Executive Director - Circle of Hope

Circle of Hope is offering the opportunity for a strategic, mission-driven leader to lead a strong and healthy organization that is poised to scale its high-impact work.

The Organization

The mission of Circle of Hope is to provide infants, children, and adults experiencing homelessness in Boston and MetroWest with clothing and necessities in order to preserve and enhance overall health and personal dignity.

Founded in 2008 with a small group of volunteers to mobilize community members and support a small group of local homeless shelters, Circle of Hope has grown into a deeply respected and thriving organization that impacts the lives of approximately 25,000 individuals in the Greater Boston and Metro West areas annually.

To fulfill its mission, Circle of Hope strategically partners with 25 homeless shelters, healthcare clinics, and community programs in Boston and MetroWest in order to serve thousands of infants, children, and adults experiencing homelessness. The organization’s partners include family shelters, individual overnight shelters, domestic violence shelters, healthcare clinics, public universities, high schools, Boston Police Department, and other innovative programs that provide shelter or services to people experiencing homelessness.

Circle of Hope is a nimble and responsive organization that provides unique and vital services to the community’s most vulnerable people experiencing homelessness. Circle of Hope is the only nonprofit clothing provider that serves an entire family at no expense to the recipient family or service provider/shelter organization. At the onset of the Covid pandemic, Circle of Hope was able to quickly pivot to meet the changing needs of its clients by distributing “COVID Kits” full of essentials for disease prevention, gaining the recognition of a broadened group of donors and funders. Circle of Hope continues to adapt its operations and model of service to meet the needs of a growing homeless population.

Circle of Hope’s services and programs affirm dignity and promote health, allowing people in crisis to thrive.

• Through the Welcome Baby Program, Circle of Hope provides vital support to mothers experiencing homelessness and their babies and helps newborns thrive in the fragile postpartum months.
• Through the Dignity Project, Circle of Hope supplies hygiene essentials to people experiencing homelessness, trauma and emergencies.
• Through the Emergency Response Program, Circle of Hope responds within 48 hours to all emergency requests from our shelter, clinic, schools, and community partners, making deliveries of clothing and essentials for infants, children, and adults experiencing homelessness.
• Through the Get Set Program, Circle of Hope supports public college students who are homeless and changes the trajectory to graduation, helping disrupt the cycle of poverty, chronic homelessness, and inequity.

Circle of Hope has eight dedicated part time staff who enjoy a culture of collaborative teamwork, unwavering support, and mutual respect, and is governed by an engaged and growing nine-member board of directors. Circle of Hope is a financially sound organization with an operating budget of $1.4m.

Executive Transition

After founding Circle of Hope and leading the organization to become an essential service provider to the community’s most vulnerable people experiencing homelessness, Barbara Waterhouse will be retiring in June of 2023. Ms. Waterhouse will be available on a consulting basis to the new Executive Director and the Board of Directors to facilitate a smooth and successful transition.

The Opportunity

Circle of Hope offers the compelling opportunity for a seasoned leader to lead a thriving organization with a stellar reputation that is poised for growth.

Reporting to the Board of Directors, the Executive Director provides overall organizational leadership, management and development of 8 staff and 30 volunteers, and oversight of administration (HR, finance, IT). The Executive Director will serve as the public face of the organization, advance key relationships with partners and funders and lead on external communications. The Executive Director will lead with equity at the essence of everything that they do and will continue to advance Circle of Hope’s work in diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Additional key priorities for the Executive Director include:

Fund Development
With the support of the development manager, grant writer, and community engagement specialist the Executive Director will ensure the organization’s growth through the enhancement of successful fundraising strategy. Program evaluation and impact reporting as well as donor identification and cultivation and will be key to achieving fundraising goals and realizing Circle of Hope’s growth potential.

Steer the Strategic Direction of the Organization
With a committed staff and highly effective programs, Circle of Hope is operating from a place of strength. The next Executive Director will leverage this strength and determine, in concert with the Board of Directors, the vision and strategy for Circle of Hope’s growth and scale in its next phase. They will also have the opportunity to work with the Board to develop the organization’s next strategic plan within their initial 12-18 months.

Operational Planning and Management
At the heart of Circle of Hope’s success is its highly valued staff and dedicated volunteers. The next Executive Director of Circle of Hope will have the opportunity of addressing the staffing needs of a growing organization while continuing to bolster an organizational culture rooted in the values of work/life balance, compassion and collaboration.

Public Relations and Marketing
Circle of Hope is a trusted, committed partner to its clients and a highly valued service provider in the community. There is an opportunity for the Executive Director to broaden the organization’s visibility and recognition with the development and execution of a public relations and marketing plan.

The position requires a visionary Executive Director who leads with strength, compassion and empathy and has a passion and respect for working with the communities that Circle of Hope serves. The successful candidate will be a strategic and innovative thinker with the drive to shepherd Circle of Hope through its next phase of growth.

A seasoned leader with the following skills, experience, and personal attributes is highly desired:

• At least five years of nonprofit executive or senior leadership experience in human services or a related field
• Passion for the work that Circle of Hope does and respect for dignity and agency of all constituents
• Proven experience as an effective fundraiser; able to cultivate, develop, and maintain donor relationships
• Skilled in relationship building with a wide variety of individuals; energized by networking, making connections and developing relationships
• Proven commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives
• Administration experience including finance and human resources
• Collaborative team leader experienced in staff management and development
• Opportunistic, optimistic and able to inspire others; a creative thinker who can positively influence others to support Circle of Hope’s work
• An effective communicator with excellent written, verbal and listening skills; an active listener adept at forming lasting connections
• Creative problem solving skills

An understanding of the policies, systems and socioeconomic factors that impact homelessness is a plus

Guidelines for Applicants

This search is being conducted by TSNE and Consultant Mimi Brunelle. Interested candidates should submit materials via this application link provided on this posting.

Electronic submissions sent through this link are preferred. All submissions will be acknowledged and are confidential within TSNE and the COH search committee.

Candidates should include a resume and a cover letter that describes how their qualifications and experience match the needs and mission of COH. The search will remain open and applications will be accepted until the right candidate is identified.

The Executive Director role is full-time. An onsite presence at the office in Needham, Massachusetts is required with flexibility for remote / hybrid work. Salary is commensurate with relevant experience, within the framework of the organization’s annual operating budget, and in the approximate range of $115,000-140,000 annually.

Circle of Hope strives to achieve excellence through a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work environment that embraces all of our individual and collective differences. Black, Indigenous, People of Color, Middle Eastern and North African, Bilingual and/or Bicultural candidates, and LGBTQ2SIA+ candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. We value and honor the unique talents, learning styles, and lived experiences of each individual that enrich and strengthen our workplace culture, and we are proud to be an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer.

All employment conditions are based on an individual’s performance and job qualifications. Circle of Hope prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, creed, color, religion, native language, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin, physical or mental disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, parental status, pregnancy, race-based hairstyles, or any other protected characteristic stated by federal and state law. Regardless of any class’ protection under the law or lack thereof, Circle of Hope respects diversity and values the strengths that come with having a diverse team of employees. It is represented in our workplace values, and it is who we strive to be.

Circle of Hope’s EEO statement extends to volunteers, interns, contractors, vendors, and clients.