Director of Philanthropy - Northwest

The Trust for Public Land; Tacoma (WA); On-site; USD 130,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Vacation days

Sick leave

Holidays

401(k) retirement with match

Job summary

Trust for Public Land is seeking a Director of Philanthropy to lead major gifts in the Northwest. You will manage a portfolio of high-capacity donors, craft engagement and solicitation strategies, and work with executive leadership to reach multi-year revenue goals.

The role blends fundraising strategy with program collaboration in a hybrid Seattle/Tacoma or Portland area, with travel and a strong benefits package. Experience in donor databases and diversified giving is essential.

Qualifications

• Minimum 11 years of professional fundraising experience.
• Five+ years demonstrated major gift fundraising success.
• Ability to organize and motivate others.
• Understanding of best practices across fundraising disciplines.
• Experience planning and leading action plans and campaigns.
• Ability to train non-philanthropy staff.
• Strong written and oral fundraising communications.
• Ability to build relationships with staff and volunteers.
• Experience using donor databases and Microsoft Office.
• Willingness to travel up to 25%.

Responsibilities

• Manage a ~100 donor portfolio with major gift prospects.
• Lead cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship activities.
• Oversee fundraising activities for Northwest program and revenue goals.
• Collaborate with leadership and program teams across regions.
• Support philanthropy board activities and advisory board giving.
• Provide management and mentorship to two direct reports.
• Develop annual and long-range philanthropy plans.

Skills

Major gifts fundraising

Fundraising strategy

Team leadership

Donor relationship building

Communication skills

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor or higher preferred

Tools

Microsoft Office

Donor management software

Job description

Who We Are:

Trust for Public Land (TPL) is the leader of a movement to connect everyone in America to the outdoors. A national nonprofit, TPL partners with communities to create high-quality parks and protect public lands—especially in communities that need them most—to improve public health, create social cohesion, strengthen historic and cultural connection to place, and increase climate resilience. Since 1972, TPL has protected more than 4 million acres of public land, created more than 5,500 parks, trails, schoolyards, and iconic outdoor places, generated over $112 billion in public funding for parks and public lands, and connected nearly 10 million people to the outdoors. To learn more, visit www.tpl.org .

“For over 50 years, Trust for Public Land has been working tirelessly towards our vision that every individual should have close-to-home access to the benefits of nature. In today’s world, our land-for-people solutions are even more relevant than ever. Quality parks and natural spaces are a fundamental requirement for sustaining healthy, equitable communities that are resilient and prepared for change. Parks and public lands connect us to each other and to the outdoors. As we enter our fifth decade, we have much to celebrate and even more promising work to pursue. We are a vibrant organization with a new strategic plan that builds on our success. Join us to become part of a growing and forward-thinking team focused on growing our philanthropic partnerships to ensure healthy, livable communities for generations to come.”

- Patricia Watson, Chief Advancement Officer

Position Summary:

Reporting directly to the Pacific Region Director of Philanthropy, the Northwest Director of Philanthropy will be responsible for building relationships with and securing six- and seven-figure major gifts from high net-worth individuals located in across the two state region (Washington and Oregon) in support of the Northwest program, the Pacific Region, and the organization’s highest priorities and initiatives. We are seeking an entrepreneurial and results-oriented individual who is self-motivated with proven track record of working with this segment of donors, committed to working at the highest level of quality, able to work both independently and in collaboration, manage multiple priorities, and thrive within a results-oriented team.

The Director of Philanthropy will join a team focused on growing existing as well as identifying and engaging new, highly philanthropic individual prospects and work closely with executive, program, and philanthropy leadership to leverage resources across the organization to elevate the work taking place locally, regionally, and nationally. The position is responsible for directly overseeing a portfolio of individuals, corporate, and foundations, with an emphasis on individual high-capacity major gift prospects and donors.

This position will serve as a member of the Pacific Region team and expected to work closely with a variety of internal partners including State Leadership, National Programs, Finance, Marketing, Philanthropy Operations, Philanthropy Programs, and Planned Giving teams to drive the integration of an organization-wide philanthropy program.

Responsibilities:

50% Relationship Manager: Manage a portfolio of approximately 100 donors and prospects with an emphasis on individual major gift ($100K+) donor prospects. Includes donor visits; qualification, cultivation and stewardship activities; and solicitations. Pursues identifying and qualifying new prospects. Creates comprehensive engagement strategies, leads cultivation teams, and leads in the creation and delivery of final solicitation and stewardship materials. Promotes blended gifts, planned giving, and involves peer volunteers, executive leadership, senior management, and project staff in cultivation as needed.

30% Program Oversight: Oversee and accountable for all fundraising activities in the Northwest program. Collaborate with program team to design and implement annual and long-range plans to realize annual on multiyear revenue goals and setting the priorities and focus for the philanthropy team. Track and report progress toward revenue and programmatic goals. Monitor philanthropy associated expenses ensuring proper investment of resources. Oversee donor communications and recognition, coordinating with regional and national marketing and donor relations departments. Has oversight of donor events and tours. Direct and coordinate the involvement of leadership and program staff with donors and in overall fundraising.

Collaborate with Northwest State Director and Advisory Board Chair to identify, recruit, cultivate, and retain Advisory Board members, fostering an environment for continued programmatic and philanthropic success. Leads philanthropy-related board activities, including 100% advisory board giving, philanthropic outreach, and donor cultivation events.

15% Management: Supports the success of a cross functional philanthropy team, including two direct reports (Associate Director of Philanthropy and Philanthropy Coordinator) through clear communication, guidance, and management to meet the program’s philanthropy, donor, and volunteer goals. Supports professional development opportunities. Monitors progress and provides positive and constructive feedback. Delivers annual performance assessment.

5% Regional Program & National Initiative Strategy: Interacts with internal contacts such as the Pacific Region philanthropy team, national program directors, state directors and other fundraising staff to consult on organizational needs, to formulate strategies to promote donor prospect engagement with the organization and to identify potential donors. Assist with the strategy for and creation of written communications from various program leaders appropriate to a donor’s interests. Typically participates in (often in concert with others) gift solicitations to fund organization-wide or regional programs and to enhance the fundraising efforts of key state programs.

Expectations:

The Director of Philanthropy is expected to:

• Carry a balanced portfolio and actively move them through the four stages (qualification, cultivation, solicitation, stewardship) of the donor cycle.
• Make at least 100 visits with donors and prospects and meet solicitation targets, annually.
• Contribute to Philanthropy’s overall success by assuring budget and goals are met or exceeded.
• Develop and implement annual and long-range Philanthropy plan.
• Model TPL’s shared values (Belonging, Creativity, Collaboration, Impact, and Hope) to effectively work across the organization.

Experience, Education, and Skills Required:

• Minimum 11 years of professional experience with five+ years demonstrated major gift fundraising success.
• Ability to organize and motivate others, including peers and volunteers.
• Demonstrated understanding of best practices across all disciplines of fundraising (institutional giving, working with volunteers, major gifts, planned giving, etc.)
• Experience in planning, leading, and managing action plans, campaigns, and projects, including coordinating with peers to achieve desired outcomes, tracking, and reporting on progress to management.
• The ability to focus efforts and train non-philanthropy staff in the discipline of fundraising as appropriate.
• Strong skills in creating powerful, compelling written and oral communications for fundraising. The ability to convey complex ideas via presentations, e-mails, and face to face communications.
• The ability to work with others to reach common goals and objectives.
• Experience establishing and cultivating strong relationships with staff and ability to use good judgment, take initiative, and make recommendations.
• Demonstrated ability to utilize database tools to manage donors and build fundraising strategies.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams) and with complex databases or donor management software.
• Available for significant, independent travel (up to 25%)

Compensation:

Trust for Public Land is a hybrid work environment; the Director of Philanthropy will ideally be in the greater Seattle/Tacoma or Portland areas. As a full-time exempt employee, you will be eligible for Trust for Public Land’s comprehensive benefits program which includes medical, dental, and vision insurance, vacation, sick leave, and ten holidays. We also offer a 403(b)-retirement plan, currently with an up to 7% company match. We offer competitive salaries commensurate with experience; the hiring range for this position is $130,000-$140,000.

Trust for Public Land’s active goal is to be an inclusive and equitable place to work and build community. As the organization actively works to eliminate racial and other disparities it welcomes candidates with diverse backgrounds and/or multicultural skillsets. We are open to the possibility that a great candidate for this job may not precisely meet all the above criteria; if you believe you are the right person for this job and can persuasively make that case, we encourage you to apply.