Development Director

TITLE: Development Director

SALARY: $100, per year, commensurate with experience

LOCATION: This position is located in Arlington, MA, with frequent travel throughout the watershed for donor engagement and site visits, and offers hybrid work flexibility

JOB CLASSIFICATION: Full-time, Exempt

REPORTS TO: Executive Director

SUPERVISION RESPONSIBILITIES: This position supervises a Grants Manager and co-manages an Associate

Founded in 1972, the Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA) is a nationally recognized environmental nonprofit organization located in Arlington, Massachusetts, with a mission to achieve a healthy, resilient watershed. Supported by hundreds of volunteers and built on robust partnerships, we protect water quality, restore habitats, build climate resilience, transform public spaces, and inspire local youth. With an annual budget exceeding $6 million, 20 staff and 2,000 volunteers, and a deep commitment to equity and justice, MyRWA is a powerful force for healthy communities.

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The Development Director will oversee all fundraising efforts, including major gifts, annual fund, corporate donations, legacy giving, and engagement with foundations. The Director will lead the continued evolution of MyRWA’s fundraising model – building on the organization’s strong foundation of institutional and restricted funding to further diversify philanthropic support and grow flexible, unrestricted resources.

MyRWA has a strong history of securing high-level restricted grants that advance its climate resilience, habitat restoration, and environmental justice work. This role is designed to complement and strengthen that success by expanding individual, family foundation, and corporate giving—particularly through the development of a robust mid- and major-gift pipeline—while continuing to steward institutional partners with care and excellence.

A central opportunity of this moment is to activate MyRWA’s large and loyal base of individual supporters—many of whom are volunteers, partners, and deeply connected to the watershed—by strengthening pathways for deeper engagement and increased philanthropic investment.

As a primary measure of success, the Director will design and implement strategies, systems, and relationships that enable sustained growth in philanthropic support, providing the flexible capital necessary for MyRWA to pivot and respond to emerging climate and environmental justice priorities. The Director reports to the Executive Director and oversees two Development staff members—a full-time Grants Manager and a Development Associate (CRM, acknowledgement, event support).

This role offers significant opportunity for leadership, creativity, and strategic partnership and is central to MyRWA’s long-term sustainability and next chapter of growth.

Fundraising Strategy & Leadership

• Design and lead a comprehensive fundraising strategy that builds on MyRWA’s existing strengths while diversifying philanthropic support across individual, foundation, and corporate sources.
• Translate MyRWA’s technical water quality, climate resilience, and habitat restoration work into compelling, visionary case statements that connect mission, impact, and opportunity.
• Work in close, day-to-day partnership with the Executive Director on fundraising strategy and execution, including developing campaigns, cases for support, identifying high-value opportunities, and stewarding the organization’s most important relationships.
• Lead forecasting and goal-setting using historical trends and projections across fundraising activities.
• Build and refine systems, tools, and practices that strengthen fundraising effectiveness over time, including donor segmentation, moves management, and pipeline development.
• Contribute to cross-team visioning and planning that support MyRWA’s long-term sustainability.

Individual & Major Donor Giving

• Lead and grow MyRWA’s individual giving program, including annual fund campaigns and major giving.
• Develop and manage a thoughtful major gift strategy that cultivates, stewards, and solicits, high-net-worth individuals in alignment…