Executive Director at Cambridge Neighbors Can you write a grant on Tuesday morning and sit at a member's kitchen table on Wednesday afternoon? Cambridge Neighbors is looking for an Executive Director who wants to do both. Riverwalker Talent has been retained by Cambridge Neighbors to lead this search.
Job Type:
Full-Time, Exempt | Four-day work week, Monday-Thursday, onsite role in office | Cambridge, MA | $100,000
- 110,000 annually + generous time off About Cambridge Neighbors Cambridge Neighbors is a not-for-profit, member-centered organization that helps adults aged 60 and over stay in their own homes and communities as they age.
We serve members across Arlington, Belmont, Cambridge, Somerville, and Watertown, connecting them to trusted services, vetted local providers, lifelong learning, and to one another. We are part of the national Village-to-Village Network, and we are built on a simple idea: neighbors helping neighbors. Today, 61 volunteers provide nearly all of the services our 240+ members request — including rides to medical appointments, errands, technology support, handyman assistance, friendly visits — supported by a small staff and a network of 125 vetted professional service providers. Membership has grown every year for the past three years, with 50 new members joining this year alone. We operate on an annual budget of roughly $250K with earned membership fees as a large part of the portfolio. About the Role Cambridge Neighbors seeks an Executive Director to lead a small, well-established organization into its next chapter. Our Executive Director is retiring after seven years in the role, and we are looking for a leader who will honor what has been built here while helping it grow. This is a hands-on leadership role in a small organization. You will support a team of three: a full-time Assistant Director, a part-time Member Services Coordinator, and a contract bookkeeper. It spans visiting prospective members in their homes and building relationships with members, writing grants, speaking at events and seeking out places to speak, building the vendor network, supporting volunteer management, working with major donors and steering the organization forward. If you thrive in a role that is different every week, requires a high-level emotional intelligence and care, utilizes your creative and enterprising skills, and supports older adults across five cities then we want to hear from you! Two things are at the center of this job . The first is member relationships. Members know our Executive Director by name. This person visits prospective members in their homes, hears directly when something isn't working, and supports staff on collaborating to support their members. Positive relationships yield a high retention rate, supporting the budget. The second is fundraising, roughly half the budget through individual giving, grants, sponsorships, and legacy gifts. The ED will report to the Board President and work alongside an engaged, hands-on Board of Directors. The next Executive Director will be a full partner in that work, and will bring the self-awareness, steadiness, and clarity to build a trusting, well-defined working rhythm with a board that cares deeply about this organization and stays close to it. The organization is financially sound, with three consecutive years of membership growth and a new multi-year grant supporting member services. What You'll Do Membership Growth & Member Relationships Know our members. Visit prospective members in their homes, or in the office, guide them through onboarding, and strive to stay personally connected to the people we serve. Grow membership thoughtfully and strategically. Lead retention efforts, including renewals and outreach to members at risk of disengaging. Develop recruitment and marketing strategies for eligible members with lower membership rates (65-75 years of age, etc.) Develop new benefits and programming that respond to what members tell us they need. Expand and steward the network of vetted professional service providers (vendor network). Hold the line, with care, on what the Cambridge Neighbors model can and cannot provide, so that members are served well and staff are not stretched past what the model supports. Fundraising & Development Lead fundraising across individual giving, grants, sponsorships, events, and legacy giving. Write and manage grants, and meaningfully grow grant revenue from its current base. Diversify and deepen the donor pool, including sustaining support for the low
- and moderate-income scholarship program.
Steward major donors and legacy donors with consistency and genuine relationship. Support and equip board members to open doors, serve as ambassadors, and make introductions. Develop and publish an annual report. Team & Volunteer Leadership Supervise and support the Assistant Director, the Member Services Coordinator, and the contract bookkeeper (two are new staff members) Set clear expectations, give direct and usable feedback, and conduct annual performance reviews. Support the Member Services Coordinator on volunteer recruitment, screening, training, and retention. Support the Member Services Coordinator in outreach and assessment of forty (40) vulnerable members; the majority of whom are ninety (90) years or older. Maintain a working culture that is warm, collaborative, and organized. Community Partnerships & Visibility Represent Cambridge Neighbors publicly: speaking engagements, senior centers, libraries, community events, and media. Build and deepen partnerships with councils on aging, elder service agencies, libraries, faith communities, housing organizations, and peer not-for-profits across all five towns. Maintain the organization's relationship with the Village-to-Village Network. Identify resources beyond Cambridge Neighbors that our members need, and build the referral relationships to reach them. Board Partnership & Governance Work in close partnership with the Board President and Executive Committee, and attend Board meetings as an ex officio member. Partner with the Board on strategic planning in the coming year, and help welcome and engage new board members as they join. Support board development by helping orient and engage new board members, and help them grow into ambassadors for the organization. Communicate proactively and transparently with the Board on finances, membership, staffing, and risk. Operations & Finance Develop the annual budget in partnership with the Treasurer and Finance Committee, and manage the organization to it. Oversee accounting, payroll, audit preparation, insurance, and financial reporting in coordination with the bookkeeper and outside professionals. Maintain and improve office systems, personnel policies, and documentation. Use the organization's data platform strategically: reporting on membership, volunteer activity, and service delivery, and using what it shows to make decisions. What Success Looks Like By 90 Days You have spent significant time meeting people: members, volunteers, staff, board, vendors, and community partners. You understand how this organization works. You have begun to take ownership of the outgoing Executive Director's network Members and staff have felt steady and seen through the transition. Nothing essential has been dropped. You have attended to following up on the annual appeal campaign and are preparing to send the annual legacy giving letter in January. You have kept the Board updated on your relationship building and discovery process, and begun to deepen Board relationships. By One Year You and the Board have built real trust. Communication is open in both directions, roles are clear, and you each know what to expect from the other. Your staff feel supported and clear. They have the direction, backing, and room to grow into their roles. You have run a full fundraising cycle: the year end appeal, grant deadlines, membership renewals, and at least one new funding relationship you built yourself. Membership growth has continued, and you understand why members join and why they leave. You are a known face across the five communities. Councils on aging, libraries, and partner organizations know who you are and what Cambridge Neighbors does. By Three Years Revenue has grown five to eight percent per year, and the base is broader. More grants, more donors, stronger sponsorships, and less of the budget resting on membership dues alone. There is a strategic plan you helped shape and are actively delivering on. The volunteer corps has grown alongside membership, including the drivers members depend on most. Cambridge Neighbors is a stronger and more sustainable organization than when you arrived.
What We're Looking For:
Who You Are We recognize strong candidates may not meet every qualification. If you're excited about this role and believe your experience could contribute to our mission, we encourage you to apply.
About You:
You are passionate about working with older adults and believe strongly in supporting people in aging in place within their community. You have supervised people. You have empowered, supported, and mentored people. You have set direction, trusted in your staff to meet goals and perform their duties, given hard feedback when needed, and been accountable for how a team performed. You have raised money, and you can point to what you brought in and how you did it. You have worked with a board, or a similar governing body, and you know how to build a productive relationship with one, including when you disagree. You have built real relationships across a community, and you can name what came of them. You have been the person who is a final decision maker. You read a budget confidently and understand what the numbers are telling you. You manage resources with care. Deep accounting expertise is not required. You understand what adults over 60 need in order to stay in their own homes, and you know the kinds of resources that make that possible. You are warm and approachable, and you are comfortable with people at every stage of later life, and with their families. You are confident in written and public communication, and you are at ease in front of a room, whether that is five people at a library or fifty at a community event. You are an independent thinker and a doer. In an organization this size the Executive Director both leads the work and does it, and that suits you.
You are comfortable with:
Google Workspace, spreadsheets, databases and CRMs, and email marketing tools. A valid driver's license and access to a car. This role travels regularly across Arlington, Belmont, Cambridge, Somerville, and Watertown. You respect older adults, and you believe people should be able to grow old in the homes and communities they choose. These experiences would add to your profile: Familiarity with the Village model or the Village-to-Village Network. Experience working with an aging population and community-based approaches to elder independence. Experience partnering with an engaged, hands-on board through a period of governance change or organizational transition. Direct service, social work, or case management background, particularly with older adults. Volunteer program leadership — recruitment, screening, training, and retention. Knowledge of the elder services landscape in
Greater Boston:
councils on aging, elder service agencies, and community partners. Living in or near the communities we serve. Work Environment This is an in-office role based in Cambridge, four days per week, Monday through Thursday, with Fridays off. The role travels regularly across Arlington, Belmont, Cambridge, Somerville, and Watertown for member visits, presentations, and community meetings. This is a small office. You will work closely and daily with the Assistant Director and the Member Services Coordinator, and you will regularly see members and volunteers in person. We are a place where people know each other.
What We Offer Salary :
$100,000
A four-day work week : Monday through Thursday, with Fridays off.
Time Off:
four weeks of paid vacation, 13 paid holidays, and five paid personal and sick days.
Health Insurance:
Cambridge Neighbors does not offer a group health plan at this time. We provide a monthly reimbursement of $700-900 toward the cost of an individual plan. A financially stable organization with a small operating budget, meaningful reserves, three consecutive years of membership growth, and multi-year grant support.
A structured transition:
the outgoing Executive Director will remain available on a part-time consulting basis to support your onboarding and introduce you to the network she has built over nearly a decade. The chance to lead an organization that makes a daily, tangible difference in whether people get to stay in the homes and communities they love. Commitment to Equity & Inclusion Cambridge Neighbors is committed to building a diverse and inclusive organization. We strongly encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds, including people of color, immigrants, LGBTQ+ individuals, people with disabilities, older adults, and individuals with lived experience as caregivers or in aging services. What to Expect — Interview Process & Estimated Timeline Screening interview with Riverwalker Talent, the search firm partnering with us on this hire (Zoom)
- Begin Early September Semi-final interviews with the Board President, the Treasurer, and Cambridge Neighbors staff + Riverwalker Talent (Zoom)
- Late September Final round: an in-person interview in Cambridge with the Board's Executive Committee
- early October Reference checks before an offer is extended
- anticipated start date is October How to Apply Our priority deadline for this application is September 8, 2026 .
Applications will close on September 15, 2026. We do not require a cover letter. Instead, we ask you to respond to the prompts below so we can understand your experience, judgment, and approach. Please submit your resume and your responses to the prompts by filling out the application.
Application questions:
An Executive Director here might spend the morning onboarding a new member, the afternoon presenting a budget to the Finance Committee and the evening attending a community event to bring in new members. What draws you to that combination, and what has prepared you to succeed with this balance of direct service and traditional ED responsibilities? Tell us about funds you have raised. Pick one effort you are particularly proud of. What was the situation, what did you personally do, and what did it bring in? Tell us about a time you stepped into a team or organization that was in the middle of change. What did you do in your first few months, and what did you deliberately choose not to do? Tell us about a time you created the conditions for someone on your team to do their best work. What was in their way, and what did you do about it? AI Policy We believe AI can be a helpful tool in work and learning and are not opposed to its use in general. We use 100% human review of these applications. For this process, we ask that your responses reflect your own thinking, experience, and communication style. Please do not use AI in this application. This role requires strong independent judgment and problem-solving, and we want to understand how you naturally approach real situations. EEOC Statement Cambridge Neighbors is an equal opportunity employer, committed to building diverse, equitable, and inclusive teams, and encourages applications from candidates of all backgrounds and lived experiences. For accessibility accommodations or questions, please email recruitment@riverwalkertalent.com. No phone calls.
