Director of Development

The Chesapeake Bay is one of our region’s greatest assets and natural resources, and at the Chesapeake Bay Trust, we believe getting the community involved is key to restoring and protecting the Bay. We’re looking for a Director of Development to lead all aspects of fund development and stewardship for our organization and help us ensure the health and vitality of the Bay for generations to come.

Is this You?:
This is a fantastic opportunity for a hands-on Development leader to run and manage the full gamut of fundraising responsibilities for The Trust.  You know that old adage, “variety is the spice of life?”  That is this job in a nutshell… no 2 days are the same!  Some days will be spent in strategic donor meetings, other days may be spent planning special fundraising events, and other days may be spent planning a direct mail campaign!  If you are that “Development Generalist Guru”, then this job is for you! 

The Director of Development will manage the organization’s existing donor programs and cultivate new support from individuals, corporations, foundations, and public sources. This person will build new programs such as our budding endowment, major gifts, and planned giving programs. 

The Director of Development will also play a key role in executing the Trust’s new five-year strategic plan, taking the lead on its ambitious development goals. Achieving these goals will enable us to grow, diversify, and better fulfill our mission of increasing and sustaining Chesapeake Bay stewardship.

This person reports directly to the Executive Director, is a member of the 6-person senior management team, and supervises a Development Assistant (currently vacant, with intended timing such that the Director participates in the final Assistant candidate selection.  This person will work closely with development-related board committees. 

The Key Responsibilities:

Development Strategy:

• Refining a development strategy for the Trust, according to the Trust’s strategic plan.
• Building the Trust’s endowment.
• Developing a Planned Giving program.
• Supporting the development of the organization of the Trust’s Annual Report.
• Ensuring compliance with all laws, regulations, and accounting standards related to charitable giving.
• Overseeing web content associated with development-related components of the website and e-communications to donors.
• Overseeing the production of newsletters.

Donor Cultivation and Stewardship:

• Maintaining and growing the Trust’s individual direct donor program, including ongoing development and maintenance of donor and prospect databases.
• Identifying potential major donor support and cultivating individual large gifts.
• Developing and maintaining effective communication and relationships with past, current, and potential donors.
• Identifying potential sources of corporate and foundation support and developing and maintaining those relationships.

Campaign and Event Management:

• Planning and managing special events for revenue generation and donor relations.  Events currently include an annual fundraiser, a legislative reception, and a monthly evening speaker series.
• Planning and executing a $6 million campaign.
• Evaluating current Events Calendar and Strategies to determine optimal ways to accomplish these goals.

Grant Support:

• Managing the ongoing process for research and submission of grant proposals targeted to prospective funding sources.
• Working with the Program Directors to support their restricted grant-making partnerships among public and private sources.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree required, or the equivalent in work experience
• 10+ years of professional development experience
• Proven track record of raising funds from diverse sources, including major gifts from individuals, foundations, corporations, and special events
• Outstanding verbal and written communication skills
• 3-5+ years of successful experience in staff management and mentorship
• Computer proficiency in programs such as Microsoft Office, Zoom, contact management databases, and fundraising software required (Raiser’s Edge preferred)
• Current knowledge of IRS regulations applicable to gifts received.

About the Chesapeake Bay Trust:
The Chesapeake Bay Trust seeks to engage and empower diverse groups to take actions that enrich the natural resources and local communities of the Chesapeake Bay region. The Trust is a non-profit grant-making organization established by state government in 1985. The Trust makes approximately 400 grants per year ranging from $100 to $200,000 for projects in the K-12 environmental education, on-the-ground restoration, science, and community engagement realms. In the past 15 years, the Trust has increased its grant-making and therefore revenue four-fold through various revenues streams under the purview of four Trust departments, of which the Development Department is one, with current annual grant-making of approximately $11 million. 

This position offers:

• Annual starting salary of $90-100K
• Competitive benefits: Health insurance, Retirement with match, generous paid time off
• Professional Development resources and opportunities
• A cohesive, mission-oriented, and intellectually curious team.

 

The Chesapeake Bay Trust provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or veteran status. We encourage applications from people of color.