and collective annual goals; 
• Set new strategies and tactics in motion to focus on endowment, planned giving, and major giving as an outgrowth of the Future Forward Campaign;
• Proceed with the ongoing operational transition from the Donor Perfect fundraising database to Jen1 CRM;
• Work with internal colleagues, ensure that gift opportunities continue to reflect program support, budget relief, and capacity building; 
• Oversee regular preparation of a steady cadence of grant applications
• Regularly produce and share accurate fundraising, goal tracking, proposal summary, and other types of reports to demonstrate budget adherence and team effectiveness; 
• Work collaboratively across the organization to ensure collegial ownership and understanding of the integrated fundraising strategy; 
• Manage fundraising and other external affairs events that serve as cultivation opportunities;
• Other duties as required. 

Supervisory Responsibilities: 

• Executive Director Development Operations (full-time)
• Senior Grant Writer (full-time)
• Events and Communications Coordinator  (full-time)
• Senior Individual Giving Officer (full-time)

Consultants:

• Government Grants Specialist (part-time)
• Senior Campaign Strategist (part-time)
• Graphic Designer (part-time)
• Database Coordinator (part-time)

Qualifications: 

• Unflagging optimism and a belief in the mission of this college. 
• Extensive experience cultivating and closing seven-figure major gifts from individuals.
• Demonstrated track record of success in a deadline-driven work environment where priority-setting abilities are critical to success. 
• Minimum 10 years of well-rounded fundraising experience including proposal writing, prospect development, major gift solicitations, event management, and stewardship. 
• At least 5 years of direct supervisory experience. 
• Bachelor’s Degree.
• Ability to communicate well with a wide range of constituents including trustees, donors, John Q. Public, students, faculty, and staff.
• Highly developed emotional intelligence, tact in all professional dealings, empathy, and discretion.
• Outstanding written and verbal skills with a knack for persuasively conveying mission impact to diverse constituencies. 
• Aptitude for prioritization and execution in a fast-paced, multi-faceted, results-oriented work environment. 
• Ability to identify and triage opportunities and make strategic decisions expeditiously. 
• Facility for team leadership and data-informed decision-making, active oversight.