Employment

Positions Currently Available:

STATUS: Exempt

SALARY & BENEFITS: Competitive

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITY: Serves as a senior member of the Chesapeake Conservancy's (CC) management team, and is responsible for the general execution of a successful Development program. The Director provides overall strategic leadership for the program, including planning, coordination and managing day to day operations for private and public funding for the Conservancy's annual operating needs and program initiatives. The Director is responsible for building relationships that engage a number of individual, corporate and foundation donors, and governmental grants.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

1. Oversees the day to day planning and execution of functional based fund raising programs with direct responsibility for their performance. This includes the management of an annual fund and major gift effort that focuses on individual, corporate and foundation, and public grants.

2. Responsible for creating and integrating the functions of prospect management, research and biographical records into the fund raising operation.

3. Supports the Conservancy's Executive Director by identifying and prioritizing principal prospects for the Executive Director's prospect portfolio. Provides strategic support to the Executive Director to facilitate fund raising efforts.

4. Personally seeks private funding for annual operating needs and project initiatives.

• Manages an active portfolio of approximately 100 prospects capable of making major gift commitments at the $25,000 plus level with a focus on securing individual gifts and pledges of $5,000 or more annually.
• Conducts discovery calls to qualify potential donors and determine capacity and inclination to give, and identifies suitable matches between CC programs and a donor's funding objectives.
• Serves as an effective and recognized representative of CC throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed, able to articulate CC's mission and goals for a wide range of audiences.
• Engages donors and prospects in events and field activities as part of the cultivation and stewardship process.

5. Engages CC program staff, volunteers, and trustees in the development process.

• Works closely with CC colleagues and engages them in cultivating, soliciting where appropriate and stewarding donors.
• Ensures that staff members receive adequate training, direction and oversight to optimize their individual fund raising potential and benefit to the organization's development efforts.
• Collaborates with CC team members to shape fundraising strategies for specific donors, reports on progress with assigned donors as part of regularly scheduled prospect management meetings, and provides accurate revenue projections for progress toward team goals.
• Manages/facilitates stewardship or grant reporting needs to fulfill donor requests, or by specific grant agreement.
• Works with CC volunteers to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward donors.

6. Helps to develop CC's overall base of support throughout the watershed region.

• Suggests and helps coordinate outreach events with appropriate CC staff that are intended to educate and cultivate prospects and steward donors. Works with volunteers and staff to integrate fundraising opportunities into outreach programs/events.
• Promotes local CC activities and accomplishments to donors and prospects to strengthen the CC brand. Provides marketing/communications support as needed.
• Develops an understanding of regional environmental concerns, and ability to articulate CC's positions and statements of need. Incorporates such messages into major gift proposals and annual fund messaging.
• Works with key staff (and external resources as needed) to supplement communications and public relations initiatives that create awareness for fundraising opportunities/return.

7. Monitors and oversees Development program expense budgets, ensuring both proper approval and coding of expenses, as well as a general accountability and ROI for all expenses.

8. Other duties as assigned.

KNOWLEDGE: A Bachelor's degree and minimum of five years of significant, successful fund raising, and management experience. The successful candidate will demonstrate excellent oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills; an ability to work in a fast paced environment as a member of a fund raising team; experience with preparation of funding requests; an ability to handle multiple responsibilities simultaneously and establish priorities and track details; and the ability to work effectively with volunteers. Preference will be given to candidates with major gift solicitation and campaign experience, a proficiency in computer systems and knowledge of fundraising software (GiftWorks, Raiser's Edge, etc.), and experience in a mission driven, environmental advocacy or educational organization.

PROBLEM SOLVING: Prioritize the development of fund raising systems and processes. Develop annual and major gift cultivation and solicitation strategies by assessing philanthropic intent, interest in supporting CC and giving capacity. Utilize tracking systems for moves management and information management. Customize correspondence and in-person presentations as needed. Excellent time management skills needed to handle multiple, concurrent projects.

ACCOUNTABILITY: Goals and objectives are set with the assistance of the Executive Director and the Board. Goals include securing visits, qualifying prospects, and securing annual gifts and multi-year commitments. Must be able to work independently without regular on-site supervision and have a strong internal drive to complete goals and overcome obstacles.

REQUIREMENTS: Position requires some travel throughout the watershed for meetings, as well as visits with donors.

APPLICATIONS: Please send a cover letter and resume to:

Colleen Whitlock
Director of Administration
Chesapeake Conservancy
410 Severn Ave., Suite 405
Annapolis, MD 21403

Emailed submissions preferred: cwhitlock@chesapeakeconservancy.org

The Chesapeake Conservancy is an Equal Opportunity Employer 

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