Director of Development

United Parish in Brookline is a progressive Christian community recognized for its vibrant worship, deep ties to the community, and commitment to global justice. In recent years, United Parish has formed UPLIFT (United Parish Leading Into Future Transformation) – a congregation-wide process of discernment, strategic reflection, and planning to faithfully meet this moment. Through UPLIFT, the church is clarifying its mission priorities, assessing its organizational and financial systems, and building the leadership capacity and sustainable funding needed to support its growing impact in the wider community.

As part of this intentional next chapter, United Parish seeks its first Director of Development to lead and grow a comprehensive fundraising program rooted in faith, relationship-building, and shared vision. This newly created role reflects thoughtful financial and organizational planning and a clear commitment to aligning resources with mission. Working closely with clergy, staff, and volunteer leadership, the Director of Development will help cultivate a culture of generosity and expand United Parish’s base of support – engaging new donors and strengthening relationships both within the congregation and across the broader community.

United Parish has been called “the heartbeat of Brookline” and is known by many as the “church with the rainbow chairs,” referencing the Adirondack chairs on our lawn along Harvard Street. Through Thrifty Threads, an affordable thrift shop, the church promotes sustainability and economic accessibility, while hosting the Brookline Food Pantry ensures thousands of neighbors have reliable access to healthy food with dignity and care.

The building itself functions as a true community hub, with 35 organizations regularly using the space and more than 1,000 people passing through in any given week for support services, arts, education, recovery groups, and civic life. Each year, United Parish also brings the wider community together by hosting a free community Thanksgiving Dinner, offering hospitality, connection, and belonging to all.

The Director of Development will be responsible for all aspects of fundraising, including annual giving, donor relations and stewardship, grant funding, major and planned giving, events and communications that support fundraising goals. Currently, United Parish generates approximately $600,000 in annual philanthropic support; our annual budget is $1.3M. The Director of Development will be responsible for significantly increasing the annual giving while also playing a lead role in creating a strategic vision to plan and implement an upcoming $6million+ comprehensive capital campaign.

United Parish is well‑positioned for this next phase of growth, having recently been awarded a $250,000 matching grant for restoration of its steeple from a competitive national funder, an $800,000 Community Preservation Act grant toward the steeple project, and funding from the Commonwealth Nonprofit Security Grant Program, all three recognizing the church’s community impact, historic stewardship, and bold vision for the future.

This position is ideal for a strategic, relational, and entrepreneurial fundraiser who understands giving as a spiritual practice and is excited to build systems, partnerships, and momentum in a progressive faith community.

• Develop and execute a comprehensive, multi‑year development plan that includes annual and planned giving with emphasis on new donor acquisition.
• Partner with the Senior Pastor and volunteer leadership to lead goal‑setting for fundraising efforts aligned with United Parish’s mission and strategic priorities, integrating theological framing of generosity and stewardship.
• Lead planning and execution of fundraising campaigns, including an upcoming comprehensive campaign. Draft gift agreements and suggest gift recognition policies to the church leadership.
• Actively cultivate, solicit, and steward relationships with current and prospective individual and institutional donors.
• Develop compelling cases for support and fundraising narratives that connect donor generosity to the…