Senior Director of Development

National Forest Foundation (NFF) is pleased to offer a regular, full-time position to manage and grow unrestricted fundraising at the NFF.

About the NFF: The NFF works with communities and organizations to conserve and enhance the watersheds, wildlife habitat, wild places, and recreational opportunities across the 193-million-acre National Forest System. The NFF seeks to engage all Americans in this work.

Position Function: The NFF seeks an experienced and strategic individual to strengthen and expand the NFF’s unrestricted funding including philanthropic support from individuals, foundations, and corporations. Reporting to the President & CEO, this position will serve both as front-line fundraiser focused on growing the NFF’s major donor program, and as a supervisor of a growing team tightly focused on raising unrestricted funds from multiple sources. The position will coordinate closely with all C-Suite members, Director of Conservation Partnerships, members of our Board of Directors, and others across the organization to foster the strongest possible culture of philanthropy at the NFF. Among the various sources of unrestricted funds, this position will be chiefly focused on individuals.
 

Position Duties and Responsibilities: The Senior Director of Development will: 

• Meet or exceed annual unrestricted revenue goals from all sources.
• Design and build out the team of unrestricted fundraisers needed to achieve aggressive goals.
• Supervise the team to achieve annual and long-term goals.
• Strengthen donor acquisition efforts and achieve retention and renewal targets.
• Strategize and foster cohesion among all aspects of unrestricted fundraising to be able to project year-over-year growth from various sources.
• Recommend annual budgets and goals.
• Maintain a portfolio of 60-80 prospects with focus on Trailblazer Club Members (individual, unrestricted major donors) and other five- and six-figure unrestricted opportunities.
• With the President & CEO, establish short- and long-term philanthropic objectives for the NFF, matching individual prospect interests to institutional priorities for budget-relieving opportunities if unrestricted is not possible.
• Lead monthly Major Gifts Strategy meetings with President and key staff present. Ensure the mid-level giving program provides a consistent pipeline of major giving opportunities.
• With development staff, ensure a robust stewardship program for individuals tailored for various giving levels.
• Provide support to Board members who secure funds and leverage their connections in the cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of individual gift prospects.
• Collaborate across departments to strengthen the NFF’s growing culture of philanthropy. Provide steady development leadership organization-wide in close coordination with the Director of Conservation Partnerships. Encourage and support staff across the NFF to become proficient in and excited about unrestricted fundraising. Serve as an ongoing resource to staff regardless of department.
• Support the NFF’s brand voice both in visual representation and editorial style to ensure consistency of messaging.
• Represent the NFF’s mission, vision, and impact to constituencies as opportunities arise.

Education and Qualifications:  The NFF expects the Senior Director of Development to possess the following qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.
• Minimum of ten years’ experience in nonprofit fundraising, including annual giving, prospecting, cultivation, proposal development, stewardship practices, and working with Board members.
• A demonstrated track record of successful direct solicitation of gifts of five figures or more.
• Supervisory experience, including a history of coaching and mentoring to lead staff on to greater effectiveness.
• Familiarity with how marketing and digital strategies integrate into a holistic development strategy.
• Experience leading or being a part of capital campaigns in order to raise funds for our endowments and other goals. 
• Demonstrated proficiency in common office procedures and software, including Microsoft 365 and Office Suite, including PowerPoint, Word, & Excel.
• Experience and comfort with sophisticated CRM systems, preferably donor databases.
• Familiarity and/or experience in conservation issues a plus. Passion for public lands and/or outdoor experiences a strong plus.

Abilities and Skills:  NFF expects the Senior Director of Development to possess:

• Exceptional communications skills, including strong persuasive written and verbal abilities.
• Exceptional judgment and discretion including the ability to quickly earn the trust and confidence of the NFF’s most important donors.
• Ability to cultivate new donor relationships.
• Comfort moving between different departments and bridging different goals/strategies within the organization.
• Ability to effectively set priorities, while managing a variety of projects and tasks to successful completion.
• Display creativity and initiative; respond quickly to last-minute needs and changing priorities.
• A team player that is detail-oriented, organized, motivated and creative.

Location: The location for this position is flexible throughout the US. This position is a remote/work-from-home position and requires reliable internet access and a dedicated workspace. 

Compensation: The NFF offers competitive compensation commensurate with candidate skills, experience, and location. Total rewards at NFF, beyond salary, include generous paid time off, employer contributions to health savings accounts, matching funds for retirement, and more. NFF has recently (August 2022) implemented a new compensation program with grade levels as part of our commitment to transparency. The salary range for this position will be in the $126,700 to $177,400 range. Please note that the indicated salary range describes the full range for an incumbent in this position. Most new staff generally start at the beginning of the range percentile to ensure internal salary equity.

To Apply: Applications must include both a cover letter and resume. Incomplete packages will not be considered. Please apply by February 27th. Please visit our careers site to apply online.

The National Forest Foundation is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes a diverse pool of candidates in this search.  Additional information on the National Forest Foundation can be found at www.nationalforests.org.