Director of Development

Overview

Full job posting can be found at this link: https://www.nativeamericanland.org/employment

Position Summary

The Director of Development serves the mission of the Conservancy by designing, implementing, and collaborating on development programs that establish and promote positive, productive relationships between the Conservancy and tribes, foundations, and donors. The Director assures that these mission-critical relationships for the Conservancy are strategically designed, developed, nurtured, and maintained, and focuses programs on the alignment of current and future goals of the Conservancy.

As the Conservancy seeks to grow its capacity and reach, the Director will play a pivotal role in building the organization and in leading its growth. This is a new position for the Conservancy, which will provide an opportunity for a creative, driven, and relationships-oriented incumbent to make their mark on an already-impactful organization.

The Director is a member of the senior administrative team for the Conservancy and plays a critical role in planning and establishing goals for the Conservancy. The Director is directly responsible for designing, executing, and evaluating events and programs to support and build constituency relationships, and to devise strategies and messages that advance the Conservancy’s goals to internal and external audiences. Positive internal and external relationships will advance the Conservancy’s strategic plan and its development work. Duties include constituency relations, events management, fund-raising, marketing, and evaluation.

The Director makes independent judgments and participates in collaborative decision-making regarding “friend-building” goals and designs, executes, and evaluates key programs to meet these goals. These judgments are informed by professional experience and knowledge of past practices, daily involvement with the Conservancy’s senior leadership, and working closely with the Conservancy’s stakeholders. Decisions also require knowledge of nonprofit development principles, and donor values and intent.

Essential Tasks and Responsibilities

• Build, from the ground up, the Conservancy Development Division.
• Design and execute the Conservancy Development Plan.
• Build a portfolio of gift prospects and cultivate and solicit prospects for support.
• Successfully fundraise according to the Conservancy Development Plan to ensure stability and growth for the Conservancy.
• Provide appropriate stewardship to donors.
• Create, maintain, and manage a donor database. Analyze donor and demographic data for identification of potential sources of support.
• Act as a public representative for the Conservancy; represent the Conservancy and Conservancy interests before government agencies, local tribal and non-tribal communities, foundations, and other institutions.
• Ensure constituencies and donors are informed and educated about the Conservancy’s stories, successes and accomplishments and then provide resources, contacts, and information to include the Conservancy in campaigns, events, and endeavors.
• Take ownership of fundraising events including the annual golf tournament; implement all aspects of fundraising, including events, direct mail, planned giving, and major gifts.
• Maintain an overall perspective on major events for donor engagement and cultivation in the Conservancy, including a calendar, and, where appropriate, assure coordination among events.
• Recruit, hire, train and develop a Development team as capacity grows.
• Assist with public relations, ensuring a positive and growing public image for the Conservancy.
• Work closely with the Executive Director as part of core leadership team
• Work with volunteer constituencies in support of development objectives.
• Partner with senior members of Conservancy administration in cultivating and soliciting support.
• Conduct systematic assessment to determine the effectiveness of the Conservancy’s fundraising and engagement activities, events, and programs.
• Engage in planned professional development activities that will advance knowledge and understanding of tribal issues and needs, best practices for development and Conservancy communication strategies and build a network with fellow professionals.
• In the absence of administrative support, the Director will be expected to fulfill their own administrative and office duties, such as submitting expense reports to the Executive Director.
• Maintain a positive, upbeat manner; promoting and exemplifying Conservancy values and representing Conservancy objectives and interests to staff, board members, and the public.
• Ensure compliance with Conservancy standards, policies, and procedures.
• Work outside traditional business hours and travel may be required.

Note: The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by individuals assigned to this job. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of the position. All employees may have other duties assigned at any time.

Qualifications

Long-term employment is contingent upon successful completion a 90-day probationary period.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education and/or Experience

• Bachelor’s Degree desired
• A minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience in development, donor cultivation and engagement, and/or fundraising.

Required Technical / Other Skills and Abilities

• A verifiable track record of successful development activities and events.
• The ability to develop successful major donor solicitation strategies.
• The ability and willingness to travel locally and nationally.
• The ability and willingness to work remotely and independently.
• Computer literacy and familiarity with development-centered software.
• Excellent interpersonal, written, presentation, and oral communication skills, delivered in a manner appropriate to the audience.
• Ability to establish priorities, organize, schedule, and complete tasks independently.
• Positive attitude and commitment to Conservancy’s values and objectives.
• An entrepreneurial approach in supporting the growth of the Conservancy.
• Innovative thinker with problem solving skills.
• Valid driver’s license and access to reliable and safe source of transportation.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with tribal communities.
• Experience hiring, recruiting, coaching, and retaining Development team members.
• Experience with planned giving and stock donations desirable.
• Certified Fund Raising Executive preferred.
• Qualified Native American applicants strongly encouraged to apply.

Workload

Remote. Full-time, exempt position. Occasional weekend or evening work as well as travel may be required. Candidates geographically located in California are ideal, as employee may be required to travel to the Joshua Tree region for events and meetings at least once a month.

Compensation and Benefits

The salary range for this position is commensurate with qualifications and experience and starts at $90,000. Benefits package includes 3 weeks of paid time off, 2 weeks of sick leave, generous employer matching program for retirement, and health, dental, and vision insurance with low employee contribution.

Tagged as: development, fundraising, non-profit, remote