Development Director for Environmental & Agricultural Non-Profit

Salary range of $80,000-$130,000, commensurate with experience

Option for Permanently Remote Position

About RIPE 

Rural Investment to Protect our Environment (RIPE) is an innovative farmer-led non-profit advancing a voluntary stewardship program that provides a reasonable return to farmers as part of a national bipartisan climate policy. Our RIPE100 policy plan enables farmers of all sizes & types to earn $100 per acre from conservation practices that deliver public value through carbon sequestration, soil health, water quality & other environmental services.

Job Summary

If you are excited to use your expertise as part of a small but mighty team working to achieve ambitious national bipartisan policy that supports farmers’ economic & environmental sustainability, this is the opportunity for you. RIPE is seeking a skilled development professional to lead the organization’s growth strategy & implementation, with a focus on foundation relations.  The Development Director will work closely with the Executive Director to build on significant success in fundraising & program including strong relationships with some of the nation’s largest foundations, to grow from a $1M to over $2.5 M organization. The position will focus on foundation relations - by expanding support to additional foundations in the climate, agricultural, environmental, rural & regional foundations - and will oversee consideration of other strategies such as major donor cultivation. 

Key Responsibilities

Direct & implement RIPE’s foundation management lifecycle, including: foundation prospecting, pitch deck development, grant writing & reporting, & budget development.  Research, find, & recommend funding opportunities, with a focus on foundations with programs in climate, environment, or rural economic development. Develop & implement a comprehensive foundation fundraising program which will generate gifts from private sector foundations. Maintain a fundraising pipeline, grant deadline calendar, & library of up-to-date common grant attachments & finance & organizational metrics. Identify, cultivate, solicit, & build relationships with foundation prospects & donors.  Support Executive Director by drafting strategic updates for slide decks & compelling emails.  Creatively develop & propose new, powerful ways to portray the importance of the mission.   Launch & manage donor communications e-newsletter.  Manage donor acknowledgements & ongoing cultivation. Track individual donors & manage donation acknowledgements, annual solicitations, & donor outreach. Manage & prepare all formal grant materials, including applications, progress & final reports against received grants. Prepare & produce, in draft & final form, grant proposals, letters of interest, & other solicitations for funding.  Make recommendations on strategies, policies, & procedures related to proposals. Manage grant budgets with confidentiality & integrity.  Coordinate fundraising Board reports. Collaborate with Director & Finance staff, as necessary, to ensure timely grant submission & accurate grant reporting.

 Skills, Abilities, & Qualifications 

Five or more years of successful nonprofit experience in grant writing & fundraising with an ability to demonstrate a trajectory of increasing successes required. Experience with or willingness to learn the nuances of the environmental foundation field - including climate, ecosystem services, sustainable farming - to help prioritize targets.  Self-motivated, detail-oriented, impeccable communications skills, including experience developing graphically engaging pitch decks, including detail-oriented copy-editing.  Excellent relationship management skills including interpersonal, written/verbal communication, & collaboration skills; able to work effectively with people, especially in a small team environment. Excellent problem-solving & analytical skills with attention to details & accuracy. Highly organized with strong project management skills; able to balance & prioritize multiple projects in order to meet deadlines. Self-sufficient, independent, & eager to learn; able to perform independently with minimal supervision while also staying in regular communication with supervisor. Motivated to work in a small, evolving organization & be part of a multi-disciplinary team. Strong research skills: able to both develop a pipeline of funding opportunities as well as access internal & external resources in support of performing the role. Creative thinker who can draw upon past successes while also generating new ideas. Able to respond quickly & with excellence to opportunities having short deadlines.

Priority will be given to applications received by September 30th. We are seeking to fill this position immediately & applications will be processed on a rolling basis until the position is filled. To apply, please send your cover letter, resume, & salary requirements to Careers@RipeRoadmap.org. We respectfully request no follow-up calls or emails. In your cover letter please describe your experience & your interest in RIPE’s mission. Please include “Development Role” in the subject line.  

Salary range is $85,000 to $130,000 & depends on experience, plus generous benefits. We provide a comprehensive compensation package, including competitive salary, excellent medical & dental benefits, retirement savings, & generous vacation & sick leave policy. RIPE’s headquarters are in Washington, D.C. Work can be done from there or remotely. Work is conducted in Eastern time zone regardless of applicant’s home location. 

Currently, RIPE is an independent operating project of the nonprofit umbrella organization, Multiplier, a nationally recognized nonprofit with a growing portfolio of innovative initiatives that conserve & protect a sustainable & resilient world (www.multiplier.org). RIPE has filed for its independent 501c3 tax status with the IRS & expects to be a stand-alone non-profit by mid-2022.  

EEO STATEMENT: Multiplier & RIPE celebrate diversity & are committed to building teams & partnerships that represent a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, & skills. Multiplier & RIPE are also committed to providing an environment of mutual respect that is free from discrimination & harassment. Multiplier & RIPE prohibit discrimination in its governance, programs & activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, marital status, amnesty, status as a covered veteran, because all or part of an individual’s income is derived from public assistance, or for any other non-merit-based factors.