The next President and CEO of the Boston Foundation will:

• Expand TBF’s impact, leveraging its strengths, resources, and power to convene in order to build, drive and support critical efforts to embrace a “new normal” across the city and region where equity, justice and opportunity are truly available to all
• Develop strong, authentic relationships across the community, inviting input and partnership in crafting priorities.
• Drive an ethos of continuous improvement and accountability in all areas of the Foundation’s work
• In partnership with a strong and committed Board, expand and maximize fundraising strategy and engagement with a focus on deepening relationships with current donors, identifying the next generation of donors and directors, forging partnerships with professional advisors, and creating compelling opportunities for investment and impact
• Inculcate the organization with a culture of collaboration and partnership; build high-functioning teams; develop structures, systems, and practices that optimize the internal effectiveness and build a strong sense of purpose
• Attract, develop and retain a diverse, talented team throughout the Foundation, and create a culture that enables all to thrive and contribute
• Building upon the early efforts initiated this spring, lead the completion of the strategic planning process and deliver a plan that outlines the vision, priorities, and goals for the next chapter of The Boston Foundation.
• Serve as an effective advocate for, and champion of, the plan among key stakeholders and the broader community.

The capabilities and characteristics of the next President and CEO will include:

Strategic Visioning:

At a time when the focus on creating an equitable, sustainable, more compassionate future for the city and region has never been stronger, the next President and CEO will:

• Authentically engage the community in the shaping of a bold, audacious vision for the city and region; encourage risk-taking; and convene thought leaders and members of the community in imagining the future of the region
• Through the completion of the upcoming strategic plan and beyond, convey a compelling vision and articulate a clear set of priorities about how the Boston Foundation can evolve and innovate to drive greater impact of philanthropic capital in meeting the needs that are emerging from within the communities of Greater Boston
• As President and CEO, seek out new sources of wealth in Greater Boston and amplify the Boston Foundation as the premiere philanthropic vehicle in the region with an emphasis on community impact and our long history of fiduciary stewardship
• Engage and influence the national philanthropic sector by the setting the standard for community foundation engagement, integration, and impact

Collaborating and Partnering:

In a city with distinct history, strong communities and neighborhoods, and a range of challenging social, racial and economic issues, the next President and CEO will:

• Develop trusted, authentic relationships with a wide range of community members, approaching conversations with humility, a penchant for listening, and a desire to understand challenges and opportunities from the communities’ perspectives
• Build partnerships with local organizations, community, business, and governmental leaders, donors, and individuals based on a shared commitment to the pressing needs of Greater Boston
• Embody and cultivate an open and accessible approach to engagement both internally and externally; be prepared to lead, to follow, to influence, or to partner as appropriate to reach the Foundation’s goals
• Amplify community voices by directing TBF’s considerable research and convening powers and by advocating for change to serve the needs of Greater Boston in collaboration with community partners
• Work closely with the board to align its funding opportunities (donor advised funds, unrestricted endowment funds and annual campaign for civic leadership giving) with its goals

Organizational Capacity Building:

A large complex organization with outsized impact and evolving demands, TBF must develop a strong organizational framework and the resources to accomplish its ambitious goals. To do this, the next President and CEO will be a tested executive who will:

• Create an organizational structure that is both robust and flexible; bring strong financial, operational, managerial, and strategic acumen to all decisions, permitting the organization to be highly effective, responsive, and fluid
• Attract, develop, and motivate a talented, diverse staff throughout the organization; ensure that all feel engaged, aligned and valued; and foster a culture of teamwork, trust, and belonging
• Set a tone that invites and encourages critical and constructive input. Thrive on discussion and debate, listen thoughtfully, and create an environment where all voices are invited and heard
• Serve as principal champion as the Foundation shapes itself into an organization driven by continuous experimentation, evaluation, learning, adjustment and improvement

Other Personal Characteristics:

• Deep, personal commitment to social and economic justice
• Appreciation for and encouragement of different perspectives
• Intellectually curious
• A skillful and authentic listener
• Embraces living in Boston and participating in its civic leadership
• Approachable, empathetic, and balanced
• An authentic and effective advocate and influencer
• Self-aware with the ability to be self-reflective
• Unquestioned integrity
• Optimistic and joyful; sense of humor

Now more than ever, The Boston Foundation has work to do. With COVID-19 raging throughout the world, the long-overdue focus on systematic racism, and the increased focus on equity and justice, the mission of the Boston Foundation could not be more pressing, more relevant:

“As Greater Boston’s community foundation, the Boston Foundation devotes its resources to building and sustaining a vital, prosperous city and region, where justice and opportunity are extended to everyone.” 

As one of the nation’s oldest and largest community foundations, TBF serves the people, organizations and communities of Greater Boston and its region and has pivoted to meet the changing needs of the region. Since 1915, the Boston Foundation and its donors have invested more than $2.05 into nonprofits, $1.6 billion of this since 2001.  While these figures are large, the important focus is on what the leaders – civic, community, and business – accomplished with these funds to improve the city of Boston in a myriad of ways.

A new era with new challenges has enveloped the city, the region, the country and the world. The COVID-19 pandemic, combined with the demand for racial justice following George Floyd’s brutal murder, will change the city of Boston and demand a new role for The Boston Foundation. The City and Commonwealth will call upon The Boston Foundation, its partners, donors and peers, to collaborate in addressing many significant challenges: racial inequality in education, employment and health; the need to create a new vision for public safety and support; the impact of climate change, particularly on the most vulnerable; and the infrastructure needs of transportation and digital access. 

These audacious problems will need equally audacious solutions, and the Boston Foundation will be a key player as a convener, a leader, a partner and a follower. Greater Boston relies on TBF to serve its numerous communities and the Foundation understands that a pivot is required – a pivot towards increased collaboration and partnership; a pivot towards the fundamental needs of the city’s most vulnerable; a pivot towards a profound, lasting change in the city’s racial and economic landscape. The next decade of the Boston Foundation promises to be one of bold shifts, ambitious vision, and broad collaborations in service of a more resilient, equitable, and thriving city and region.

Financial and Operational Highlights

The Boston Foundation has $1.3 billion in assets - including a $454 million endowment (as of June 2019) and $700 million in Donor Advised Funds – and an operating budget of approximately $18.5 million.  In 2019, the Foundation and its donors paid $153 million in grants to nonprofit organizations, with $16 million in grants going from the endowment, the Permanent Fund for Boston, to highly effective nonprofits working in its strategic areas. More than $125 million in grants are made every year through donor advised funds, with some $70 million of that giving going to nonprofit organizations in Greater Boston.

The Foundation has 111 full-time staff and a 20-member Board of Directors, selected to represent the broad diversity of the community’s interests and needs. Boston Indicators, the Foundation’s research center, informs the Foundation’s grant-making and publishes reports focusing on issues that are central to the city and region. The Philanthropic Initiative (TPI), a unit of the Foundation, provides third-party, consulting services to families, foundations and corporations around the globe seeking to optimize their philanthropic giving.