Director of Corporate & Foundation Relations

Established in 1967, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) is the largest regional nonprofit conservation organization dedicated to saving the Chesapeake Bay, its rivers and streams, and the wildlife that call it home through education, advocacy, litigation, and restoration. Since 2010, CBF has engaged in a focused effort to defend and implement the Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint, a binding federal and state collaborative agreement aimed at reducing pollution to the science-based, legally-affirmed levels established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The Blueprint is expected to be fully implemented by 2025. If the states and the federal government achieve Blueprint goals, the Bay will finally—after decades of failed efforts—be removed from the Clean Water Act’s impaired waters list. Successfully implementing the Blueprint depends on a well-informed, engaged, active, and diverse constituency of members, advocates, and volunteers who speak up and take action to save the Bay.

CBF has a staff of approximately 210 employees working in offices in Annapolis, Maryland; Richmond and Virginia Beach, Virginia; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; and Washington, D.C. as well as 15 field education program locations. Our staff and volunteer corps work throughout the region educating students and adults, advocating for clean water policies, restoring waterways, and litigating when necessary. 

CBF's headquarters office in Annapolis, Maryland is the Philip Merrill Environmental Center, the world’s first U.S. Green Build Council’s LEED platinum building. In 2014, CBF opened the Brock Environmental Center—one of the world’s most energy efficient, environmentally smart buildings—in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

CBF has an annual budget of approximately $30 million and is supported by over 300,000 members and e-subscribers. For more information on CBF, please visit cbf.org.

DEPARTMENT DESCRIPTION

Development

The mission of Development is to provide financial resources for CBF to meet its long-term vision of saving the Bay. It establishes and implements strategies to motivate donors to contribute to the organization’s programs and projects through two primary areas of activity: development and membership.

CONTEXT OF THE POSITION

As a collaborative member of the Development department and Gift Officer team, this position identifies and secures private funding support for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s (CBF) annual operating needs and campaign initiatives by focusing on foundations and corporations, with an emphasis on donors giving $25,000 or more annually.

Essential functions include:

1. Identify and secure private funding support for annual operating needs and campaign initiatives.

• Manage a portfolio of donors and prospects capable of making new and increased gifts and pledges of $25,000 or more annually.
• Meet annually defined portfolio goals to include dollars raised, visits, discovery work, and other key indicators.
• Work with the Research & Prospect Management (RPM) and Mid-Level Giving teams to ensure ongoing development and balance of the portfolio. This includes an emphasis on identifying new leads while conducting discovery visits and calls to qualify potential donors, determining capacity and inclination to give.
• Develop and lead strategies to cultivate and solicit donors in the portfolio across all regions, preparing proposals, letters of inquiry, reports, and all other grant requirements. Partner with regional gift officers and CBF leadership to develop strategies when they are the primary relationship manager.
• Work with CBF program staff to identify and refine funding priorities to ensure that funding proposals align with organizational need. Utilize program staff and content experts to develop proposal strategies, coordinate proposal materials, and to engage partners.
• Work with the Stewardship team to design and provide donors and prospects with events and field activities that meet their interests and showcase the Bay and CBF’s work.
• Travel as necessary throughout the region, identifying and prioritizing donor engagement and discovery opportunities.
• Assist in developing donor/prospect profiles, briefing materials for donor meetings, visit lists, and recommendations for engaging CBF leadership.
• Solicit key corporate partners for event sponsorship opportunities where appropriate.
• Serve as an effective and recognized representative of CBF in the community.

• Develop and monitor program revenue and expense budgets, ensuring proper coding and timely submission of reports.
• Follow established procedures and policies to track portfolio management, assignments, and deadlines using CBF’s Constituent Relationship Management (CRM) system and project management tools, ensuring that all assigned actions are completed and regularly updated.
• Facilitate grant compliance by working internally with program staff, budget managers, and Finance Department to meet the terms of grant agreements, including the development and timely submission of interim and final reports to donors.
• In partnership with the Director of Development and colleagues, develop and implement strategies to achieve program and portfolio goals while monitoring, analyzing, and reporting on performance to leadership and the broader team on an ongoing basis.
• Provide guidance and share expertise with members of the Major Gifts team to develop regional strategies for key donors and to help the team understand grant management best practices.
• Help tailor messaging to donor interests and priorities by adapting proposal and report templates and other collateral that demonstrates donor impact.
• Support and help lead the corporate working group to ensure cooperation across CBF and support for the corporate vetting process to evaluate and approve new corporate opportunities.
• Provide guidance and coaching where appropriate for Development and other CBF staff and teams that provide support for corporate relations, ensuring that CBF’s corporate relations work is coordinated and strategic across all activities.
• Act as a source of knowledge related to CBF programs and the organization’s impact on the Chesapeake Bay.
• Lead, coordinate or assist with specific projects as assigned.

PREFERRED PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree and 5 years fundraising experience
• Experience managing a portfolio of donors and prospects, preferably corporations and/or foundations, including prospect identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship
• Demonstrated success securing five- and six-figure gifts
• Proficiency using MS Office products and Salesforce or an equivalent CRM database
• Ability to travel regionally to field offices when necessary and to meet with donors and constituent groups
• Excellent oral, written, and interpersonal communication skill required
• Time management skills needed to handle multiple, concurrent projects, which are often associated with strict deadlines
• Preferred experience in a mission-driven, environmental advocacy and educational organization is desirable
• Preferred experience managing a corporate and foundation relations program
• Ability to communicate effectively with people from diverse backgrounds and experiences.
• Ability to receive and give supportive feedback to foster equity and inclusion in working relationships.
• Ability to recognize, nurture, and learn from strengths in co-workers.
• Having flexibility to accomplish job responsibilities in several work environments, whether it be from home, on the road, or in an office.

Salary Range:  $98,000

To apply, please send resume and cover letter through job posting on CBF website no later than August 2, 2022.

CBF offers a comprehensive benefits package to include: 20 vacation days, 10 sick days, 2 floating holidays, health, vision, dental, life insurance, and a 403(b) retirement plan with matching contribution. 

CBF requires that all staff be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.  The successful candidate will need to submit verification of vaccination or have a valid religious or medical reason not to be vaccinated.

WE ARE COMMITTED TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION, AND JUSTICE

Just as biodiversity is the key to a thriving ecosystem, human diversity is the key to saving the Bay. Success depends on people from widely diverse backgrounds, cultures, ethnicities, identities, and races taking collective action. Clean water, clean air, and a safe environment are rights we all share.

To increase diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation will:

• Recruit and retain a staff, board, and membership that reflect the diversity of people living within the Chesapeake Bay region;
• Strengthen and broaden the diversity of our partnerships;
• Celebrate and value the diversity of staff; and
• Fight to ensure that everyone has equal access to clean water, clean air, and a safe environment.

CBF is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.